I'm A Health Coach & This Is The Sleep Supplement I Take Nightly
As a health coach, it's my job to help people reach their well-being goals. Most of them come to me looking to achieve a healthy weight, but after an initial consultation, it often becomes clear that they could use some assistance in the sleep department, too. Either they have poor sleeping habits or live stressful lives that keep them up at night.
Considering how connected sleep is to cravings and calorie intake, this isn't all that surprising. So alongside optimizing their diets, we'll work together to improve their sleep hygiene and establish healthy wind-down habits. From there, if they are still looking for a little extra nightly assistance, there's one supplement I always recommend: mindbodygreen's sleep support+.*
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Why do I feel so confident sharing the supplement in my coaching, you ask? Because it's worked so well for me.
How sleep support+ transformed my sleep.
I've always been a bit of a light sleeper. I have a very active mind and often find myself struggling to fall asleep, or waking up in the middle of the night. In my 20s, it got to the point where I really couldn't remember the last time I had a good night's sleep and woke up feeling rested.
I tried every strategy to help me sleep better over the years, but nothing stuck. While calming supplements might help me relax a little bit, they didn't make it any easier to fall asleep. Sleep aids like melatonin would put me to sleep quickly, but then I'd wake up in the middle of the night feeling groggy. I also didn't feel great about putting hormones into my body if I didn't have to.
I'm a longtime mindbodygreen reader and first heard about sleep support+ on the mbg podcast. It was the summer of 2020—a time when many of us were feeling exhausted and stressed—and I decided it was worth a shot. It was pretty amazing how quickly I started seeing a turnaround. Within the first night, I was able to fall asleep quickly and stay asleep through the night. After a week, I was sleeping perfectly.*
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How I incorporate sleep support+ into my routine.
With my health coaching background, I know that supplements alone can't ensure great sleep. So I take sleep support+ around two hours before bedtime and always pair it with other good habits. I turn off electronics (or at least use them sparingly and on a dimmer) at around 6 p.m. and try to eat my last meal by 7. I'll put my young kids to bed and then dim the lights in my room, grab a book, turn the lights out by 9:30, and sleep away. Since taking sleep support+, I've been sleeping a good seven, sometimes eight or nine hours a night.
If I don't get a good night's sleep, it really affects me. The next day I'll be cranky, eat more and have stronger cravings, find it difficult to exercise, and feel ready for bed by 4 or 5 p.m. Now that I'm consistently waking up rested, I'm able to perform better in my workouts, eat healthier, and just maintain a good mood throughout the day. I feel more motivated and have the energy to do all the things I want to do.
I'm really grateful to have found sleep support+ and feel confident taking it night after night (I even travel with it!). And when someone comes to me looking for some help with their own sleep, I'm excited to share it with them, too.
The takeaway.
Cleaning up your nightly habits is the first and most important step in achieving optimal sleep. If you've already done that and are still looking for a little extra support, this supplement might be the cherry on top.* I know it was for me.
As told to mindbodygreen editor Emma Loewe.
Federica Muggenburg is the founder of Heirloom Health Wellness Coaching, a one-on-one and group coaching service helping clients heal their bodies, lose weight, and slow aging. At HH she works side-by-side with her clients to create personalized action plans based on their unique goals.
She graduated top of her class at The Culinary Institute of America in New York, where she learned firsthand how the key to any successful wellness plan, is creating delicious food as well as nutrient-dense.
After years of high-performing jobs and intense schedules, her health struggles took her through a unique journey, where she learned how to be her own advocate. A severe hormonal imbalance served as a warning and quest to find her wellness path. Certified as a Nutritional Health Coach by the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York City, and as a Holistic Health Practitioner by the AADP.
Federica is now specializing in hormone health and her biggest goal is to help other women (and men, of course) take control of their health, lives and re-learn to love themselves again