So here we are, fresh from a warm bath, well-moisturized, comfortably arranged under a weighted blanket in our cool, blackout-curtained bedroom, tuned into our grown-up lullabies, and…spinning obsessively about, in my case, the mortifying fact that I misspelled Ukraine President Zelensky’s name in last week’s post. (Only his last name; I didn’t even try to spell his first name.) In my mind-swamp I keep referring to him as “Valensky,” which a friend generously suggested was because I identify with him. (Vals of the world, unite!)
Moving on from mistakes to solutions: My recent post about sleeplessness generated a number of reader recommendations for capturing the elusive snooze.
Among the most prevalent of suggestions was the mineral magnesium, either in supplements or a cream, which one reader massages into the soles of her feet after climbing into bed: “[It] produced a deeper, dreamier sleep from the first night I used it,” she says. I’ve ordered Triple Calm Magnesium capsules, suggested by Osmia Organics founder and dermatologist, Sarah Villafranco, in her Instagram; studies have shown magnesium supplements can help reduce insomnia in the elderly (or as I like to call us, the “mature unslept”).
A few people mentioned melatonin, which worked for me for a while and then stopped working as abruptly as a blown fuse. One reader swore by a 2.5 mg melatonin lozenge under the tongue every night, but when, after a few years, she quit using it, she found she fell asleep just as easily. Here’s some advice about how to take melatonin for best results.
Another reader is devoted to this CBD oil (pricey!) taken right before bed; she claims it gives her vivid dreams, but not nightmarish ones. (At that price, you’d think you’d get at least a few nightmares.) This reader also loves SleepEase, a homeopathic vitamin formula sprayed under the tongue.
Meditation apps are also popular. As I mentioned in my recent post, I like the sleepcasts on the Headspace app. Also recommended: the Calm app. One relaxed reader likes listening to “A New Day” by Cooper Sams, which strikes me as exactly the music that accompanies you as you ascend to heaven (on a massage table). The Reveri app also got a shout-out; the co-founder is a psychiatrist who specializes in self-hypnosis (I am getting sleepy…I am getting verrry sleepy). Another reader specifically recommended this delicious grabbag of a podcast about sleep (but if you’re craving a taste of stimulating controversy, listen to this podcast first).
A few people mentioned breathing techniques, like one a reader found on the Waking Up app with Sam Harris. Another heavy breather follows Andrew Weil’s advice from his book, Spontaneous Happiness.
Mentioned a couple of times were yoga nidra and cognitive behavioral therapy (for the mature and seriously unslept).
And the venerable, inimitable, superhumanly energetic E. Jean Carroll suggests you knock yourself out with half a grapefruit and a handful of almonds before bed. What’s that? A scoff? You might Google “Foods that help you sleep” and discover that people who consume more of the antioxidant lycopene (found in grapefruit) have less difficulty falling asleep. And that almonds are a source of melatonin and magnesium. Proving once again that comrade E. Jean is nobody’s fool.
Finally, there was one recommendation for a sleep mask. I know some people who can’t fall asleep without one. I’ve never liked masks (and like them even less now). But occasionally I do like snuggling up to some friendly heat; oops, I mean like this.
“Ask Val” answers your urgent questions, Vol. 26
Yes, you on the aisle with—did a moth just fly out of your wallet?
Q: Are more expensive skincare products—doctors’ brands, for example—typically endowed with a kind of “professional strength”?
A: Price alone has nothing to do with the strength or effectiveness of a skincare product. A drugstore moisturizer or serum can have the same concentration of active ingredients as one you buy at a fancy spa or department store. A prescription product, on the other hand, will most likely contain a higher concentration of active ingredients than an OTC formula, which is why it’s more expensive than some with lower concentrations.
So, no, a product’s price and strength aren’t necessarily correlated.
Val Asks You
Don’t be shy! What’s your most vexing or intractable appearance issue? Send your beauty-related questions to valeriemonroe@substack.com. If I don’t have a good answer, I’ll find someone who does.
HNTFUYF, a Payola-Free Zone
Readers, a few of you have wondered aloud to me if I get a cut from sales when I mention a product. I do not. I only mention products I’d like to buy myself, and therefore think you might like, too. I share this so you know my recommendations are offered without obligation. The only financial contributions I receive from these posts are from those of you—thank you!—who have generously subscribed. All posts and the archive are free; there’s no paywall.
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Delighted to see that my little “sleep therapy” tip made it into your excellent post. Also enjoyed the other interesting recommendations that your followers shared.
Speaking again about sleepless nights, one thing that has rudely awakened me in the past, usually in the early morning, has been the proverbial “charley horse,” painful cramps in calf muscles. One leaps out of bed and hops around to stop the cramping. But there goes your beauty rest.
So these days I try to be more mindful of stretching my calves by the end of my day, especially helpful if we’re trying to get in our daily 10K steps!
For the charley-horse prone, my acupuncturist also suggests massaging a small dab of magnesium gel into calves at bedtime. Which he says can also help you on your way to slumberland. He likes MagnaGel from www.designsforhealth.com.
It has magnesium salts from the Zechstein seabed in Europe. Works for me! With daily stretching, I need it less often for calves but it helps with other muscle aches too.
A few years ago I worked on figuring my actual circadian cycle to see if I can get up in the morning without an alarm clock. At that time, having 9 hours of sleep was the ticket so I trained myself to get to bed at a time to better assure that 9 hours of sleep. These days, due to my long commute of over an hour twice a day, I feel the need to use an alarm just in case. Yet, interestingly, I always get up 10-15 min before the alarm (bladder calls!) I've been taking CBD + melantonin gummies but in truth I think I just like the taste of them and not sure if they make any difference. I try to read a chapter or two of a "real" book (no screen readers) and put my phone across my room although thinking perhaps I need to leave it downstairs - still too tempting to read that one last NPR article. Another thing I've done when I was training myself to sleep earlier is to tell my brain, "Wake up at 7am, wake up at 7am, wake up at 7am" and guess what? I do. (https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/12/26/1139781557/i-usually-wake-up-just-ahead-of-my-alarm-whats-up-with-that)