First things first: recovery does not take place during training, and not while stretching afterwards either, but at night. If you want to work on your recovery, you work on your sleep. Food supplements are the last lever here, not the first.
What happens at night
Sleep is not an off state, it is an active process in cycles of about 90 minutes. In the deep sleep phases, which mainly fall in the first half of the night, repair and building processes run. In the REM phases, which increase towards morning, things are processed and sorted.
From this follows a practical consequence that may surprise many people: the first half of the night is the more important one for physical recovery. If you go to bed late and sleep longer instead, you are not making a one-to-one trade.
What melatonin is, and what it is not
Melatonin is a messenger substance produced by the body itself, formed by the pineal gland as soon as it gets dark. It is not a sleeping pill and does not make you tired in the sense of sedation. It is a timing signal: the body learns that it is evening.
Melatonin contributes to the reduction of time taken to fall asleep. The beneficial effect is obtained by consuming 1 mg of melatonin close to bedtime.
The decisive part of that sentence is at the end: close to bedtime. Melatonin works through timing, not through quantity. If you take it two hours too early, you shift the signal instead of setting it.
Our melatonin lozenges are intended to be taken about 30 minutes before bedtime and dissolve in the mouth. They are also available in combination with vitamin B6.
The lever that costs nothing
Light. Melatonin is formed when it gets dark, and its formation is slowed by light, especially by the blue component in screens and modern lighting. If you spend two hours on your phone in the evening under a fully lit ceiling light, you are working against your own rhythm, and no tablet makes up for that.
What actually helps is unspectacular: dimmed light in the evening, consistent times at the weekend too, a cool sleeping environment, and daylight early in the morning, because the evening rhythm is set in the morning.
Nutrients involved in the systems that matter at night
Some caution is in order here, because a lot gets promised in this field. What can be said is this:
Magnesium contributes to normal functioning of the nervous system, to normal psychological function, to normal muscle function and to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.
Vitamin B6 contributes to normal functioning of the nervous system, to normal psychological function and to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.
That is not a promise about sleep, and it is not meant as one. It describes that both nutrients are involved in systems that play a role at night. You notice the difference between a covered and an uncovered requirement, and as a rule you do not notice the difference between covered and more than covered.
Recovery after training
Anyone who trains hard on a regular basis has a higher magnesium turnover and loses electrolytes through sweat. Here too the same applies: sleep is the place where adaptation happens. An extra training day on too little sleep does less for you than a rest day with eight hours. More on this in the article on hybrid training.
When you should not experiment on your own
If problems falling asleep or staying asleep persist for weeks, if your performance noticeably suffers during the day, or if you do not feel rested in the morning despite enough time in bed, that belongs in the hands of a doctor. There can be things behind it that no food supplement addresses.
In short
- Recovery happens at night, and the first half of the night is the more important one for it.
- Melatonin is a timing signal, not a sleeping pill. The moment you take it is what counts.
- Light in the evening is the biggest lever and costs nothing.
- Magnesium and vitamin B6 are involved in the nervous system and in psychological function.
- Persistent sleep problems belong with a doctor, not with self-treatment.
Do not exceed the stated recommended daily intake. Food supplements are not a substitute for a balanced, varied diet and a healthy lifestyle.
