Health store help

Independent health store advice on sleep and energy

Looking for advice on natural health and wellbeing? Your local independent health stores can offer a wealth of knowledge and expertise. This issue we speak to owner Lorin Taylor and shop floor consultant Caroline Flack from Licorice Health Foods in in Galway and Offaly

There is no one solution that works for everyone to help with energy and recovery, says Lorin Taylor. “All the usual common sense things apply to getting more energy – eat a balanced diet, sleep well, exercise regularly – but sometimes life just doesn’t work like that. You might find yourself recovering from illness, injury or trauma and it can feel exhausting and overwhelming.” So, here are a few things that can help to get you back on an even keel, feeling energised and ready for the world.

From matcha to mushrooms
Lorin says: “As a nation, we seem to be fairly addicted to caffeinated drinks. However, as much as they do initially give us energy, when it wears off the exhaustion is even worse. I have found having a matcha drink can mimic the boost we get with having a coffee, but without the raised cortisol and the drop off later.

Ashwagandha is an Indian adaptogenic herb that is used for increasing energy. It works by boosting the body’s resilience to physical and mental stress, helping to lower cortisol levels and alleviate fatigue, with the added bonus of helping to balance hormones.

Vitamin B12 is essential for energy and easy to become deficient in, particularly for adults over the age of 50 or those with any kind of digestive issues or anyone following a specialised diet. It is worth having a blood test to see where the body’s levels are before supplementing with it.

A relatively new supplement to the market that we are finding incredibly useful for sustained healthy energy is the mushroom cordyceps. It appears to work by increasing the body’s production of ATP, which is essential for releasing energy into the muscles. It also has an adaptogenic role in helping the body cope better with stress.”

Magnesium and lemon balm
“So many people have issues with sleep,” says Caroline Flack. “It’s one of our customers’ most pressing concerns and rightly so! Not getting a good night’s sleep can mess with our energy levels as well as our mental health and our hormones.

Having a good, solid bedtime routine is easier said than done, but if you can manage even a basic one to begin with, it’s one of the best things you can do for your health.

A good quality magnesium supplement is very important, as we very rarely get enough magnesium through our food these days. A magnesium glycinate is generally the best for sleep. A magnesium citrate is beneficial too for those who may be prone to constipation.

L-theanine (lemon balm) is a fantastic herb, which may help with racing, anxious thoughts that so many find keep them tossing and turning. You can take this in supplement form before bed with your magnesium, or sip on a calming cup of lemon balm tea.

Another tip that may seem backwards – as we often do this in the morning to wake our bodies up – is to do some light stretches before getting into bed. Doing this helps to relax your muscles, and sends serotonin to the brain, aiding your quality of sleep.

Another thing that’s easier said than done is turning off your phone. The blue light is not easy on our eyes, and really is telling us that it’s daytime, so the opposite of telling our brains it’s time for bed! Try reading a few pages of a calming book instead. Even just taking one of these steps and putting it into practice is a great start on your sleep journey.”