Omega 3 and Sleep

[Plumster]

Here's a sleep hack that I hope works for others, too: For the past two weeks, I've been taking algae oil omega 3 supplements with my dinner and I've slept significantly better and longer. I'm now at the ideal 7-8 hours. I looked online and there does appear to be some suggestions that omega 3 in the evening is preferred by the body. I haven't found studies to confirm it, but try it out if you want to sleep better!

[swampf0etus]

I use algae oil, but I take it in the morning so might try taking in the evening to test this theory. I take one capsule per day, which contains 400mg of DHA. What dosage are you taking and how long before sleep do you take it?

[Plumster]

Hi swampf0etus,

I take 3 Omega 3s, which amounts to 710 DHA and 405 EPA. Sometimes I take one in the morning or at lunch in addition to the ones in the evening. I usually have dinner around 7 pm and go to bed around 10 pm. Let me know if you notice a difference!

[BrianR]

...I looked online and there does appear to be some suggestions that omega 3 in the evening is preferred by the body. I haven't found studies to confirm it, but try it out if you want to sleep better!

Hi Plumster, this is interesting. I found the following 2014 study:
Fatty acids and sleep in UK children: subjective and pilot objective sleep results from the DOLAB study – a randomized controlled trial

Active treatment in stage 2 was a fixed dose of 600 mg day−1 of algal DHA, delivered in three 500‐mg capsules.

Note, 600 mg/day for 7-9 year old children whose average body weight was ~31kg. But also note, these were children who averaged very low EPA/DHA blood levels before this intervention, so those with high blood EPA/DHA levels may not benefit from additional supplementation.

and an associated Science Daily summary: Higher levels of omega-3 in diet are associated with better sleep, study shows

It adds that higher ratios of DHA in relation to the long-chain omega-6 fatty acid AA (arachidonic acid) are also associated with fewer sleep problems. ... lower ratios of DHA have been linked with lower levels of melatonin, and that would fit with our finding that sleep problems are greater in children with lower levels of DHA in their blood.

I wonder whether timing of supplements matters (evening vs morning vs throughout the day). Do you have any sense of how quickly the body absorbs and uses DHA from a supplement?

What brand of Omega-3 supplement do you take?

[BrianR]

FWIW, I ran across this page Comparing Algae-Based DHA+EPA Supplements which doesn't do any sort of quality assessment of the brands, but does provide a table with nine Algal Oil supplements and their DHA & EPA breakdowns. Posting to save the link.

[Plumster]

Very interesting, BrianR, thanks for sharing!

I take three Ovega-3s at dinner. It was the switch to evening rather than morning that changed my sleep.

One Ovega-3 contains 270 mg DHA+135 mg EPA, so I'm taking 810 mg DHA and 305 mg EPA = 1.5 g Omega 3 a day
This is less than I was taking before and I may not be taking enough as a vegan?

[Hboroughs]

@plumster this is such an interesting thread. I have been supplementing with Krill oil, do you think that would work for this sleep hack? I take mine half with breakfast and half with lunch but plan to try moving to dinner. Anything for good sleep!

[Plumster]

Hi Hboroughs --
I don't think it actually matters if it's fish or algae oil. I just happen to use algae most of the time, as it's got less pollutants. Let me know if you notice a difference!

[Hboroughs]

@plumster I am on night 3 of taking my krill oil with dinner and have slept great every night. Wow. I wonder why this works? I am not getting too excited though because it is not unusual for me to “honeymoon” with a sleep hack only to have it stop working in a week or so. Will keep my fingers crossed. Thank you for mentioning this!

[Plumster]

You're welcome! I hope it continues for you. It's been a month and a half now, for me, and it's still working, I am so happy to say.