Is Magnesium the New Melatonin for Sleep? What You Need to Know
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More than a third of adults in the U.S. don’t get enough sleep. And, if you’re one of them, it’s understandable to want to do what you can to fix the issue ASAP.
Enter magnesium. While it doesn’t get as much attention as buzzier supplements like melatonin, experts say it can actually help you sleep better at night.
That’s important for more than just feeling good the next day: Lack of sleep has been linked with a slew of chronic diseases and conditions, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and depression, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
But should you take magnesium for sleep? Consider this first.
What is magnesium, exactly?
Magnesium is a mineral that’s naturally present in many foods, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). It’s a cofactor (i.e. required compound) in more than 300 enzyme systems that regulate different reactions in your body, like the breakdown of protein, your muscle and nerve function, blood sugar control, energy production, and blood pressure regulation, the NIH explains. Magnesium also helps with the development of bone, nerve impulse conduction, muscle contraction, and normal heart rhythm, per the NIH.
Recommended intakes of magnesium vary depending on your sex and whether you’re pregnant or breastfeeding. However, it’s generally suggested that adult women get between 310 – 400 milligrams of magnesium a day, while adult men should aim for 400 – 420 milligrams a day.
How can magnesium impact sleep?
There are actually a few different ways magnesium may help your sleep. “Magnesium supports sleep,” says W. Christopher Winter, M.D., a neurologist and sleep medicine physician with Charlottesville Neurology and Sleep Medicine and host of the Sleep Unplugged podcast. “It creates relaxation in the body—brains love magnesium.”
Magnesium “is a cofactor in a lot of chemical reactions related to sleep and optimal performance,” Dr. Winter says. That includes helping your body have proper levels of GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), a neurotransmitter that helps you feel sleepy.
“When your magnesium levels are good, all of those things work better,” Dr. Winter says.
Magnesium can also reduce inflammation levels in the body, says Kelly Waters, M.D., a sleep medicine specialist and neurologist with Corewell Health. “Reducing baseline inflammation has a positive impact on the restorative function of sleep, as higher inflammation dampens recovery,” she says. In general, magnesium has been linked to better time to get to sleep, sleep duration (i.e. how long you stay asleep), and less daytime drowsiness, Dr. Waters says.
Another more indirect impact magnesium can have on sleep is that it lowers your risk of having muscle twitches and cramps, says Scott Keatley, R.D., co-founder of Keatley Medical Nutrition Therapy. “This, along with having to use the bathroom in the middle of the night are the most frequent complaints of people who cannot get to sleep or who are awoken in the middle of the night,” he says.
You can get magnesium from foods, too.
The NIH has a laundry list of foods that contain magnesium. Those include:
Pumpkin seeds
Chia seeds
Dry-roasted almonds
Spinach
Cashews
Peanuts
Soy milk
Black beans
Edamame
Peanut butter
Brown rice
While it’s always good to get your nutrients from food whenever possible, Dr. Winter points out that the magnesium content in foods has dropped over the past 50 years due to over-farming (which doesn’t give soil enough time to recover, dropping magnesium levels that wind up in your food in the process). As a result, many people aren’t getting enough magnesium in their diet.
Because of this, some people may want to consider taking a supplement to meet their magnesium needs, Dr. Winter says. (More on determining if you’re one of them in a moment.)
Magnesium side effects
In general, it’s unlikely that you’ll have too much magnesium from food, the NIH says. However, if you overdo with supplements and have more than 5,000 milligrams a day, you could have the following side effects:
Diarrhea
Nausea
Stomach cramps
So, should you take magnesium for sleep?
Dr. Winter says it’s not a terrible idea to consider a magnesium supplement if you’re struggling with sleep. His suggestion: Talk to your primary care physician first and get a blood test to see if you’re deficient in the mineral. “It’s a cheap test, and they can check your levels of vitamin D, magnesium, and more,” he says. “Basic nutritional chemistry panels should not be a problem to do.”
If your doctor determines that you are, in fact, deficient in magnesium, Dr. Winter recommends considering taking a supplement. A good dose is anywhere from 100 to 350 milligrams a day, he says, but your doctor will likely have more personalized recommendations based on your individual needs.
Taking magnesium is unlikely to dramatically alter your sleep situation, Dr. Winter says. But, he adds, “it can definitely support good sleep.”
Dietary supplements are products intended to supplement the diet. They are not medicines and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure diseases. Be cautious about taking dietary supplements if you are pregnant or nursing. Also, be careful about giving supplements to a child, unless recommended by their healthcare provider.
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