(BPT) - Getting better sleep doesn't begin the moment your head hits the pillow — it actually starts hours earlier. The choices you make throughout the day and evening help determine your body's sleep readiness, or how prepared it is to fall asleep, stay asleep, and wake feeling refreshed.
What's getting in the way of a good night's sleep
If falling asleep is challenging, it could be your mind that's robbing you of precious zz's. In a recent Viactiv® survey* of 2,000 U.S. women, more than 4 in 10 (43%) said that feeling stressed, mentally wound up, or unable to stop thinking is what most often gets in the way of feeling ready for sleep at night. The survey also found that 28% report feeling physically tense and having trouble relaxing their bodies before bed.
Unfortunately, many are unintentionally making it harder for themselves by sabotaging their sleep readiness with bedtime routines that run counter to gold-standard sleep hygiene practices. The survey found that 61.3% watch television before bed and 48.3% scroll on phones or tablets, even though habits like these have been shown to hinder sleep.
Meanwhile, only 11.6% practice breathing exercises, meditation, or mindfulness, and just 8.8% stretch or do light exercise — despite the fact that health experts recommend these techniques for better sleep.
Practical tactics for enhancing sleep
To help you feel better prepared for sleep, try a few of these simple habits. They may also help improve your overall sense of relaxation and well-being throughout the day.
1. Build in more exercise. If your schedule is overbooked, try to add just a short walk during lunch or after dinner, and a 10-minute stretching session in the morning or evening. Any activity that gets you moving and uses your muscles can help relieve unwanted tension. Keep any exercise in the evening gentle, as vigorous exercise can have effects like raising your heart rate, which may make sleep more difficult.
2. Reduce pre-bedtime eating that can make it harder to fall asleep. Try to avoid heavy meals later in the evening, and cut down on snacking. Both of these habits can disrupt natural circadian rhythms related to sleeping and waking.
3. Put away gadgets like your phone, tablet, and TV at least 60 minutes before bedtime. Too much screen time at night makes it harder for your mind and body to unwind, and make the transition from stimulation to relaxation difficult.
4. Boost your intake of magnesium, particularly magnesium glycinate, which plays a key role in muscle relaxation and supports the body's natural wind-down process. Magnesium also offers overall health benefits like aiding muscle and bone development, muscle and nerve function, blood glucose control, and blood pressure regulation. Many people don't get enough magnesium in their diet.
To help you relax and improve your sleep, consider adding Viactiv® Magnesium Glycinate Powder to your routine — it provides magnesium in the glycinate form, which is a form known to be gentle on the stomach and easy to absorb. This supplement delivers 200 milligrams of magnesium glycinate per teaspoon in an easy-to-mix, delicious, sugar-free peach flavor. You can make it even easier to boost magnesium intake by replacing your usual post-dinner dessert or snacks with this tasty smoothie:
Peach-Pineapple Wind Down Smoothie
1 teaspoon Viactiv High Absorption Magnesium Glycinate Powder
1/2 cup low-fat Greek yogurt
1/4 cup natural pineapple juice
1/2 cup ice
Combine in a blender, adding a few frozen peach slices if desired.
Blend until smooth and enjoy after dinner as part of your wind-down ritual.
Incorporating some of these habits into your regular evening routine will help support a better sleep experience, which can contribute to your overall well-being.
The Viactiv® Magnesium Glycinate Powder is available to purchase on Amazon and iHerb. Visit Viactiv.com to learn more about magnesium and other supplements to support your nutritional needs.
*Survey Methodology: Viactiv commissioned Atomik Research to conduct an online survey of 2,000 women age 18 and over throughout the United States. The margin of error is +/- 2 percentage points with a confidence level of 95%. Fieldwork took place between April 21 and April 23, 2026. Atomik Research, part of 4media group, is a creative market research agency.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
