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Sleep-deprived Americans are turning to a common drugstore supplement in droves after Reddit users hailed magnesium as a ‘game-changer’ for insomnia.
Fans claim magnesium glycinate, a gentler form of the mineral, helps them drift off without digestive distress.
Magnesium glycinate is having a moment, with wellness experts, TikTok influencers, and some sleep specialists singing its praises online for its ability to improve sleep and reduce anxiety.
Magnesium is commonly found in legumes, peanut butter, leafy greens, soybeans, among many other foods. It is critical for hundreds of basic biochemical processes, including muscle and nerve function, blood glucose control, the ability of cells to create proteins, and blood pressure regulation.
It also calms the nervous system before bed, relaxes the muscles, and helps produce the sleep hormone melatonin.
Over 70 million Americans struggle with insomnia, and around a quarter of Americans experience daytime sleepiness as a result.
Magnesium has been shown in double-blind placebo-controlled trials, the research gold standard, to extend a person’s time asleep, improve sleep quality, increase the concentration of melatonin, and decrease the stress hormone cortisol.
For sleep improvement, it is crucial to choose magnesium glycinate over magnesium citrate, which is a laxative.
Over 70 million Americans struggle with insomnia. But clinical research has shown magnesium glycinate helps people sleep longer and more efficiently
The recommended daily amount of magnesium is 320 milligrams (mg) a day for women and 420 mg a day for men.
Blood tests can show whether someone is deficient in magnesium, which can lead to muscle cramps and fatigue, or more serious conditions like heart disease and type 2 diabetes. The normal range for blood magnesium is 1.7 to 2.2 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL).
One fan of the supplement on Reddit said: ‘It does really improve my sleep in my own experience.
‘When I tried magnesium, it’s the first time in like decades that I’m sleeping straight for like eight to nine hours. I used to sleep like six hours a day.’
Another person said: ‘Magnesium did wonders for my restless legs and overall capability to rest. Great stuff!’
A third added: ‘I’ve taken magnesium for the past five years and swear by it.’
Some people mentioned, though, that the benefits to their sleep were short-lived, with one saying: ‘It’s effects wore off after doing it two nights in a row or so.’
Some combine it with other supplements for a boost. A commenter said she takes magnesium glycinate combined with calcium and zinc, ‘and I believe it has helped me.’
Magnesium glycinate calms the nervous system before bed, relaxes the muscles, and helps produce the sleep hormone melatonin
The three-part nighttime cocktail can bring out several benefits, such as enhancing muscle relaxation and melatonin synthesis, boosting GABA (which slows down brain activity), and supporting deeper sleep. The trio may also stabilize circadian rhythms.
Magnesium glycinate is well-absorbed in the body, making it more effective, and its gentle nature on the stomach makes it a popular choice for people who struggle to fall asleep or sleep through the night.
A 2012 double-blind, randomized clinical trial suggests that magnesium supplementation may significantly improve both subjective and objective measures of insomnia in older adults, offering a potential alternative to conventional sleep medications.
The study, conducted among 46 elderly people, found that an eight-week regimen of 500 mg of magnesium daily led to notable improvements in sleep duration, efficiency, and key hormonal markers linked to sleep regulation.
The findings, while they seem small, were statistically significant improvements.
They revealed that compared to placebo, the magnesium group experienced statistically significant increases in sleep time by 0.2 percent and sleep efficiency increased by three percent, alongside reductions in sleep onset latency by two percent and insomnia severity scores down by 0.06 percent.
Biomarkers such as serum renin, an enzyme that helps regulate blood pressure, and melatonin rose significantly, by more than 0.1 percent and 0.7 percent, respectively.
Cortisol levels associated with wakefulness declined significantly by 0.8 percent, suggesting that magnesium plays a dual role in modulating both brain chemical pathways and the body’s circadian rhythm.
Getting too little sleep, generally considered to be fewer than seven hours, contributes to several health issues, including bloating, brittle nails, overeating, diabetes, and poor skin. It can also leave people with too little energy to exercise and be active.
Past research has shown that ghrelin, a hormone promoting hunger, increases with insufficient sleep, while leptin, a hormone contributing to satiety perception, decreases.
Poor sleep hygiene has also been linked to inflammation in the body, which can spur the growth of cancer cells, and a higher risk of heart attack or stroke, dementia, and autoimmune disorders.
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