An NHS doctor has disclosed that a budget-friendly daily supplement could be the ticket to nodding off “faster”. This economical pill, which can be snapped up for as little as 9p, was a game-changer for his own sleep patterns.
It’s widely advised that adults should clock in between seven and nine hours of shut-eye each night to keep our systems in tip-top shape. But this is often easier said than done.
While there are numerous tactics we can employ to enhance our slumber, like dialling down stress, getting our daily dose of exercise, and ensuring our bedrooms are conducive to sleep, sometimes these measures just don’t cut it. Doctor Karan Rajan, better known to his online followers as Dr Raj shared his personal journey with magnesium supplements in the quest for better sleep on TikTok. He said: “I experimented with magnesium to help me fall asleep faster, but does it work?
“I started taking magnesium about three weeks ago during a period of travel when my sleep was messed up. For a few nights it was taking me more than 30 minutes to fall asleep.
“Now, magnesium is often marketed as a sleep aid because it might help to relax muscles, lower cortisol and regulate neurotransmitters like gaba, which tell your brain to chill out. There are a few genuine physiological reasons why someone might be deficient. Not getting enough by diet, increased requirements, reduced guts absorption, or increased urinary excretion thanks to fluctuating hormone levels like oestrogen – think periods and menopause.”
While experimenting with magnesium supplementation, he monitored his sleep patterns and observed notable improvements. Dr Raj detailed his personal experiment: “In two weeks of taking nightly magnesium I tracked my own sleep data. I noticed that my sleep latency, the time it takes to fall asleep, dropped while taking magnesium.”
His results showed a reduction in sleep onset from a frustrating 38 minutes down to just nine minutes at best. But once his sleep improved he stopped taking them.
“Maybe coincidence, maybe placebo, maybe just better sleeping habit, but I’ve since stopped because my sleep habits are back on track,” he said. “In fact, my own anecdotal data tracks well with a meta-analysis which looked at magnesium supplementation in older adults with insomnia.”
“They found it reduced sleep onset latency by 17.36 minutes.” The study he referenced was published in the BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies journal in 2021. The study suggested that a daily dose of one gram of magnesium, split into three servings, might be beneficial for those battling insomnia.
Dr Raj weighed in on the findings, noting: “Admittedly the studies were low quality. We need more research on magnesium and sleep, but this stuff is relatively cheap and has a decent safety profile. So magnesium could be a low-cost experiment in someone’s sleep journey.”
However, he was quick to point out that traditional methods shouldn’t be overlooked. Dr Raj emphasised: “But the basics still win. It can’t overcome not being consistent with sleep times, winding down before bed and reducing blue light exposure in the evening.”
He also cautioned about potential side effects. “Two things to keep in mind – high doses can increase the risk of diarrhoea, obviously not for sleep and bioavailability matters,” he said. “I took magnesium glycinate, which is better absorbed in the gut.”
For those considering giving it a try, a bottle of 120 magnesium glycinate tablets is currently available at Superdrug for £10.95, breaking down to just over 9p per tablet at the time of reporting.