Does magnesium help you sleep better? Doctor takes supplements and reveals truth: ‘Time I took to fall asleep…’

A doctor took magnesium supplements to check if it would help him fall asleep faster and shared the results in a new video. He advised against high doses.

You must have seen innumerable health videos claiming that magnesium supplements work wonders for regulating our sleep. But does it actually work or not?

NHS Surgeon and health influencer Dr Karan Rajan often shares informational videos on his social media pages. In a recent clip, he talked about using magnesium, often marketed as a sleep aid, to help him fall asleep faster. He shared his findings in the video.

Does magnesium help you sleep better?

In the video, Dr Rajan revealed that he experimented with magnesium supplements by taking them during a period of travel when his sleep was messed up, and it took him about 30 minutes to fall asleep. He took magnesium as it ‘might help relax muscles, resolve cortisol, and regulate neurotransmitters like GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), which tell your brain to chill out’.

“In two weeks of taking nightly magnesium, I tracked my sleep data. I noticed that my latency - the time it takes to fall asleep - dropped while taking magnesium. Maybe coincidence, maybe placebo, or maybe just a better sleeping habit,” he revealed.

Why are some people magnesium deficient?

Per the doctor, there are a few genuine physiological reasons why someone might be deficient, like not getting enough via diet, increased requirements, reduced gut absorption, or increased urinary excretion thanks to fluctuating hormone levels like estrogen (because of periods and menopause).

Dr Rajan even quoted several studies which looked at magnesium supplementation in older adults with insomnia. He said that they found out magnesium reduced onset sleep latency by 17.36 minutes. He also pointed out that the study quality was not satisfactory.

DR Rajan concluded that though research into magnesium and sleep is currently poor, magnesium is relatively cheap and has a decent safety profile. So, it could be a low-cost experiment in someone's sleep journey. However, it still can't overcome not being consistent with sleep times, winding down before bed, and reducing blue light exposure in the evening.

What to avoid?

If you are taking magnesium, always remember that high doses can increase the risk of diarrhoea, which in turn will hamper your sleep. Lastly, bioavailability matters. It is a subcategory of absorption and is the fraction (%) of an administered drug that reaches the systemic circulation. Per Dr Rajan, he took magnesium glycinate, which is better absorbed in the gut.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice.