We’ve all felt it, one bad night, and suddenly you’re moody, foggy, and running on empty. Over time, poor sleep doesn’t just affect your day; when it becomes the norm, it can age every cell in your body.¹ 

While our environment and habits play a role in supporting sleep, even the best intentions can be derailed by normal life circumstances. Whether it’s work pressures, study demands, parenting stress, or the constant pull of our digital world. In these moments, the goal is to gently turn the dial toward better sleep using practical strategies that fit real life.

In this article, we explore 4 times in life when sleep can be affected, with useful solutions. We’ll also explore how a magnesium formula like SleepX can support sleep quality.

1. Busy Professionals: How Stress and Screens Are Stealing Your Sleep

Late-night emails and constant task juggling can steal your much-needed rest. In fact, blue light from screens suppresses melatonin, the hormone that signals your body it’s time to sleep, making it harder to fall asleep and lowering sleep quality.² The result? Mood dips, reduced focus, and more mistakes on the job. If this sounds like you, here are some things to keep in mind:

Things to be aware of

• Long workdays can often mean skipping meals or grabbing sugary, refined snacks. Over time, poor food choices can make it even harder to fall asleep.³
• Drinking coffee late in the day delays melatonin release even more, making it harder to get a good night's rest.
• Tight deadlines raise stress hormones like cortisol. Over time, chronic stress pressure can deplete magnesium, impacting sleep quality.⁴

Good habits to think about

• Take micro-breaks during your workday and use the 20-20-20 rule for eye rest (every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds).
• Exercise your right to disconnect, followed up by a “digital sunset”, stopping screen use before bed, around 8:30 pm to 9.00 pm.
• Snack on magnesium-rich foods like pumpkin seeds or almonds in the afternoon.

For extra support, you can also consider taking SleepX, a well-absorbed blend of magnesium with sleep-supporting ingredients, Ashwaganda⁷ and Ornithine⁵. For example, in a study of office workers, 400 mg of Ornithine daily (provided in SleepX) improved sleep quality, and lowered irritability and stress levels within 6 weeks.⁵ 

2. Students:  Study Smarter, Sleep Better

Pulling all-nighters might boost your grades in the short term, but it can harm memory and focus over time. Late-night exposure to blue light also fragments your sleep and slows mental recovery. Here’s what you need to know, and some practical strategies to support better sleep:

Things to be aware of

• Poor food choices are linked to poor sleep.³ Relying on energy drinks, instant noodles, or cheap takeaway food high in sugar and low in nutrients can cause blood sugar spikes and crashes, worsening fatigue.
• Exam pressure and social stress boost stress hormones that disrupt sleep. Chronic stress lowers magnesium, causing jitteriness and restless legs.⁴

Good habits to think about

• Create study blocks with breaks, eat anti-inflammatory snacks like blueberries and walnuts.
• Build your meals around whole grains like oats and brown rice, fruits such as berries and apples, non-starchy vegetables like spinach and broccoli, and legumes, including lentils and chickpeas. These provide good carbohydrates that fuel you and help your body produce melatonin for better sleep.⁶
• Use blue light filters on devices to support a healthy circadian rhythm for a healthy sleep routine.

For extra support, SleepX contains Ashwagandha, shown to help students feel more energised, think clearly, sleep better, and stress less in 30 days.⁷

3. New Parents: Navigating the ups and downs 

Becoming a parent is life-changing, but it often means saying goodbye to long, uninterrupted nights of sleep. Exhaustion quickly sets in, and the pressure of constant caregiving can leave you running on empty.

Things to be aware of

• Tiredness often drives cravings for sugar and caffeine, but these can keep stress hormones high and disrupt rest.
• High-inflammatory snacks and evening alcohol further disrupt sleep.
• Stress and anxiety from round-the-clock care speed up magnesium loss, contributing to muscle tension at night.³

Good habits to think about

• Establish a consistent bedtime routine for your baby and respond to their sleep cues.⁸
• Balance activity and rest, and create a cool, dark, and quiet sleep environment.
• Accept that your sleep may be fragmented and focus on what works best for your family.
• Support each other, ask for help when needed, and look after yourself with tools like SleepX, which helps replenish magnesium levels to support energy and resilience during ongoing sleep deprivation.⁴

4. Gamers, TikTokers & Texting Teens: Protect Sleep in a Digital World

For many young adults, winding down means gaming or scrolling late into the night. But too much screen time can disrupt melatonin, the hormone that signals your body it’s time to sleep, leading to grogginess, headaches, and mood swings.⁹ Add in quick-fix snacks and energy drinks, and sleep quality takes another hit.

Things to be aware of

• Blue light from screens makes it harder to fall and stay asleep.
  
• Stress from competition, social media pressure, and fear of missing out keeps adrenaline high, making it difficult to wind down.

Good habits to think about

• Set family or personal screen curfews and adjust in-game lighting to reduce blue light exposure.
• Swap sugary, inflammatory snacks for lighter options like air-popped popcorn or veggie sticks.

On top of the habits mentioned above, antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin found in SleepX can help protect your eyes can also help screen users sleep better. In one study, young adults who spent 6+ hours a day on devices took these nutrients. After 3 months, they slept better, had more energy, and even relied less on sleep medications.¹⁰

Ready to Take Back Your Sleep?

No matter what stage of life you’re in, sleep challenges are a reality, but they don’t have to control your days. With simple shifts in habits, smarter lifestyle choices, and targeted support from formulas like SleepX, you can reset your routine, protect your long-term health, and wake up ready to take on life with more energy and clarity. For personalised guidance, reach out to a Healthcare Practitioner to find the strategies and support that work best for you.

References

1. Wynchank D, Bijilenga D, Pennix BW, Lamers F, Beekman AT, Kooij S, et al. Delayed sleep-onset and biological age: Late sleep-onset is associated with shorter telomere length. Sleep. 2019 Oct 9;42(10):1-13. doi: 10.1093/sleep/zsz139.
2. Wright HR, Lack LC, Kennaway DJ. Differential effects of light wavelength in phase advancing the melatonin rhythm. J Pineal Res. 2004 Mar;36(2):140-44. doi: 10.1046/j.1600-079x.2003.00108.x.
3. Godos J, Ferri R, Caraci F, et al. Dietary inflammatory index and sleep quality in southern Italian adults. Nutrients. 2019 Jun 13;11(6),1324. doi: 10.3390/nu11061324.
4. Cuciureanu MD, Vink R. Magnesium and Stress. In: Vink R, Nechifor M, editors. Magnesium in the central nervous system. Adelaide: University of Adelaide Press; 2011. p. 251-68.
5. Miyake M, Kirisako T, Kokubo T, Miura Y, Morishita K, Okamura H. Randomised controlled trial of the effects of L-ornithine on stress markers and sleep quality in healthy workers. Nutr J. 2014;13:53. doi: 10.1186/1475-2891-13-53.
6. Zhao Y, Guo H. The relationship between carbohydrate intake and sleep patterns. Front Nutr. 2024 Dec 4;11:1491999. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1491999. PMID: 39698252; PMCID: PMC11652137.
7. Baker C, Kirby JB, O'Connor J, Lindsay KG, Hutchins A, Harris M. The Perceived Impact of Ashwagandha on Stress, Sleep Quality, Energy, and Mental Clarity for College Students: Qualitative Analysis of a Double-Blind Randomized Control Trial. J Med Food. 2022 Dec;25(12):1095-1101. doi: 10.1089/jmf.2022.0042. 
8. Gustafsson S, Jacobzon A, Lindberg B, Engström Å. Parents' strategies and advice for creating a positive sleep situation in the family. Scand J Caring Sci. 2022 Sep;36(3):830-838. doi: 10.1111/scs.13020.
9. Nakshine VS, Thute P, Khatib MN, Sarkar B. Increased Screen Time as a Cause of Declining Physical, Psychological Health, and Sleep Patterns: A Literary Review. Cureus. 2022 Oct 8;14(10):e30051. doi: 10.7759/cureus.30051.
10. Culver MF, Bowman J, Juturu V. Lutein and zeaxanthin isomers effect on sleep quality: a randomized placebo-controlled trial. Biomedical Journal of Scientific & Technical Research. 2018; 9(2): 1-7. doi: 10.26717/BJSTR.2018.09.001775.