LaShawn Wiltz hadn’t slept well for decades. She has had chronic sleep maintenance insomnia since high school, which means she has trouble staying asleep through the night. So when Wiltz, now in her 40s, heard about the “sleepy girl mocktail” on TikTok, she was curious. Could this DIY concoction made with a supplement called magnesium glycinate help you get a good night’s rest? Or, like many health hacks that appear on social media, there was nothing there?

While not all of us have sleep disorders, most of us could use more sleep. Seven to nine nine hours is the recommended amount. With good sleeping habits, sometimes called “sleep hygiene”- you could achieve this goal and help your health. But for many people, achieving deep, consistent, uninterrupted rest remains out of reach. Even with the best intentions and practices, waking hours can add up, creating sleep debt which, over time, can harm health.

Magnesium glycinate is composed of:

Magnesium. This mineral helps control the body’s nerve and muscle function by doing things like keeping blood pressure level normal and heart rate stable. Magnesium is also a micronutrient found in many foods, such as beans, seeds, nuts, and dark chocolate. (But when these foods are overly processed, the magnesium can drain away and your body won’t get enough of it.)

wisteria. This is a Non-essential amino acid that the body uses to create proteins.. It has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

“Magnesium glycinate is a well-regarded supplement known for its potential to help improve sleep and relieve general anxiety,” says Faisal Tai, MD, a board-certified psychiatrist in Houston. It says it has been “suggested to have a calming effect on the nervous system, potentially helping people fall asleep faster and experience more restful sleep” and is “particularly useful for people suffering from anxiety, as anxiety disorders of sleep often worsen feelings of restlessness.

Of course, sleep doesn’t depend on a single nutrient. There are many things involved.

“Magnesium helps the brain calm down and muscles relax, which may help you sleep better by supporting your body’s natural sleep patterns,” says Shelby Harris, PsyD, a licensed clinical psychologist in White Plains, New York. certified in behavioral sleep. medicine. “But it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution and we’re still figuring out exactly how it works for different people.”

How quickly magnesium glycinate helps you sleep or relax differs for each person, Harris says. “Some people may feel the effects on their sleep within a few days. For others, it may take a few weeks.”

There is not much research on the topic. “It’s difficult to find peer-reviewed literature on magnesium glycinate and sleep specifically,” says Chester Wu, MD, a board-certified psychiatrist and sleep medicine specialist in Houston. “In much of the literature, there is no mention of the specific type of magnesium used in the study,” says Wu. He notes that studies have primarily focused on people with anxiety, depressive disorders, or sleep disorders such as insomnia or restless legs syndrome (RLS).

Wiltz first heard of magnesium glycinate not as a sleep aid, but for something else.

“My nutritionist recommended the supplement specifically to help with muscle soreness,” says Wiltz, who lives in Atlanta. Those pains were because he had increased his strength training. “I was using heavier weights to rehab my knee after a running injury,” he says.

Wiltz was already drinking sour cherry juice in hopes of relieving arthritis inflammation in his knees. She then saw TikTok’s mocktail mix made with magnesium glycinate and decided to try it to see if it would soothe her muscles and improve her sleep. “I love mixing it with about 4 ounces of tart cherry juice, but my preferred form is in pill form,” she says. “I take one or the other every night.”

Experts often recommend food sources of nutrients as a first step. There are many foods that could help you get more magnesium. Foods rich in magnesium include:

• Pumpkin seeds and other seeds.
• Green leafy vegetables such as spinach and chard.
• Nuts such as almonds and cashews.
• Fish, including salmon and halibut.

If you decide to try a supplement, tell your doctor so he or she can make sure it won’t affect any health conditions you have or medications you take. Also note that the FDA does not regulate supplements in the same way as medications.

Although magnesium glycinate is generally safe, taking too much can cause an upset stomach. “It’s important to start with a smaller dose and see how your body responds,” says Harris. “Older people, teenagers, and people who have pre-existing kidney problems should talk to their doctor before starting magnesium glycinate, especially if they are already taking other medications to avoid possible interactions.”

Since starting to take magnesium glycinate, Wiltz has found that his muscle pain has decreased and his sleep has improved. “Almost immediately I noticed that he was sleeping more soundly,” Wiltz says. “It is not a miracle pill. “I still have nights where I have trouble falling asleep, but it is much less than before.”