Does vitamin c interfere with sleep?

Are you feeling tired and groggy after taking your vitamin C supplement before bed? Have no fear, we’ve got all the juicy details on whether or not vitamin C is hindering your precious Zzz’s.

What is Vitamin C?

First things first, let’s break down what exactly vitamin C is. Also known as ascorbic acid, it is an essential nutrient that our bodies need for growth, development and repair of tissues in various parts of the body. It also helps support a healthy immune system by aiding in the production of white blood cells.

Where Can I Find Vitamin C?

Vitamin C can be found in a variety of fruits and vegetables including oranges, kiwi fruit, bell peppers and broccoli to name a few. Supplements are also available over-the-counter at most drug stores.

The Science behind SLEEP

Before diving into answering this question let’s focus on how sleep works! Our brains have two main sections:
– REM (Rapid Eye Movement) – when dreaming occurs
– NonREM – where muscle activity slows down

It turns out that Melatonin hormone which affects when we get sleepy and wake up depends largely upon light exposure!

Increasing levels of melatonin encourage our bodies to prepare for slumber while decreasing amounts signals us awake.
While caffeine from coffee stimulates nerve cells opposed to adenosine hormone responsible for making us feel sleepy!
Sleep-hormones fluctuate throughout the day with highest level during midnight.

Just knowing what goes into sleeping patterns leads to:

In order to ensure good quality restful nights without any disruptions one must know what chemicals interact with their body systems.
Let’s put this theory through some instances given below-

Instance 1:

You have heard about popping antacid tablets help relieves symptoms related to acidity. These tablets contain aluminum, magnesium and calcium.
Where Aluminum+Magnesium= antacid
Calcium = Bone strengthening agent

Instance 2:

You’re feeling sick with cold-like symptoms: End up taking throat lozenges that contains active ingredient – zinc.

What is Sleep Interference?

Sleep interference is when anything affects the normal flow of sleep, leading to poor quality or shorter duration of rest. Common examples include caffeine consumption before bed, exposure to bright screens for extended periods of time late at night and unfamiliar surrounding causing unease while attempting to sleep in a hotel room or another new environment.

Now we get back to our initial question – does vitamin c interfere with sleep? This is one query which has varied answers since different studies have shown diverse facts regarding this topic! Some people feel that taking high doses of vitamin c close designation can cause insomnia whereas others argue there are no such effects based on research conducted so far!

There have been theories supporting both sides however these scientific positions aren’t quite agreed upon yet:

1) An article published titled “The Relationship between Vitamin C and Sleep Quality” by Banafsheh Kashani et al., explains how increased intake of vitamin C may lead to longer bouts REM cycles whenever you tend not wake up midway through them but rather let yourself go till dawn breaks [Kashani].

2) In contrast, other scientists suggest otherwise; for example Deanna M. Minich Ph.D., CNS arguing the fact supplements high dosages really mess up your body’s bodily rhythms just like any drug would do ie stimulants or depressants!

The Verdict

So essentially there’s no exact answer as everyone responds differently; after all they say “One man’s food could be another man’s poison”. If you feel like taking too much / too little amount (health maintenance ranges from 75mg-1000mg/day) before bedtime is affecting your sleep pattern, perhaps consider taking it at some other time of day. It’s important to also mention that this correlation isn’t reported by everybody who take supplements close around feeding timings.

At the end of the day, it’s important to listen to your body and identify how different things impact you personally. If taking vitamin C close to bedtime leads to disturbances in your normal sleeping habits then waiting until earlier in the day could be a good solution!

Dane Raynor

Hey there, I’m Dane Raynor, and I’m all about sharing fascinating knowledge, news, and hot topics. I’m passionate about learning and have a knack for simplifying complex ideas. Let’s explore together!