We Asked a Doctor How Long You Need to Take Magnesium to Sleep Better

Magnesium is a go-to supplement for better sleep, but there is confusion around how long you need to take it to see results. We asked our chief medical officer, Sohaib Imtiaz, MD, how consistently you need to take magnesium before you start falling asleep faster. 

Q: I just started taking magnesium to improve my sleep, but haven’t seen any results yet. How consistently do I have to take it before I start sleeping better? 

You should only take magnesium if your blood test shows you are deficient. If you are deficient, it takes time to build up magnesium levels. 

It’s not like you can take it and your magnesium levels will be high immediately. Trials on the effects of using magnesium range from about 20 days to eight weeks, so you can expect to see results within that timeframe if you take it daily.

It’s safe for adults to take a daily magnesium supplement of 350 mg or less.

How Is It Different From Taking Melatonin?

Melatonin is released from your pineal gland and helps you fall asleep—it directly impacts that. Magnesium supplements raise the magnesium levels overall, which helps you feel more relaxed and less stressed once your levels are in a healthy range. 

So, the mechanisms aren’t as direct as those of melatonin, which literally acts on the receptors to help you fall asleep. 

Who Will Benefit Most From Taking Magnesium Consistently? 

People who have Restless Leg Syndrome, anxiety, or who are burnt out or stressed out will probably see better results than someone who’s healthy and has balanced magnesium levels.

One of the reasons you sleep better with adequate magnesium levels is that you feel calmer. 

Magnesium provides a similar effect to journaling, which can help people who struggle with sleep by offloading their cognitive load. They feel relaxed and in a better mindset to get good-quality sleep. 

Also, consider mixing magnesium with L-theanine, which can help calm you down even more.