Speaker 1: 1:12

It's no secret, shift workers struggle desperately with their sleep poor sleep and I know a lot of people reach for magnesium when it comes to sleep. And then we have another group of people that reach for melatonin. Are they the same? Do they do the same thing? Which one actually will work best for you? Well, in today's podcast, I'm going to discuss what magnesium is, what it does, and what melatonin is and what it does, and then you can make an informed decision as to which one's for you.

Speaker 1: 1:49

Shift work can be brutal, but it doesn't have to be Welcome to a healthy shift. My name is Roger Sutherland, certified Nutritionist, veteran Law Enforcement Officer and 24-7 Shift Worker for almost four decades. Through this podcast, I aim to educate shift workers, using evidence-based methods, to not only survive the rigours of shift work, but thrive. My goal is to empower shift workers to improve their health and wellbeing so they have more energy to do the things they love. Enjoy today's show and welcome to a Healthy Shift Podcast. We are the go-to show for shift workers looking to thrive and not just survive. Me, I'm your host, roger Sutherland, and today I'm tackling a massive topic, which is shift work, insomnia and whether magnesium or melatonin is the better choice for you for getting quality sleep.

Speaker 1: 2:46

Now, if you're struggling with broken sleep, chronic fatigue and you're feeling like a zombie after a night shift, you are not alone. After a night shift, you are not alone. I've been there and I know just how frustrating it is to finally crawl into bed only to toss and turn for hours. Or we power nap for a short period of time, we wake up and then we're tossing and turning. Put your hand up no, not while you're in the car. Don't put your hand up now. You'll hurt yourself. And don't do it while you're walking. People will think you're an absolute weirdo, or they might know that you're in the car. Don't put your hand up now. You'll hurt yourself. And don't do it while you're walking. People will think you're an absolute weirdo, or they might know that you're listening to a Healthy Shift podcast if you do. But anyway, let's break it down.

Speaker 1: 3:25

How do magnesium and melatonin work, and which one should you, the shift worker, actually be considering Now? Magnesium versus melatonin what actually is the difference? First up, these two supplements work in completely different ways. They are nothing alike. Melatonin is actually a hormone that your brain naturally produces to regulate sleep. It is released when it gets dark, to signal to the body that it is dark outside. But as shift workers, we're constantly exposed to artificial light at the wrong times, whether it's the fluorescent hospital lights at 3am or the bright screens that we stare at on our breaks, or those of us that are staring at screens during the shift and even on our breaks. We then go and pick up our phones and then we are looking at screens continuously. Now this is where melatonin supplements come in, because they're designed to help tell your body hey, it's now time for sleep. Now. Magnesium, on the other hand, is a mineral that plays a critical role in muscle relaxation, stress reduction and nervous system function. Instead of knocking you out like melatonin, it helps your body to transition into a relaxed state so you can fall asleep more naturally.

Speaker 1: 4:53

So melatonin for shift workers. Why do we need to be careful? Now? Melatonin sounds like a dream solution. Right, just pop a pill, drift off. But there's a catch. Melatonin is not and I'm going to repeat this melatonin is not a sleeping pill.

Speaker 1: 5:10

It does not force you into sleep. All melatonin does. It's the hormone that signals to your body that it is dark outside. And if your sleep schedule is completely upside down, then taking melatonin at the wrong time can actually make things even worse for you. So keep this in mind Don't take melatonin and wait for it to kick in to put you to sleep and stare at your screen while you're actually waiting. Don't get into bed, take your melatonin and lie there scrolling waiting for it to kick in, because it's not going to do that. What you are doing is you're actually sending conflicting signals to your brain. First off, you've put a supplement into your system, which is a hormone which is signaling to the body that it's dark, and then you're holding your phone in your face, six inches from your eyes, putting blue light, which is the light that actually stimulates the brain into suppressing melatonin production, and it's actually going to tell your body that it's light outside. So it's sort of like having a vodka and a Red Bull. One is a sedative, the other one's a stimulant and it's going to cause you a massive problem. So let's not talk about vodka and Red Bulls.

Speaker 1: 6:28

So what are the key concerns with melatonin from my perspective? First of all, timing is absolutely everything, because if you take melatonin at the wrong time, you can literally feel very groggy when you wake up or worse. It just won't work at all. Now, everyone metabolizes melatonin completely different, so there is not a one size fits all solution when it comes to melatonin, and that's important to understand.

Speaker 1: 6:55

Number two over-the-counter melatonin is unreliable, and I want to be quite clear here For people who literally just jump onto Amazon or iHerb and try to find the biggest the 10 milligram or the 5 milligram melatonin and take that thinking oh, this is the best one because it's got more in it. This will help me to sleep. Studies have found that so many of these melatonin supplements contain either way more or way less than what's on the label, and also even in one bottle. They can vary so much, and some even have added substances that aren't listed, which can actually be quite dangerous to us. So we have to be very careful of the efficacy of over-the-counter melatonin.

Speaker 1: 7:49

Now, the way we combat this is we have a conversation with our physician or our doctor and we tell them that we need melatonin. Now you don't need to find 5 milligram or 10 milligram. Somewhere between half a milligram and 2 milligrams is more than enough. If you're using it at the right time, in the right way, it will literally signal darkness to the body and then you will drift off to sleep, which is what it's going to do, and that's it All right. So, and then, when you get a script for it or a prescription for it, what you're going to find is you will get a pharmaceutical grade of melatonin which is properly tested, not out of those bottles that you actually get that are coming in from those other companies that I've mentioned before.

Speaker 1: 8:36

Now the other thing that we have to be careful of is the side effects and dependency of melatonin. While melatonin is generally safe for short-term use, it's not great to be relying on it long-term, because it can actually throw off your natural ability to regulate sleep yourself, and some people also report grogginess, dizziness or weirdly vivid dreams while you're taking melatonin. So if you're considering melatonin, please, as I said, speak to your doctor first. They can also help you to figure out the right dose and the timing, so you don't end up making your sleep issues actually worse, which you can do. This is not a magic pill, remember that. So why might magnesium be an actual better choice for you?

Speaker 1: 9:24

Unlike melatonin, magnesium does not interfere with your body's sleep-wake cycle. Instead, what it does is it helps to reduce stress. It also helps to relax the muscles, which will promote a deep and restful sleep. Now, magnesium is not a sleeping tablet, right, but what it does do is it relaxes your body for sleep. Now here's why magnesium can literally be a game changer for our shift working community. Number one it calms the nervous system. Shift work keeps you in a constant state of alertness, hypervigilance, and magnesium can actually help to activate your body's rest and digest mode so that you can actually wind down properly after your shift. It also eases muscle tension and prevents cramps. So if you're on your feet all night, lifting, running or sitting in a control room for hours, muscle tightness can keep you from getting comfortable, but magnesium can help to ease those aches and pains.

Speaker 1: 10:26

Very, very good magnesium is, too for restless legs. For a lot of women as they go through perimenopause, magnesium can be quite good when it comes to those restless legs for you and also to help you to relax more to work your way through any of those hot flashes and things like that to help you to sleep. Now, the other good thing about magnesium is it doesn't cause any grogginess or any dependency at all. Magnesium won't leave you feeling foggy the next day and it's something that you can take regularly without disrupting your natural sleep mechanisms, and I know you're going to ask so how do we choose the right magnesium supplement? And here it is, because not all magnesium is created equal and if you tried it before and you didn't notice any benefit, there's a good chance you might have been taking the wrong type.

Speaker 1: 11:18

So here are the best forms of magnesium to support your sleep. Grab your pen and paper, make a note of the time 10 minutes you can come back to this. Number one is magnesium glycinate. This is your best bet for your sleep and relaxation. It's highly absorbable and gentle on the stomach. Jeez, that sounded funny, but anyway, it's highly absorbable and gentle on the stomach for you. Magnesium glycinate, magnesium citrate, is also a good choice if you also need some form of digestive support. But be mindful, because magnesium citrate is also a mild laxative effect as well. It'll draw the water in and it'll just work a bit like a laxative. So just be very cautious with that.

Speaker 1: 12:10

The other good one and this is the one that I take and it's the one that's really really good and there's a reason is magnesium L3 and 8. Now, the reason why I take magnesium L3 and 8 is because it's really really good to support your cognitive function and also for your brain health, because it crosses the blood-brain barrier and it will help you for that. But it is not the strongest magnesium for sleep, but it does support that cognitive function, all right. So keep that in mind. Now write this one down magnesium oxide. It's cheap, it's poorly absorbed and it will not give you the sleep benefits you're after. And while you're wandering around your pharmacy and you're having a look and you say, oh, here's a good one, it's nice and cheap, it'll be magnesium oxide it's cheap, it's poorly absorbed, it's absolute rubbish. Do not buy it. If it's magnesium oxide, all right. Keep that in mind, because that's why a lot of supplements are quite cheap, because they are really really poor quality, but they can still be sold as magnesium and people think that they're getting the right one.

Speaker 1: 13:20

So what's the final verdict? Magnesium versus melatonin. Which one should you actually be taking? Well, here's the bottom line. If you are struggling to fall asleep due to your disrupted body clock, then melatonin might be something that would help you, but it's not a long-term fix. I highly recommend that people take melatonin to get into a sink when they're going into night shift or to take it as they're trying to get out of night shift as well, to help them to re-regulate that sleep cycle as well. This is a really good time Now. Magnesium, on the other hand, it provides overall relaxation and a better quality sleep without interfering with your natural rhythms. So if you decide to try either of those supplements, always prioritize the high quality options. So talk to your physician about melatonin. Don't just buy it over the counter because you could be getting anything One day strong next day, not all out of the same bottle. Believe it or not, this is fact and make sure that you're getting the right choice. Get the high quality options and get the right choice.

Speaker 1: 14:28

So my final thoughts on improving sleep beyond the supplements. I want you to keep in mind and this is something that's really important that supplements can support a better sleep, but they are not a solution to sleep. This is the thing that you need to understand. The things that are a solution to sleep are all free. That is, meditation, journaling, breath work, yoga practice, stretching before bed and having a really good, solid sleep routine to sleep into. And you've just got to understand those screens are really doing your head in in a big way. They are causing you all sorts of problems around sleep. Shift workers need a really good, solid sleep routine, a proper sleep hygiene, and they need strategies to manage any light exposure outside of the normal times. When you get your sleep routine and hygiene right, it triggers your body that, no matter what shift you're on or what you're doing, it will actually help you to signal to your body that okay, we're going to sleep, this is our routine, this is what we do, all right, so keep that in mind. Really important.

Speaker 1: 15:48

And if you want more sleep tips, make sure you follow a Healthy Shift podcast so you don't miss any future episodes. Make sure that you go back and you hit that bell for notifications. Hit follow so that you get notified of the new episodes. And don't forget, if you get the chance, give us a rating and a review and if you found this one helpful, share it with a fellow shift worker who might be struggling with their sleep. That's it for today. Take care, get some rest and I'll catch you in the next episode of a healthy shift. Thank you for listening. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe so you get notified whenever a new episode is released. It would also be ever so helpful if you could leave a rating and review on the app you're currently listening on. If you want to know more about me or work with me, you can go to ahealthyshiftcom. I'll catch you on the next one.