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People who have trouble sleeping may take dietary supplements to ease their insomnia. Melatonin and magnesium, two popular sleep supplements, work in different ways and have varying levels of scientific support.<\/p>\n
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Roughly 6% of Americans use over-the-counter supplements or medications in their quest for a good night\u2019s sleep. Two supplements, melatonin and magnesium<\/a>, have become increasingly popular as sleep aids. Despite anecdotal accounts of their effectiveness \u2014 some people swear by them \u2014 we have little evidence that they work. And \u201cthere\u2019s no study that has compared them, no head-to-head data,\u201d says Dr. John W. Winkelman, a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and chief of the Sleep Disorders Clinical Research Program in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital.<\/p>\n While melatonin and magnesium are readily available in stores, that doesn\u2019t necessarily mean you should try the supplements \u2014 or that they\u2019ll relieve your sleep difficulties if you do.<\/p>\n What is the difference between melatonin and magnesium?<\/p>\n Melatonin<\/a>, a hormone released by the brain\u2019s pineal gland, helps regulate our daily sleep-wake cycle, also known as our circadian rhythm. \u201cIts release in the brain is very sensitive to light,\u201d Dr. Winkelman says. Research suggests that melatonin may also have other roles in the body that are not completely understood.<\/p>\n Magnesium<\/a> is not a hormone. It is a mineral that is involved in more than 300 metabolic reactions in the body and which affects a variety of physiological processes, including sleep regulation.<\/p>\n How do melatonin and magnesium work for sleep?<\/p>\n Melatonin and magnesium affect sleep in different ways.<\/p>\n Melatonin promotes a type of relaxation your body needs for sleep. Levels of the hormone rise in response to darkness, and then fall early in the morning so we can wake up.<\/p>\n Small studies suggest that melatonin supplements can help people who have difficulty falling asleep at bedtime and waking up in the morning (delayed sleep-wake phase disorder). Taking the hormone also appears to relieve jet lag.<\/p>\n Magnesium\u2019s effect on sleep is not well understood, but it may be through its regulation of gamma-aminobutyric acid, or GABA, a neurotransmitter that can help calm the nervous system. It also may affect blood levels of both melatonin and cortisol, a stress hormone.<\/p>\n Which is better for falling and staying asleep?<\/p>\n Some evidence, such as a 2022 analysis of studies<\/a> in Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, suggests that melatonin may help reduce the time it takes to fall asleep in people who have insomnia.<\/p>\n We don\u2019t have that kind of research for magnesium. Despite social media influencers touting the perks of taking the mineral to fall asleep, clinical studies have not shown a consistent benefit.<\/p>\n And there\u2019s no solid proof to suggest that either supplement can help people stay asleep once they\u2019ve dozed off.<\/p>\n What are the side effects of melatonin vs. magnesium?<\/p>\n \u201cMelatonin is generally not going to produce side effects,\u201d Dr. Winkelman says, provided you don\u2019t take more than 5 to 6 milligrams (mg); an optimal dose hasn\u2019t been established. If you do, \u201csometimes people have bad dreams or, strangely enough, a hangover or grogginess the next morning,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Other potential melatonin side effects include<\/p>\n
Magnesium also can have side effects if you take a dose above 350 mg for adults. Magnesium side effects, when you take too much, include diarrhea, nausea, and abdominal cramping. Extremely high intakes can lead to irregular heartbeat and cardiac arrest.<\/p>\n Is melatonin or magnesium safe for long-term use?<\/p>\n Magnesium appears to be safe for long-term use, provided you stay within safe dosage limits and your kidneys are healthy. Kidneys remove excess magnesium from your body; if they aren\u2019t working properly, extra amounts of the mineral can cause an unhealthy buildup.<\/p>\n The safety of long-term melatonin use hasn\u2019t been adequately studied. The hormone is generally considered safe in low doses taken in the short term.<\/p>\n Who should avoid melatonin?<\/p>\n Melatonin is not generally recommended if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or if you have a bleeding disorder, depression, or seizures.<\/p>\n The hormone can alter the effectiveness of many medications, including<\/p>\n
If you take one of these drugs, speak with your doctor before taking melatonin.<\/p>\n Who should avoid magnesium?<\/p>\n People with severe kidney disease<\/a>, heart block<\/a>, or myasthenia gravis should avoid magnesium supplements.<\/p>\n People taking certain medications also should avoid magnesium. The mineral can interact with<\/p>\n
When should you talk to a doctor or pharmacist?<\/p>\n Before you take a sleep supplement, Dr. Winkelman advises discussing your sleep problem with your health care provider to an underlying cause.<\/p>\n Medications, health conditions, and stress can all cause sleep issues. Your clinician can also review your medical history and determine whether any medications you take could interact with melatonin or magnesium.<\/p>\n Should you take melatonin or magnesium for sleep?<\/p>\n Although the supplements are popular, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine does not recommend<\/a> using melatonin for recurrent or ongoing insomnia. It has no suggestion regarding the use of magnesium.<\/p>\n \u201cGiven the fact that we\u2019ve got a lot of well-tested, effective medications [for sleep], I rarely recommend melatonin, and I never recommend magnesium,\u201d Dr. Winkelman says. \u201cEven before we prescribe medications, we\u2019ve got a first-line treatment for insomnia: cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia<\/a>, or CBT-i.\u201d CBT-i combines cognitive interventions (reducing anxious thoughts when trying to sleep) and behavioral changes (such as reducing time spent in bed, keeping stable bedtimes and wake times, and cutting back on caffeine and alcohol).<\/p>\n How much melatonin or magnesium should you take?<\/p>\n If it\u2019s warranted \u2014 for instance, if you have jet lag from a trip \u2014 Dr. Winkelman recommends taking 1 to 3 mg of melatonin (which is many times higher than the 0.3 mg we produce naturally) about an hour before bedtime. Older individuals might want to stick with 2 mg \u2014 the amount used in many studies of older people with insomnia \u2014 or even less, since our bodies tend to metabolize drugs more slowly as we age.<\/p>\n If it\u2019s warranted, perhaps for a deficiency, a safe starting dose of magnesium is 100 to 200 mg per day, swallowed one to two hours before bed. Doses higher than 350 mg per day can cause side effects. Most types of available magnesium supplements haven\u2019t been studied for sleep, but magnesium glycinate is well absorbed and easy on your stomach.<\/p>\n What should you look for in a sleep supplement?<\/p>\n Look for products that display a seal from U.S. Pharmacopeia<\/a> or NSF<\/a>. These independent testing organizations can give you some assurance about quality. That\u2019s important because over-the-counter supplements aren\u2019t evaluated by the FDA, meaning we don\u2019t know exactly what\u2019s in them.<\/p>\n An example of why quality assurance matters: A 2017 study<\/a> found that the melatonin content of 31 supplements purchased at pharmacies and grocery stores differed, sometimes widely, from the amount listed on the label. And a 2023 Harvard study<\/a> found that 22 of 25 brands of melatonin gummies had higher or lower doses than listed on their labels; one brand contained more than three times the labeled dose of melatonin.<\/p>\n Speak with your doctor to make sure the sleep supplement is safe to take with other medications or supplements you are already taking.<\/p>\n Frequently asked questions<\/p>\n
\u201cMost people who have had insomnia for a while develop anxiety about their insomnia,\u201d Dr. Winkelman says. \u201cYou get so anxious about the insomnia itself that it\u2019s self-fulfilling \u2014 it perpetuates the problem. That makes it very difficult to distinguish insomnia disorder from anxiety-related insomnia.\u201d For that reason, he doesn\u2019t recommend either melatonin or magnesium for anxiety-related sleep issues. Instead, he recommends CBT-i and medications that are shown to be effective for anxiety disorders.<\/p>\n
We don\u2019t have any studies comparing melatonin versus magnesium for jet lag. But melatonin has been found to reduce jet lag, especially after eastbound flights. Taken in the morning (for travel westward), melatonin adjusts the internal clock to a later time; taken in the evening (for travel eastward), it resets it to an earlier time.<\/p>\n
\n irritability
\n restlessness
\n headache
\n anxiety
\n digestive problems such as nausea and constipation.
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\n blood thinners
\n anticonvulsants
\n blood pressure drugs
\n central nervous system depressants
\n diabetes medications
\n contraceptives
\n immunosuppressants.
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\n antibiotics
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\n gabapentin<\/a>
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\n diuretics
\n thyroid hormone
\n bisphosphonates.
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\n Is melatonin or magnesium better for anxiety-related sleep issues?
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\n Is melatonin better than magnesium for jet lag?
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\n Which works faster for sleep?
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