Supplementing both the mineral magnesium and melatonin together promotes a deeper, longer, more restful sleep. Magnesium glycinate nourishes at least 300 essential metabolic activities in the body, including the relaxation of nerves and muscles, doing so with a low risk of unpleasant side effects or drug interactions*.
If you are deficient in magnesium, taking a supplement may help relieve symptoms and improve sleep. If you don't have a magnesium deficiency, taking a low dose of melatonin — about 0.5 mg to 5 mg — is more likely to help you sleep.
Melatonin is a hormone that influences circadian rhythms, or the body's internal clock. Both melatonin and magnesium can help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer, but magnesium may be better at improving overall sleep quality.
Taking magnesium with these medications might cause blood pressure to go too low. Some of these medications include nifedipine (Adalat, Procardia), verapamil (Calan, Isoptin, Verelan), diltiazem (Cardizem), isradipine (DynaCirc), felodipine (Plendil), amlodipine (Norvasc), and others.
Therefore, magnesium supplements can be taken at any time of the day, as long as you're able to take them consistently. For some, taking supplements first thing in the morning may be easiest, while others may find that taking them with dinner or just before bed works well for them.
Not only can magnesium help you get to sleep, but it plays a part in helping you achieve deep and restful sleep as well. In one study, older adults were given 500 mg of magnesium or a placebo. Overall, the magnesium group had better quality of sleep.
Melatonin is a sleep hormone that the pineal gland in the brain produces when the time to sleep is approaching. Experts note that adding supplemental melatonin may help people fall asleep but may be less helpful for staying asleep all night. Magnesium may help to quiet the nerves in the body that keep people awake.
Umeda recommends taking the supplement about 30 minutes before bedtime. And don't take more than the recommended amount. More won't help you sleep better, but it may cause stomach upset. While magnesium might improve your slumber, it's no substitute for a good sleep routine, Dr.
“Magnesium can help with relaxing and calming your body, while melatonin will directly lead to hormonal changes that can cause you to fall asleep,” says Avena.
Do not use melatonin if you are pregnant or breastfeeding or have an autoimmune disorder, a seizure disorder or depression. Talk to your health care provider if you have diabetes or high blood pressure.
Don't take melatonin if you're pregnant or breastfeeding. And know that these supplements can interact with other medications, such as some blood thinners, and that they may not be safe to take if you have certain health conditions. "It's always important to consult your doctor before taking a new supplement," adds Dr.
In general, melatonin production decrease with aging. Among the other factors that have been most consistently linked to modified melatonin levels are disrupted light–dark cycles, night work and being overweight.
Magnesium glycinate is often used for its calming effects to treat anxiety, depression, and insomnia.
Can magnesium cause insomnia? Magnesium does not cause insomnia. A magnesium deficiency, however, can. As discussed above in this article, we recommend healthy doses of magnesium through diet or supplements to help combat insomnia.
Melatonin may be effective for helping you sleep in certain instances but it shouldn't be used as a long-term sleep aid. Other supplements including magnesium, valerian root, tart cherry, L-theanine, lavender essential oil, and GABA are worth considering as alternatives to melatonin.
Magnesium is a relaxation supplement helping to relax the muscles, body, and mind. “Essentially, magnesium helps set the stage for sleep by calming the body and preparing it to sleep,” says Harris. Melatonin, on the other hand, when taken directly, impacts your body's circadian rhythm and hormonal regulation of sleep.
Research indicates supplemental magnesium can improve sleep quality, especially in people with poor sleep. Magnesium can also help insomnia that's linked to the sleep disorder restless-leg syndrome. Stress reduction and mood stabilization. Magnesium increases GABA, which encourages relaxation as well as sleep.
Nassar says that taking a magnesium supplement every day likely isn't unsafe for most people. Just be sure you're not taking too much magnesium. The maximum dietary allowance for most adults is around 400 mg or less.
High doses of magnesium from supplements or medications can cause nausea, abdominal cramping and diarrhea. In addition, the magnesium in supplements can interact with some types of antibiotics and other medicines.
Other research from 2017, appearing in the journal PLoS One , found that a 6-week course of magnesium chloride led to a significant reduction in depression and anxiety symptoms.
Vitamin D and sleep: The surprising connection
Early research suggests it is inversely related to melatonin, your sleep hormone. Increasing vitamin D levels may suppress melatonin levels. So, it makes sense that taking it at night could disrupt your sleep.
Melatonin Target Sites and Receptors
Melatonin's target sites are both central and peripheral. Binding sites have been found in many areas of the brain, including the pars tuberalis and hypothalamus, but also in the cells of the immune system, gonads, kidney, and the cardiovascular system (39, 40).