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To reiterate from last month’s newsletter, most of the interventions that I recommend come from my almost 30 years of clinical practice.  But some find their origins in my personal life.  Sleep is one of those health factors that I can speak for personally!  I can honestly say that this article is one of those times I can say I know whence I speak!, i.e., “I’ve lived this one, baby!”  Last month I talked about falling asleep, this month I will take my cue from the humorous TV commercials that emphasize “never underestimate the value of a good night’s sleep!”

Perhaps in all of mental health, the most underestimated factor is sleep.  Twenty-six years of clinical experience with individuals battling all kinds of mental duress and disorder have taught me that sleep as the number one flag for impending difficulties in mood, thought processing and behavior.  You show me somebody who’s not sleeping well for several nights in a row, and I’ll show you somebody who is heading for trouble in some aspect of their psychological, behavioral and/or relational functioning.

So what does it take to get a good night’s sleep? Whether its stress or worry or part of an attention deficit issue, the answer to sleeping good throughout the night is fairly simple.  Just take your cue from Granny: mine always told me to drink a glass of warm milk!  Why?  Because milk contains Calcium and Calcium, in tandem with Magnesium and Vitamin D, generate restful sleep!  While you can use medication (I did and with limited benefit) there’s rarely a need to roll the dice on the medication’s side effects.

Why Calcium? Calcium is reabsorbed into the bones at night when we are supposed to be sleeping.  If there is not sufficient dietary supply of calcium the body begins to look for it other places, e.g., muscles, joints, etc.  This process makes for considerable restlessness and even cramps.  The Calcium in conjunction with magnesium (a relaxant) relieve this process & you sleep much more restful.

When do you take Calcium? Calcium is most effective when taken at night prior to going to bed for reasons just mentioned.

Quirky Calcium. There is something of a catch to using a calcium supplement:  it needs to be in the right form. Calcium is often marketed in a carbonate form.  Studies have consistently demonstrated an inferior absorption of Calcium Carbonate even though many of the popular calcium supplements are, in fact, in carbonate form.  The more absorbable form, ranging from 2 to 5 times, is the Citrate form.  In addition, carbonate must be converted to citrate and the human body can only perform that process with about 500 mg per day.  Given that the recommended Calcium Carbonate dose is 600 mg three times per day, do you see the problem?  You got it!  About 1200 mg doesn’t get absorbed and stays in the bathroom when you leave!  I will leave it at that for right now and recommend that you read Chapter 10 of my new book Turbo Charged Childhood for a more detailed explanation of mechanics of calcium absorption.  But let me add that I am also not in favor of the pill form.  Again, I discuss the disadvantages of the pill form vs liquid in my book.  Suffice it to say right now, I just don’t like the idea of paying 100% for a product that only delivers 20% of its content!

Calcium Quirk #2. Before I close, let me briefly describe yet another quirk, this one with the citrate form.  Citrate is not the most stable compound known to man, i.e., it is subject to chemical reaction and breakdown shortly after production and may not be as potent when it finally runs its manufacturing and distribution routes and then sits on your shelf for 20-30 days!  Some companies produce their Calcium supplement in the citrate form but sacrifice effectiveness due to this problem of the citrate being a somewhat unstable compound!  I have found a way around all of these marketing/manufacturing problems associated with Calcium.  I recommend (and use) the CalMag 100 manufactured by Biometics.  It is shipped in a carbonate form (for maximum stability) and then converts to a citrate form (for maximum absorption) when you mix it in water right before you go to bed.  For more information on this particular supplement go to www.mindofhope.com to order.

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