Taking Boron Before Bed: What Science Says, Side Effects, and More

What is Boron?

Boron is a natural substance found in foods made from plants and is regarded as a non-essential nutrient for our bodies. You can get boron from food as well as dietary supplements. Moreover, boron is claimed to have several health benefits to support your bodily functions, with research backing up those claims.

Furthermore, boron is known to efficiently impact how our bodies control other minerals such as calcium, vitamin D, and magnesium. Also, it influences the regulation of a variety of bodily functions by interacting with the enzymes in your body. Moreover, boron is naturally found as boric acid and borate, both of which can be obtained in your diet through fruits, vegetables, and legumes.

Why Do We Take Boron?

Boron is considered a non-essential nutrient; however, when the amount of boron is increased in our diet, other essential minerals such as estrogen, testosterone, and calcium are also increased. Moreover, boron can help improve your mineral deficiencies, such as vitamin D and magnesium. This is due to boron’s ability to help you efficiently absorb and maintain essential minerals in your body.

Additionally, boron can help with menstrual cramps and reduce inflammation and pain during your cycle. This is due to boron’s capability to help your body absorb more calcium, which ultimately reduces menstrual pain.

Also, boron is influential on our brain functions and our overall cognitive performance as it impacts our electroencephalogram (EEG) coherence and the frequency distribution of our cortical activity. It can help you stay more alert and improve your short-term and long-term memory and eye-hand coordination.

When To Take Boron?

It is best to take boron orally before bedtime after your meal, as it works best when combined with insulin. Furthermore, taking boron before bed allows the effects of boron to be activated while your body is resting for positive effects in the next few days. It should be noted, however, that it takes one week for you to start noticing any changes.

Since boron’s benefits include helping you efficiently absorb and store essential nutrients and improving brain function, it is best to take boron before going to sleep. This is due to your body going several hours without nutrients when you’re asleep; consuming this supplement before bedtime will minimize nutrient loss.

Additionally, taking it before bed will help you wake up the next day with enhanced cognitive performance for your daily tasks. However, it is recommended to consult with your doctor or healthcare provider as to when it is best for you to take boron, depending on your reasons.

How To Take Boron?

You can consume boron from dietary supplements that come in many different forms, which include boron aspartate, boron citrate, boron gluconate, boron glycinate, and calcium fructoborate. Moreover, boron can be found on the market as powder, capsules, tablets, or liquids under several names, including ionic boron. Also, boron can be found naturally in water and food products, which include plants.

Boron can be found in coffee, milk, cheese, apples, dried and cooked beans, potatoes, fruits, and fruit juices. There is no specific dietary recommendation for boron, but most adults consume approximately 1–1.5 mg daily from food and water.

In supplements, it is recommended not to consume more than 20 mg daily for adults. As for children, the safe amount largely depends on the child’s age. Moreover, it is recommended to speak with a healthcare provider to find out what dose might be best for your condition.

Benefits of Taking Boron Before Bed

Prevention of Vitamin-D Deficiency

Boron is excellent for helping people avoid and improve vitamin D deficiency as it helps increase the biological half-life of vitamin D. There are several studies that support this claim, and it is commonly known that boron helps in the prevention of vitamin D deficiencies.

One study cited a clinical trial that included 15 middle-aged male and female participants following a low-boron diet for 63 days (0.23 mg of boron/2000 kcal). Moreover, the research highlighted that vitamin D levels were at an average of 44.9 nM during the 63 days. The participants then started taking 3 mg of boron supplementation daily for 49 days. The study found the participants’ vitamin D levels increased by 39%, which went up to an average of 62.4 nM.

Another study was conducted on 13 middle-aged participants suffering from vitamin D deficiency in Serbia from the beginning of October until January. Moreover, the study was conducted at a time when vitamin D levels are expected to be worse. The participants took 6 mg of boron supplements daily for 60 days using calcium fructoborate. Furthermore, the results found that vitamin D levels rose significantly, with an average increase of 20%.

Reduces Menstrual Cramps

One of the most interesting properties of boron is its anti-inflammatory benefits, which are a result of its ability to control cytokine production. Cytokines are basically signaling proteins that regulate the degree of inflammation in your body. Furthermore, boron is able to reduce the pain and discomfort caused by menstrual cramps.

In one study, a clinical trial was conducted with 113 college students divided into two groups, a case group (58) and a placebo group (55). Additionally, all the participants suffered from severe pain during their menstrual cycles. Moreover, the case group was subjected to 10 mg/day of boron consumption from two days before the menstrual flow until its third day. All participants were subjected to taking the capsules for two consecutive menstrual cycles.

Furthermore, the case group experienced less pain compared to the placebo group due to boron directly reducing cytokine levels, which trigger inflammation. The study concluded that boron supplementation can reduce the severity and duration of menstrual pain through its anti-inflammatory effects. Thus, it’s a good idea to take boron before you go to sleep if you’re experiencing pain and discomfort from menstrual cramps.

Improves Cognitive Function

Boron is yet to be recognized as an essential nutrient, but recent studies show that boron can be important for cognitive function as it affects how we handle our day-to-day tasks. This is a result of boron’s ability to affect our EEG coherence and frequency distribution of cortical activity. Thus, it can indicate that boron is a good supplement to take before bedtime in order to improve your brain function throughout the next day.

One study investigated the effect of boron on cognitive performance by citing three clinical studies with healthy older men and women. Moreover, the participants followed a dietary manipulation of boron (approximately 0.25 versus approximately 3.25 mg boron/2000 kcal/day) for a maximum of 75 days. Furthermore, the studies focused on the participants’ cognitive performances with regard to eye-hand coordination, short-term memory, long-term memory, and attentiveness.

The findings discussed showed that the participants following a low-boron diet showed poorer performance in response times during cognitive tasks and impaired memory performance. Participants on a high-boron diet showed higher performance and response times during the same cognitive tasks. Furthermore, the studies concluded that boron plays a role in our brain function and cognitive performance and that boron is an essential nutrient for our brain functions.

Side Effects of Taking Boron Before Bed

Reproductive System Damage

Consuming too much boron supplementation could have adverse effects on your bodily functions. Although research on how boron could negatively affect humans is very limited, research on animals is slightly more available.

One study conducted a trial on male and female rats to see the toxic effects of boron consumption on male and female reproductive systems. Moreover, the study included giving rats daily 0, 26, 38, 52, and 68 mg of boron/kg orally for nine weeks. The study found a decrease in sperm production at certain levels of boron consumption as well as atrophy in male rates. While the female rats experience a decrease in ovulation at certain levels of boron consumption.

Boron Toxicity

Overconsumption of boron is extremely dangerous as it could lead to boron toxicity, which negatively affects different organs and functions in our bodies.

One study discussed how overconsumption of boron could lead to boron toxicity with several negative effects that could be lethal. Furthermore, the study included a review of 784 people poisoned by boric acid at a dose between 10 and 88 mg of boron, and the review highlighted that 88% showed no symptoms.

However, the study discussed that other cases of boron toxicity included liver, kidney, and central nervous system, gastrointestinal damage and skin lesions, and death by respiratory failure. Although boron toxicity comes from short-term oral exposure at high doses, the dose estimation can be quite inaccurate, and the variability in human responses to acute exposure is quite large.

Conclusion

Boron is recognized as an essential trace mineral because of several benefits and is naturally found in water and food, and can be taken as a dietary supplement. Moreover, boron gives you several benefits, which include improving the prevention of vitamin D deficiencies, reducing menstrual cramps, and improving your cognitive function. These benefits stem from boron’s ability to increase the biological half-life of minerals, have anti-inflammatory properties, and improve our EEG coherence and frequency distribution of cortical activity.

There are adverse effects that can occur if you take excess amounts of boron, which include reproductive system damage and boron toxicity, which may become lethal. However, further studies are needed to fully explore the other side effects of boron consumption.

Taking boron before bed is the best time if you want to get the most efficient positive effects in the subsequent days. Boron can be taken for different purposes, and each purpose can have its own dosages and timing of consumption. It’s recommended to seek advice from your doctor or nutritionist on which dosage is best for you.

Boron before bed FAQs

When Is the Best Time to Take Boron?

The best time to take boron may vary depending on your healthcare provider’s assessment; however, we recommend taking boron before bedtime as it helps minimize your nutrient loss. Moreover, it is best to take boron a few hours before bedtime as it helps improve brain function, thus improving cognitive performance the next morning.

Also, you should take boron after your meal a couple of hours before bedtime, as it is best combined with insulin. Moreover, it is best not to take boron on an empty stomach, as it won’t be as efficient with low insulin levels in your body.

Is Boron Safe To Use?

Boron is very safe to use as it is already a natural mineral in things we consume every day as necessities, such as water and many food products. Taking boron supplements is relatively safe as long as you follow the correct dosage from your healthcare provider, as over-consumption can be very dangerous.

Consult with your doctor to find the correct dosage, and if you experience any side effects, contact your doctor right away.

How Much Boron Should I Take?

As mentioned, the dosage and timing of your boron consumption depend on your healthcare provider’s input. However, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), the standard boron dosage for adults is up to 13 mg per day. Moreover, you should take boron in moderation, as you may experience some severe side effects with excessive amounts.

Does Taking Boron Affect Your Sleep?

There is no scientific evidence that states that boron can affect your sleep in any way. Moreover, no research included the mention of boron affecting sleep quality or sleep patterns in a positive or negative way.

What are Some Foods That Contain Boron?

• Various Nuts – Especially almonds.
• Beans – Can be cooked beans but preferably chickpeas and lentils.
• Many Fruits – Non-citric fruits; either juices or eaten such as bananas, red grapes and apples.
• Some Vegetables - Broccoli and potatoes.
• Others – Milk, coffee, cheese and more.

Sources:

• Bakirdere, S., Orenay, S., & Korkmaz, M. (2010). Effect of boron on human health. The Open Mineral Processing Journal, 3(1).
• Lumpkin, M., & Williams, M. (2010). Toxicological Profile for Boron. US Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
• Mehri, A. (2020). Trace elements in human nutrition (II)–an update. International journal of preventive medicine, 11.
• Nikkhah, S., Dolatian, M., Naghii, M. R., Zaeri, F., & Taheri, S. M. (2015). Effects of boron supplementation on the severity and duration of pain in primary dysmenorrhea. Complementary therapies in clinical practice, 21(2), 79-83.
• Penland, J. G. (1994). Dietary boron, brain function, and cognitive performance. Environmental health perspectives, 102(suppl 7), 65-72.
• Pizzorno, L. (2015). Nothing boring about boron. Integrative Medicine: A Clinician's Journal, 14(4), 35.