How Does Magnesium Affect Your Sleep?
Elaine K. Howley,U.S.News & World Report•July 22, 2020
It seems most folks are looking to get more or better quality sleep these days. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 1 in 3 Americans doesn’t get enough sleep each night. Insomnia is the most common sleep disorder, and many people who struggle with this exhausting condition regularly may be reaching for sleeping pills and other pharmacological interventions to get a good night’s rest.
But such medications can cause potentially dangerous side effects in some patients. The good news is, however, that you may not need a prescription sleep aid to get better rest. Instead, for mild or occasional cases of insomnia, adhering to a basic sleep hygiene protocol and increasing your intake of magnesium might be enough to help you get the shuteye you need.
[SEE: Aging-Related Sleep Problems and Memory Loss.]
What Is Magnesium?
“Magnesium is a mineral found in our bones, muscles, soft tissue and body fluids,” says Amber Ingram, a registered dietitian with the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus. Magnesium plays a role in a number of important processes in the body including:
— Building proteins.
— Building bone.
— Building DNA.
— Regulating muscle and nerve function.
— Regulating blood sugars.
— Regulating blood pressure.
— Regulating the circadian rhythm, or our natural sleep-wake cycle.
How Magnesium Impacts Sleep
” Studies have shown that magnesium is important for regulating our circadian rhythm and sleep cycles as well as help us to relax into our rest and digest mode,” says Marysa Cardwell, a nutrition therapist and contributing dietitian to Lose It!, a free calorie-counting app.
Magnesium can activate the parasympathetic nervous system — which helps you calm down and relax. It activates this system by regulating neurotransmitters in the brain and nervous system and the production of the hormone melatonin — a key component of the sleep-wake cycle. Melatonin is often sold as a sleep aid supplement.
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