Magnesium has become the trendy sleep supplement. This is what science really says

It is undeniable that magnesium has reached a great fame among many people who see the need to take it absolutely every day as just another medication that their doctor has prescribed. And it is no wonder, since the great list of benefits that have been sold in recent months about magnesium invites anyone to take it because it supposedly improves everything. Although some of these benefits are really dubious, such as limprovement in sleep quality.

The evidence. Right now science try to find the relationship that can justify that magnesium has an important role in our quality of sleep. In this case, observational studies suggest that good levels of this mineral are equivalent to better sleep, but clinical trials suggest that the benefits are barely noticeable. Especially when we talk about patients who have started magnesium supplementation.

There are examples. A key systematic review of 2023 put the cards on the table after analyzing different studies, pointing out that people who themselves maintain a good level of magnesium snore less, suffer less daytime sleepiness and have a better sleep duration.

The problem comes when controlled trials of supplementing magnesium to people who have sleep problems do not show a consistently good result. But they go further, seeing that the benefits depend mainly on two factors:

• Take high doses of magnesium with a daily intake of 500 mg.
• Previous status of the patient, since it works better if the patient previously had a magnesium deficiency proven by a blood test.

Where is it most noticeable? Here a 2012 study with elderly people suffering from primary insomnia who took 500 mg of magnesium for eight weeks demonstrated a tangible change, as it not only improved sleep hours, but also increased efficiency.

The physiological changes shown were an increase in melatonin, a reduction in serum cortisol, which is the stress hormone, and a reduction in latency, as it was confirmed that magnesium reduces the time it takes for an older person to fall asleep.

There are many formulas. The interest in magnesium has led different companies to begin creating different presentations that improve its absorption. In this way, recent trials between 2024 and 2026 have evaluated doses of 1 gram daily (for periods of 3 to 6 weeks) in young and middle-aged adults.

To measure the effect, here the researchers used rings like the Oura Ring to achieve a significant increase in deep sleep phases, and also a notable improvement in general efficiency.

The small print. Given all this, we can conclude that, if you do not have a magnesium deficiency in your blood, supplementing it does not make any sense to improve sleep quality. This reminds us how important it is to follow medical advice and request an analysis to determine possible treatment and look for the reasons for poor quality sleep.

This way, if you have a sleep deficit, you don’t have to go out and buy magnesium at the supermarket because someone has said on TikTok that its effect on our quality of sleep is almost miraculous.

Images | Natali Hordiiuk Isabella Fischer

In Xataka | There are people obsessed with consuming magnesium as a supplement when the best way is to put it in your diet