Could Magnesium Be the Answer to Insomnia?

Sleep specialists say there’s been only one significant study of magnesium and sleep, back in 2002. German researchers found that when they gave large doses to 12 older adults who typically had decreased sleep proficiency due to neuroendocrine changes, it sparked “a significant increase” in the amount of deep sleep they got. There have been other studies as well, but a 2021 meta-analysis warned that the evidence in favor of prescribing magnesium to older patients is still “substandard.”

According to the AASM, 12 percent of Americans have been diagnosed with chronic insomnia. Online, it’s easy to find positive testimonies like mine about the benefits of magnesium, but also complaints. If you look at the insomnia subreddit r/insomnia, which has more than 160,000 members, it’s as easy to find joy (“Magnesium glycinate cured my insomnia”) as it is despair (“Magnesium glycinate gave me horrible insomnia”).

Some doctors are embracing the supplement

“I’ve become more aware of magnesium recently,” says Dr. Sara Benjamin, medical director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Sleep and Wellness. The insomnia protocol with the highest level of evidence is still cognitive behavioral therapy, she continues, but some patients have reported success with magnesium, especially brands that include both melatonin and the amino acids GABA and L-theanine. (My dermatologist recommended the same.)

“It’s cheap and easy to tolerate. I’ve said to patients, ‘If it works for you, great,’” says Benjamin. There’s even a magnesium-laced concoction called the Sleepy Girl Mocktail that’s been making the rounds on social media as a cure to help people sleep.

Magnesium is “having a moment,” wrote Dr. Robert H. Shmerling in a recent post on the Harvard Health Publishing website. The mineral “has been overlooked, underappreciated, or even forgotten. That may be ending.” Indeed, Shmerling points out, there’s at least preliminary evidence that magnesium could be beneficial for managing blood pressure, migraines, anxiety, diabetic neuropathy, smoking cessation and brain health.

And while definitive studies are in short supply, anecdotal success is encouraging, says Dr. Kent Werner, a neurologist, naval officer and director of research at the Walter Reed Sleep Disorders Center. He calls magnesium “nature’s gift” because it’s a known treatment for cramps, seizures and migraines. “It has wonderful properties for overactive nerves,” so it makes sound chemical sense that it could also aid insomnia.

How to ease into magnesium

Not even the most enthusiastic magnesium advocates believe it is the universal antidote to insomnia. Success stories are anecdotal, and what works for me might not work for you. But even the most skeptical doctors I talked to agree: Because there are so few side effects, it’s worth testing to see if magnesium helps you sleep better.

“It’s cheap and has low risk — the only possible side effect is loose stool — so it makes sense to try before putting [patients] on a prescription medication,” says Werner, who has recommended magnesium to almost all his sleep patients. Of those who have continued to take magnesium, “more than half have noticed a significant effect,” he says. If you want to try it, here’s how to start.

1. Pick the right pill

Magnesium comes in many forms, and none of them have a better proven track record than another when it comes to sleep. “Magnesium is magnesium,” says Gurubhagavatula. But magnesium oxide, the cheapest form of the mineral, is hard for many people to absorb, and it can cause diarrhea. Magnesium glycinate, which is made by combining magnesium with the amino acid glycine, is much easier on most stomachs and less likely to cause gastric distress.

2. Time it right

If you’re taking magnesium specifically to sleep better, you can take it 30 minutes before bedtime. If that isn’t convenient, then take it earlier. Its effects are gradual, so it isn’t like taking a sleeping pill in the middle of the day. Taking magnesium with a meal or a snack can reduce the chance of stomach problems, and eating it with foods full of healthy fats, like nuts or avocados, can help your body absorb it faster.

3. Start low

The most controversial variable is how much magnesium to take. If you eat a lot of magnesium-rich foods (including pumpkin seeds, almonds, spinach, soy milk, beans, yogurt and bananas), you don’t need as great an amount. A simple magnesium blood test can measure whether you’re deficient in the mineral and how much supplementation you need. Werner starts patients at 400 mg. If there’s an immediate salutary effect, he doesn’t go higher. But if the insomnia persists and the patient hasn’t developed stomach reactions, he might double or triple the dose. “Some people benefit from a lower dose, but many don’t get a good effect until we push their dose to a higher level,” he says. And on this topic, enthusiasts and skeptics agree with an old medical adage: Start low and go slow.

Lots of daily variables can affect sleep, including use of technology, exercise, diet, alcohol and caffeine, prescription medications and physical and mental health, especially pain and stress. In that context, it’s speculative for me to credit magnesium as the sole reason I’m sleeping better. But I’m tempted to evangelize for this possibly magic mineral. Now that I’m well-rested, I may even join TikTok and become a magnesium influencer.