Is the combination of melatonin and magnesium the secret to a good night's sleep?
Millions of Americans suffer from insomnia, a disorder that makes it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep. The condition affects nearly 30% of adults, and data shows that nearly 15% of U.S. adults have trouble falling asleep most nights.
The use of melatonin supplements to alleviate symptoms of insomnia is growing in popularity. Melatonin is a hormone produced by the brain in response to darkness and helps regulate your body's internal clock.
But taking melatonin supplements isn't the only way to get better sleep. Getting enough physical activity, limiting alcohol intake, and limiting screen time are all ways to help your body get enough rest.
Getting enough magnesium may also help, but there is no research to support the idea that magnesium helps induce sleep.
“There is no evidence yet that it promotes sleep.” Katrina Hartog, DCN, MPH, RDN, CHES, CLCsaid the Director of Clinical Nutrition at Mount Sinai West. health.
That said, magnesium levels may be indirectly related to your body's ability to maintain a sleep schedule. This may be why some commercial sleep products contain both melatonin and magnesium.
Here's what you need to know about the effects of magnesium and melatonin on sleep, and what you should consider before starting a new supplement.
Getty Images/Liudmila Chernetska
Magnesium plays many important roles in maintaining your body's health.
“It's used in more than 300 biochemical reactions in our bodies,” Hartog says.
This mineral helps regulate nerve and muscle function, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels, and is also involved in bone, protein, and DNA production.
Magnesium is found in the following foods:
- legumes
- nuts
- seed
- Green and yellow vegetables (spinach, etc.)
- whole grain
- milk
- Yogurt
- Fortified foods (such as breakfast cereals)
Adult women should consume 310 to 320 milligrams of magnesium each day (though pregnant women need even more), and adult men should consume 400 to 420 milligrams of magnesium.
For reference: 1 ounce of dry roasted almonds has 80 milligrams of magnesium, half a cup of boiled spinach has 78 milligrams, and 1 cup of soy milk has 61 milligrams.
People who don't get enough magnesium through their diet may be deficient and may benefit from magnesium supplements.
Supplements may be especially beneficial for older adults because their bodies may not be able to absorb magnesium efficiently. Dr. Marie van der Merwesaid the University of Memphis Applied Physiology and Nutrition doctoral program coordinator. health.
In addition to increasing magnesium levels, supplements may slightly lower diastolic blood pressure. Because the supplement can increase bone density, it may also be helpful for people at risk of osteoporosis.
Melatonin is a hormone that helps your body know when to sleep and wake up each day.
“Melatonin is [internal] And that's really important in regulating circadian rhythms,” van der Merwe said.
Exposure to darkness causes your body to produce melatonin, but exposure to light in the evening can interfere with melatonin production.
That's why it's important to monitor how much time you spend on your phone in the hours before bed, Van der Merwe explained.
Melatonin may contribute to other bodily functions, but experts don't know what other effects it has besides sleep.
Melatonin can help some people who have trouble staying on track with their sleep schedule, but many health issues can affect sleep, so melatonin can't solve all sleep problems. Not so, Van der Merwe explained.
“If your schedule is off, melatonin may help, but [your sleep issues] “It may or may not be caused by something else,” she said.
In addition to supplements, melatonin is also found in the following foods:
- egg
- fish
- nuts
- some mushrooms
- some grains
- seed
There is limited research on how magnesium and melatonin affect each other.
“The full mechanism of how magnesium affects sleep is not well understood,” van der Merwe explained.
However, magnesium may affect sleep indirectly through its effects on melatonin.
“Magnesium affects melatonin levels,” she explained. “Magnesium levels can affect melatonin synthesis.”
This may be why the two are packaged together in many products. However, you don't need to take magnesium at the same time as melatonin to reap the benefits.
“If you take a magnesium supplement in the morning, you're not going to run out of magnesium for the next 30 minutes,” van der Merwe said, adding that magnesium levels will likely be high for several hours after taking the supplement. Ta.
Ultimately, experts say there may be a link between magnesium levels and sleep, but more research is needed for clinical confirmation.
It's best to consult your health care provider, such as your primary care physician, before trying new supplements, such as magnesium or melatonin.
“There are medications that can interact with magnesium supplements. [such as] Some drugs to treat osteoporosis and some antibiotics,” Hartog said.
These interactions are more common with magnesium supplements than with melatonin supplements, but it's worth checking with your doctor before adding either to your daily routine.
Van der Merwe pointed out that sleep problems may be due to something that melatonin cannot solve. Sleep disorders are associated with cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, depression, and other health conditions.
Therefore, it is important to consult your doctor to determine whether an underlying medical condition or other medications you are taking are contributing to your sleep problems.
Your doctor can also help you determine the best time to take magnesium supplements, melatonin supplements, or a combination of both.
“Melatonin” [should] It increases at night,” explained Dr van der Merwe.That's why you need to take the supplement at certain times during the day. Taking melatonin in the morning will ruin the whole thing. [internal] clock. ”
Melatonin has grown in popularity in recent years, but ultimately it's worth checking with someone before taking it to see if it will help you.
“It's important that people understand that this is not a sleeping pill,” Van der Merwe said. “We are influencing the essential mechanisms of our bodies and slowly adjusting them to function optimally, so it is very important that people reflect on what is going wrong. ”
