Whether they’re hyping magnesium-based products like the “sleepy girl mocktail” or pink lemonade-like drink mixes, wellness influencers are adding to the longtime buzz around taking the mineral for sleep benefits.
But do these supplements work?
“Magnesium is actually an essential mineral that is needed for more than 300 processes in the body,” said Samantha Cassetty, a registered dietitian in New York City. “We need to get it from our diet, or supplements if we can’t get enough through our diet.”
Magnesium supports sleep by helping produce the sleep hormone melatonin, while also regulating blood sugar and blood pressure, energy production, digestion, and bone, muscle and brain health.
The recommended daily intake of for adults ranges from 310 milligrams to 420 milligrams, which you can get from foods high in magnesium. Good options include dark leafy greens, beans, nuts and seeds, whole grains such as quinoa and shredded wheat, and fruits.
If you’re considering taking magnesium supplements, they are “always produced from natural sources, such as seawater or mined minerals,” said John Travis, principal technical manager at NSF, formerly the National Sanitation Foundation, via email.
Though the mineral is critical for health, there isn’t much academic research that definitively supports the claim that magnesium supplements improve sleep, said Dr. Anita Shelgikar, director of the sleep medicine fellowship and clinical professor of neurology at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
And choosing the right magnesium supplement and following best practices for dosing are essential to avoid any harmful or inconvenient side effects.
Common types of magnesium
Magnesium supplements vary in name because of the different chemical compounds formed when the mineral is combined with other substances that affect how they are absorbed or tolerated, Travis and Shelgikar said.
Popular forms include magnesium glycinate, magnesium citrate, magnesium malate, magnesium oxide and magnesium L-threonate.
Magnesium glycinate is the type most used for sleep since glycine is an amino acid that’s involved in the mechanisms of sleep and gentle on the stomach, according to Cassetty.
Magnesium citrate often catches people off guard because it can send you running to the bathroom instead of sending you off to sleep. The citrate pulls water into the colon and causes a laxative effect, stomach cramps or gas, Cassetty and Shelgikar said. That’s why it’s sometimes used before medical procedures like colonoscopies, abdominal surgeries and other bowel exams.
Both magnesium citrate and magnesium glycinate are much better absorbed than magnesium oxide, Cassetty said. But this form can still act as a laxative and is sometimes used to treat magnesium deficiency given its high potency, Shelgikar said.
Magnesium malate is less studied on its own, Cassetty said. But it’s less likely to cause digestive issues and other uncomfortable side effects, and it’s marketed as helpful for boosting energy and relieving pain. “People anecdotally report online, and some small studies suggest, it may improve symptoms,” she added. “But it’s kind of hard to say.”
However, it’s plausible that if pain is what’s causing your sleep issues and taking magnesium malate helps relieve that pain, that’s how the supplement could indirectly improve your sleep, Cassetty said.
Magnesium L-threonate, often branded as Magtein, was developed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology scientists to pass the blood-brain barrier. This function helps directly raise magnesium levels in the brain, which makes the mineral more useful throughout the body compared with other, less absorbable forms of magnesium.
Magnesium L-threonate is supposed to primarily support learning, memory and overall cognitive function — benefits found in clinical studies funded by the company behind Magtein. (Getting independent research done on a patented supplement is difficult.) This supplement is also thought to be potentially useful for sleep quality and stress relief, but less so than other forms.
Source: CNN