Does Magnesium Improve Sleep? See the Best Magnesium Supplements for Sleep

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We’ve discussed the potential benefits of magnesium supplementation in general, go check out that post if you haven’t already.

I always state (though I’m not a doctor and don’t make health suggestions, I simply seek to show you the research so you can make an informed decision) that you should focus on eating a balanced and varied diet of whole foods, including lots of fruits and veggies, because it appears to be the best way to make sure you have all the nutrients you need. 

Sometimes, though, you still aren’t getting enough or you have some issue going on anyway. I know a common issue, one I struggle with as well, is sleep. It seems impossible to get enough sleep or to get good sleep.

Now, I’ll caveat before we get into magnesium supplementation for sleep that many people have unhealthy habits or lifestyle choices that keep them from getting enough or quality sleep. A magnesium supplement isn’t going to fix that. As with anything, it may provide a slight patch, but if you don’t fix the lifestyle choices, the problem will persist.

However, if you’re generally healthy, try to go to bed at a reasonable time, and practice good sleep hygiene, what can you do? I’ve struggled with sleep throughout my life, but it got especially bad at the end of my first pregnancy. I could not sleep for anything and just rolled around frustrated all night. 

I ended up taking sleeping aid medication until a healthcare professional recommended me try a couple things, including adding magnesium. It wasn’t a magic solution (I did still take sleep aids sometimes), but it did seem to help some and drove me into the research behind the solution. 

The research on magnesium and sleep

Best magnesium supplements out there

So what’s the deal with magnesium and sleep?

 There’s some evidence that magnesium supplementation may promote better sleep because magnesium regulates the neurotransmitters that deal with sleep. When looking at the relationship between magnesium and sleep, it appears that higher dietary magnesium intake or supplementation is related with greater ease in falling asleep and better-quality sleep (including reduced daytime sleepiness) than lower intakes. The research is strongest for observational studies and less certain, though still promising, for randomized controlled trials (the gold standard of research).

One interesting piece of research is a new analysis of old data from the 80s from a longitudinal study over the span of many years. This data was able to reveal that magnesium did appear mildly associated with improved sleep quality per self-report, though some confounding factors, such as depression, negated this benefit in the percent of the population dealing with that. I highlight this because longitudinal data isn’t all that common and can be revealing. It’s an interesting addition to the puzzle.

Overall, a lot of the evidence that magnesium improves sleep is observational measurement that doesn’t necessarily compare to a placebo. There is some randomized controlled evidence, but it is not as thorough, and a longer period of study is likely needed to have more confidence in this association. 

One population the research is very limited for is adults of older age. There is not a lot of research for this group and of what does exist, not all of it is decent quality. What good research does exist does not appear to show benefit. It’s possible that older adults may experience sleep improvements from taking added magnesium, the research just doesn’t support that yet.

I would urge you to keep in mind that a lot of the research on this is limited or not the best quality. I’m not saying the evidence is total crap. There are several studies out there that emphatically claim that magnesium improves sleep quality, and in their studies, it does! However, their sample sizes are usually small, and they don’t include a control. 

This is true for many of the studies and a lot of times the “positive results” are small, though not necessarily insignificant. I have tried to stick with the better-quality pieces of evidence, but they’re still not the most compelling.

I say all of this to encourage you to look at this specific question of magnesium and sleep as more of a possible and maybe even likely association, rather than one that is certain. Magnesium may help you sleep, but it is not something we can say with certainty. (Yes, obviously this is true of most things. But the evidence for this topic isn’t as good as what we have for some others.)

The best magnesium supplement

If you are interested in starting a magnesium supplement with the hope of improving your sleep (or for any of the benefits we’ve discussed previously), here’s a few recommendations.

There are a few different kinds of supplements that people tend to prefer, like whole food supplements, for various reasons. I’m going to do my best to provide a few different options so you can find something that works for you. Finding “the best” magnesium supplement for you can be tricky because it can mean something different for everyone. 

For instance, I tend to prioritize avoiding additives and fillers, but I’m usually okay with synthetic vitamins and minerals. I like natural ones, but it’s not a priority for me. You’ll see people making recommendations based on what supplement is best for anxiety or sleep or something else. I’m not going to do that. While there may be some variation in one being better for one thing or another based on the type of magnesium used, there’s not solid evidence for most of that. Here I’m just focused on recommending a high quality magnesium supplement for overall health.

I can’t make any guarantees on the efficacy of these products. I can only present what they say and what the research says. Sorry this isn’t as simple as some other people’s recommendations, but their recommendations often aren’t necessarily based on science.

High Quality Pick - Thorne

I’m including this product because I trust the brand. They have a track record of producing quality products that consumers love and ensuring no junk is added.

It’s not the cheapest brand in the world, but it’s great quality. 

I do also just personally like taking my magnesium as a drink in the evenings. This product does contain citric acid and monk fruit for flavoring, but that’s a minimal amount of healthy added ingredients.

Best Magnesium Drink Mix - Natural Vitality

This is what I’ve been using most nights lately. Like I said, I like taking my magnesium as a drink in the evening. I keep traditional pills on hand in case I forget, but this is a great thing to look forward to every day.

All of the ingredients are organic and perfectly healthy, making this another great option to consider. The only reason you may not like this product is if you try to avoid Stevia.

They do also have other flavors if you’re not into this one.

Affordable Clean Option - Why Not Natural

This brand is super affordable, which kind of makes me wonder about the quality? But at the same time, magnesium glycinate is magnesium glycinate. I’m not sure there’s any way to guarantee quality between different brands other than research and their track record, the availability of which varies for everyone. 

However, this brand is great because it has no fillers. I also love the price point. This should be a great option.

Whole Food Magnesium Supplement - Naturelo

This is my recommendation for an affordable whole food magnesium supplement, one I’m likely to reach for over other options. It’s also vegan, if that’s important to you.

But here’s a long caveat to this recommendation. First of all, I’ll admit I don’t know enough about whole food supplements to truly recommend them or not. I’ve done some research but no deep dive. I’ll keep this simple for now. 

A lot of people purport that whole food vitamins are better for you because they come from real food (in powder form) and are therefore easier for the body to absorb. What I know is I haven’t seen any actual scientific evidence of this supposed easier absorption. What I also know is that, though these supplements contain powder from whole foods, they are not technically whole foods (I mean, they’re refined powders…). What I also, also know is that these supplements typically still contain the added nutrient just as any other vitamin would. 

The only guarantee I think you can get with these products is that the vitamin in the product is coming from a “natural” food source. But this process still involves scientists isolating and refining this to present it in a concentrated form. If you think about it, you can’t magically consume one or two capsules of vegetable powders and receive the same vitamin/mineral content as even half of your daily diet should provide. These supplements have to contain concentrated nutrients to do their jobs.

There is another class called raw, whole food supplements. I don’t have the space to get into that here. Essentially, they are still processed for concentration, but maybe less so?

But anyway, could whole food supplements be a good way to get your nutrients in a more “natural” way? Potentially. Certainly, they will have at least naturally derived nutrients and likely not a bunch of fillers. I can’t say they’re better than other versions though. 

I’m likely to reach for this kind of supplement if it’s affordable. That doesn’t mean it’s actually any better for me, based on science.

“Food-Grown” Magnesium Supplement - Wild Nutrition

I’d never heard of this kind of supplement before researching for this. From what I understand, they grow the vitamins and minerals for their supplements in “raw, live food paste,” whatever that is. The idea is mostly that they are natural, food-based supplements, not synthetic. I’ll let you read the research they provide for their product. I’m not convinced by the very limited quantity and quality of their research that this product is any more effective than any other supplement, but they claim it is more “bioavailable” and absorbs better. 

Either way, it’s an interesting product that does appear as effective as other supplements and is certainly natural. They promise their products are free of fillers and additives and they do contain very few ingredients. 

Summary / TLDR

The evidence around magnesium and sleep is mixed at best, but there is some decent evidence that magnesium may help improve your sleep. There’s certainly a lot of anecdotal evidence.

And unless you’re taking certain medications (always check with your doctor!), taking magnesium is unlikely to cause issues, unless you are taking it in excess of how it is intended.

I know that I cannot guarantee magnesium helps me sleep. However, when I couldn’t sleep when I was pregnant with my first son, I started taking it, and it seemed to help. I haven’t stopped taking it since.

The decision to add magnesium to your regimen is going to be a very personal decision. I see points for both sides of the argument. Read the evidence and make your decision, that’s all you can do. If you are interested in some specific high-quality, no junk supplement options, check above to see what I recommend.

I hope this was helpful. If you have any questions about any of this, feel free to shoot me an email. If you enjoyed this content and want to see more, consider subscribing to our newsletter and browsing our other articles.