If you’re struggling to fall or stay asleep, exploring the role of magnesium for sleep could make a big difference to your nightly rest. If you’ve ever struggled with falling asleep or staying asleep, you’re not alone — and magnesium might be part of the solution. Magnesium is an essential mineral involved in over 300 processes in the body. This includes muscle relaxation, nerve function, and the regulation of melatonin. The hormone that controls your sleep cycle.
Research suggests that low magnesium levels may make it harder to relax at night. This can lead to restlessness, poor sleep quality, and even insomnia. Yet many people aren’t getting enough, especially during periods of stress or when dietary intake falls short.
We have about 30g of magnesium in our body – most of this is in bones, followed by muscle and soft tissue with only 1% found in our fluids as an electrolyte where it helps to control fluid balance.
In this blog, we’ll break down how magnesium impacts sleep, and simple ways to boost your levels naturally through food and supplementation.
Magnesium Matters
Are we eating enough magnesium?
Many Australians don’t meet the recommended daily intake of magnesium. This is around 300 -420mg for adults. While true magnesium deficiency is rare, low intakes are common, especially with diets low in whole foods like leafy greens, nuts, seeds, and whole grains.
What do we need magnesium for?
Magnesium has a number of roles in the body such as:
- Hundreds of metabolic pathways, including releasing energy from our food.
- Muscle contraction and blood clotting.
- Nerve transmission.
- Formation of strong bones and teeth
- Immune function
- Beating of heart muscle
- Supporting psychological function
Although there are no official health claims that can be made around magnesium and sleep, it is frequently dubbed as a sleep aid because of its role in muscle relaxation.
What does the research tell us about magnesium, diet and sleep?
Magnesium plays an important role in helping the body relax. This is by activating the parasympathetic nervous system — the part responsible for ‘rest and digest’. It also supports the regulation of melatonin, the hormone that controls your sleep-wake cycle.
A recent systematic review pulled together results from 9 studies involving over 7,000 people. Observational studies suggest that people with higher magnesium intake — or higher magnesium levels in their blood and urine — tend to report better sleep quality.
Observational studies can only show a link, not prove cause and effect. So, we turn to randomised controlled trials (RCTs), which are considered the gold standard.
One RCT found that supplementing with 500mg of magnesium improved both sleep time and sleep efficiency compared to a placebo. However, results across other trials were a bit mixed and didn’t always reach statistical significance.
I believe there is enough evidence here to suggest a magnesium supplement will benefit many individuals. However as always, we want to see where we can improve our intakes in food first. Not only does food provide magnesium naturally, but it also delivers valuable compounds called phytochemicals. These protect our bodies at a cellular level which you just can’t bottle into a pill.
How to get magnesium from your diet to improve sleep
Rich sources include dark green leafy veg such as spinach, kale and broccoli.
It is also found in nuts and seeds and wholegrains. Just one of the many reasons it’s not a good idea to avoid carbohydrates all together, especially in the evening.
Carbohydrates can also improve sleep as they release insulin. This helps with the transport of the amino acid tryptophan across the blood – brain barrier. Once it reaches the brain it is used to make serotonin, which then converts to melatonin – the hormone we need for sleep.
Magnesium for sleep – in summary
By boosting your intake of magnesium for sleep through food or supplements, you may support better relaxation, melatonin production, and overall sleep quality. Magnesium plays an important role in helping the body relax and prepare for sleep. Everything from muscle function to the production of melatonin is helped with magnesium. While the research isn’t completely clear-cut, there’s enough evidence to suggest that for some people, improving magnesium intake — either through diet or supplementation — could be a helpful part of improving sleep quality.
As always, focusing on whole foods first is the best starting point. Foods like leafy greens, nuts, seeds, legumes, and whole grains are not only rich in magnesium but also packed with other nutrients and protective plant compounds that supplements simply can’t match.
If you suspect your magnesium intake is low, or if you’re struggling with sleep, it might be worth booking a nutrition session with myself for personalised advice. Email sarah@authenticpt.com.au for more!
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