How to energize your body for better sleep

How did you sleep last night? Or the night before?

If your answer was “not great” or even “terrible, yet again,” that wouldn’t be surprising. Two-thirds of Americans don’t sleep well, and most suffer in silence thinking it’s normal.

But lack of sleep is far from normal and can be detrimental to your health…

Research shows that if you don’t get quality sleep you’re are at much greater risk of weight gain, lowered immune function, memory issues, anxiety, depression, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, heart attack, and even stroke!

So it goes without saying that if you’re not sleeping well, you need to do something about it. And as it turns out, there’s a 2-step routine that can address your sleep issues. And it starts with an unfamiliar vitamin called methylcobalamin…

Methylcobalamin is an activated form of B12. It’s the only form of B12 that can cross the blood-brain barrier and do its duties in assisting with optimal brain and nervous system function.

The master clock of your sleep-wake cycle (known as your circadian rhythm) resides within the control center of your brain — the hypothalamus.

And it’s within these deep realms that methylcobalamin exerts its influence…

Methylcobalamin can help reset your master clock in three ways:

1. One mechanism that regulates your sleep-wake cycle is perceived light on the retina of your eyes. Methylcobalamin increases light sensitivity to help send stronger signals through the retina to the hypothalamus in the brain.
2. One of the key hormones involved in body-clock disruption is cortisol. With all the modern day stressors, it’s not uncommon for the body’s cortisol peak to shift off schedule, running your master clock tired and wired. Methylcobalamin helps to reshift the cortisol peak by enhancing and rebalancing the communication between the hypothalamus and endocrine organs such as the adrenal glands.
3. With its influence on neurotransmitters in the brain, methylcobalamin improves sleep quality so that you feel more refreshed in the morning and have enhanced energy throughout the day.

Taking a methylcobalamin B-12 supplement will support this process. But there’s actually a 2-step routine that can facilitate its effectiveness…

Step 1. Get exposure to sunlight or bright light for at least 10 minutes in the morning between 6am to 8am.

Step 2. Take a 3 mg methylcobalamin B12 supplement every day with breakfast or lunch. Some vitamin B12 supplements are from cyanocobalamin. Just check the label to be sure which kind you’re getting.

This combination of bright light and supplementation helps to shift your master clock, resetting it back to normal.

It won’t work for everyone, but appears to be effective in around two-thirds of people, so it’s well worth a try.

And here’s a tip: If you happen to live in a cold or dark region, or you’re stuck in an office from the early hours of the day and simply can’t get outside, then purchase a sun lamp. These will perform the same purpose as getting exposure to daylight.