Some questions about sleep

Hi Nutritionists! Could you answer a few questions about sleep?

One of my friends gave me a small tub of magnesium–something called “Natural Calm” by Natural Vitality–because she knew I struggled with occasional sleeplessness. Is this something you’d recommend? Every once in a while I’ll add a small spoonful of it to a glass of water before bedtime. I didn’t see magnesium as something you recommended in your list of resources for us this week, so I wanted to know your thoughts here.

Also: It’s been really interesting to do the food + activity journal. I don’t think I ever really considered how much I eat in front of a computer or by myself or just when I’m multitasking or rushed. Writing out that, say, I ate a cold turkey sausage patty while standing at the kitchen sink makes me think, c’mon, Annie, you could at least warm that thing up (however, those things are super good, even cold!).

By the way, today’s my birthday and we’re having my family over for a social-distanced dinner party. Any tips for how to enjoy the celebration and still stay mostly faithful to the PN vision? I’m probably going to fall off the bandwagon a little–my kids baked me cookies and even though I truly don’t WANT one, they are so excited about them and it seems…short-sided? I dunno….to tell them that I can’t eat what they’ve made for me.

Good stuff here! Thanks again for all your guidance and encouragement!

~Annie

Whoopsies! Just re-read your sleep tips and DID see that you recommended magnesium, and happily the same stuff that I have in my cupboard! Sorry I missed that initially…

Happy birthday, Annie!

We use Clam magnesium in our house and it seems to do exactly what it says – makes us calm before bedtime (it also helps get the digestion moving, if you know what I mean – so be careful)! We usually put a teaspoon of the Calm in a cup, add a tiny bit of water (and watch the foaming). Once the volcano of foam stops, we add the rest of the hot water and enjoy it. We usually do it about 45 minutes before bed. I used to take melatonin on a regular basis, but the calm seems to do just as good of a job.

In a perfect world I’d skip the Calm tea and take a bath with epsom salts, but that rarely seems to happen.

As for other sleep tips, we try to limit screen time after dinner as a further way to wind down. It doesn’t always work, but I know we get a more restful night’s sleep if Im not checking the social feeds before bed (and work can wait until the morning). also, we keep our phones out of the bedroom and we invested in some blackout blinds (which are worth every penny).

Hope that helps! Have a great birthday.

Hi Annie! Happy Birthday to YOU! 🙂

Yes, we love Natural CALM magnesium as a way to keep digestion moving and help you wind down. Like Julie mentioned, you may need to experiment with dosage – start with one teaspoon and work your way up to more if needed. Wait a day to see how it impacts your digestion as it generally will get things moving by the next morning. As long as your stools aren’t too loose, you should be good to go. There are also forms of magnesium that you can also try if Natural CALM (contains magnesium citrate) isn’t a good fit. You could also try a magnesium glycinate supplement which is useful for anxiety, insomnia and chronic stress but will not have the same impact on your stools.

Happy to hear that you are finding the food + activity journal helpful – yes, it definitely calls attention to the times we multitask while eating. Sometimes just connecting the dots helps us make major habit shifts.

As far as your birthday party goes, we are truly all about a BALANCED approach to nutrition which includes life’s indulgences so by all means, enjoy a cookie that your sweet kiddos made you. 🙂 Stay tuned for the ‘Moving Forward’ section which really calls out our P365 approach to nutrient-dense eating…and guess what?! There is a place in your diet for ALL food and after 20-days of rebooting your body chances are you will enjoy a small treat but truly continue to crave nourishing/real food. Go enjoy yourself tonight and again, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Hugs,
Christina

What sweet replies. Thank you, Julie and Christina! I had a great birthday, complete with dessert and a nice glass of white wine, which I thought might trigger something, but I felt pleasantly in control, mindful and appreciative of the treats.

Onward! Thanks again.

~Annie

Happy to hear, Annie! It sounds like you are ready to move on to our ‘P365 lifestyle’ which includes small indulgences but remains anchored by whole foods. Make sure to check your email tomorrow for more on this! xx