If nighttime has you tossing and turning, you may be considering a dietary supplement to help you rest. Two popular choices are the amino acid glycine and magnesium glycinate, a form of the mineral magnesium that’s bonded to glycine, often to maximize effectiveness. Though both may be useful, experts say glycine has the edge for supporting sleep.\n<\/p>\n
While magnesium glycinate supplements show promise for improving sleep, experts say there\u2019s stronger scientific support for glycine as an effective sleep aid.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
\u201cThe evidence for glycine is stronger for helping you fall asleep, fall asleep more deeply, and wake up more awake the next day,\u201d pulmonologist and sleep medicine specialist Emma Lin, MD<\/a>, founder of Aimvein<\/a>, told Health. \u201cThese studies involved real people, not just cells in a lab dish. They also looked at how well you slept, not just how stressed or moody you were.\u201d\n<\/p>\n A 2023 research review, for example, found that, in seven out of eight studies, glycine was linked to improved sleep quality, alertness, and cognition, as well as decreased fatigue and sleepiness, in people who took 3 grams per day 30 minutes to one hour before bedtime over two to four days.\n<\/p>\n Glycine may even help make up for lack of sleep. In a 2012 paper, researchers deprived 10 healthy male volunteers of 25% of their usual sleep time for three nights but gave them 3 grams of glycine or a placebo before bed. Participants who took glycine reported significantly reduced daytime sleepiness and fatigue\u2014a result confirmed by computer-based tests.\n<\/p>\n