What Happens to Your Sleep When You Take Magnesium and Melatonin Together?

Magnesium and melatonin are both popular supplements, especially among people looking to sleep longer, but can combining them improve your sleep?

It’s possible. Some research shows that supplementing magnesium and melatonin together can improve sleep quality, but larger, high-quality studies are needed to confirm this.

Research on taking magnesium and melatonin together is limited, but some studies suggest it may help some people sleep better.

A study investigating co-supplementation of magnesium and melatonin in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome found that taking both supplements together had “beneficial effects on sleep quality.” In another study, taking a combined magnesium and melatonin supplement for four weeks helped people with sleep disorders slightly improve their sleep quality.

The mechanisms aren’t completely clear, but the way magnesium and melatonin interact may indirectly promote sleep.

“Magnesium has an effect on melatonin levels,” said Marie van der Merwe, PhD, coordinator of the applied physiology and nutrition doctoral program at the University of Memphis. Health. “The amount of magnesium you have can affect your ability to synthesize melatonin.”

But you may not need to take the supplements at the same time to reap their benefits, said van der Merwe, who suggested it’s OK to take a magnesium supplement in the morning and a melatonin supplement before bed.

The bottom line: There might be a link between magnesium levels and sleep, but more research is needed to confirm it.

Magnesium is an essential mineral that helps regulate nerve and muscle function, blood pressure and blood sugar, and is involved in the production of bones, proteins and DNA. It has also become a popular supplement used to promote sleep, but this is not without its risks.

Benefits of Magnesium for Sleep

Some research has found an association between magnesium supplementation and sleep through:

• Improve sleep quality: Getting enough magnesium through diet or supplementation may help improve sleep quality and anxiety in people who are deficient.
• Relieve muscle tension: Magnesium can help relax muscles and reduce tension, contributing to better sleep.

Risks of magnesium for sleep

The use of magnesium for sleep has not been well studied. Additionally, supplements are not regulated by the FDA for safety and effectiveness, and carry their own set of risks when used. When you use magnesium for sleep, it may:

• Take more time to start working: It may take several weeks before you start seeing sleep improvements from magnesium.
• Cause unpleasant side effects: Taking higher doses of magnesium can lead to diarrhea, nausea, and abdominal cramps.
• Interact with other medications: When taken with magnesium, some medications may become less effective or cause additional side effects. Ask your doctor about potential interactions before starting a new supplement or medication.

Melatonin is a popular supplement to help with sleep, but it’s actually a hormone that your body produces naturally to regulate when you go to sleep and wake up each day. “Melatonin is responsible for making the body work [internal] clock, and that’s really important for regulating your circadian rhythms,” van der Merwe said.

Benefits of Melatonin for Sleep

• Works as needed: Unlike magnesium, melatonin tends to work as soon as you take it, making it useful for occasional sleepless nights.
• May help you fall asleep faster: Research shows that melatonin helped some people fall asleep about nine minutes faster with a 2-milligram dose compared to placebo.
• Supports sleep sync issues: Melatonin can help shift workers, those suffering from jet lag, or people with sleep schedule issues regulate their sleep patterns.

Risks of melatonin for sleep

Although melatonin can help some people who have trouble sticking to their sleep schedule, it can’t solve all sleep problems that may be caused by other problems, van der Merwe said. Melatonin supplements also carry their own risks, as they are not regulated by the FDA.

• Long-term effects of melatonin are unclear: There is insufficient long-term safety data on melatonin for sleep disorders.
• May interact with other drugs: Melatonin may interact with certain medications, including antibiotics, antidepressants, and birth control pills.
• Contains risks for certain groups: Melatonin is not recommended for children or people with dementia; it should also be used with caution by people who have seizures or those taking blood thinners.

It is best to speak with a healthcare professional, such as a primary care physician, before trying new supplements or supplement combinations, including magnesium and melatonin.

Van der Merwe noted that sleep problems may be caused by something that supplementation won’t fix. Difficulty sleeping has been linked to cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, depression and other health problems.

If you still want to try one or both supplements, your doctor can help you evaluate the best time of day to take a magnesium supplement, a melatonin supplement, or a supplement that combines the two.

“Melatonin [should] increases at night,” van der Merwe explained, so you need to take the supplement “at a very specific time of day.” If you take melatonin in the morning, you ruin everything [internal] clock.”

Although supplements claimed to promote sleep, like magnesium and melatonin, have become popular in recent years, it’s worth checking with someone before taking them to determine if they can help you.

“It’s important that people realize it’s not a sleeping pill,” van der Merwe said. “You’re affecting the intrinsic machinery of your body – you’re slowly adjusting it to function optimally – so it’s really important for people to think about what might be the problem.”