Can this “miracle mineral” really help us sleep?

It is called the mineral of the present time.

Millions of us take magnesium for a variety of reasons. Could it help us sleep better? Do we understand digestive problems? Give our busy brains a moment of peace?

In the fast-paced world of nutritional supplements, it's time for magnesium to shine.

And the industry is thriving. The global magnesium market is worth almost £3 billion and will almost double over the next decade.

In a small factory in the Yorkshire Dales, huge plastic drums of white powder are stacked next to giant whirring machines.

Workers in protective suits carefully weigh magnesium citrate – a compound made by mixing the mineral with citric acid – into shiny steel containers.

“We ship our materials all over the world,” explains Andrew Goring, managing director of Lonsdale Health. “Around the UK obviously, but also Australia, parts of Asia, Kuwait, Iraq.

“This is one of our largest sales and the market continues to grow.”

He shouts over the hum of a pill press, a Dalek-like machine that spits out dozens of small white magnesium tablets per second.

“Do we really need this?” – I shout back. “And why now? Why has this become so popular?

“Influential people, social media, that’s what pushes us,” Mr. Gehring explains. “We've known about magnesium and its benefits for years, and now it's finally going mainstream.”

I can almost hear myself rolling my eyes when I turn to Kirsten Jackson, an irritable bowel syndrome nutritionist who specializes in gut health.

“In clever marketing schemes,” Ms. Jackson says, “magnesium is targeted in areas where people are willing to invest: sleep, digestion, mental health.”

But she stresses that this doesn't automatically mean we need supplements to improve these indicators.

Magnesium is one of several minerals in our body. Recommended daily amount for women – 270 mg, for men – 300 mg. We store about 25g.

It may make up less than 1% of us, but “it's involved in more than 300 different processes,” Ms. Jackson explains.

She says it's “particularly important for our brain and mood” because it helps nerves send messages correctly and supports the building blocks of brain cell membranes.

It also helps balance blood sugar, regulate blood pressure, and plays an important role in moving calcium and potassium in and out of our cells, which keeps our heartbeat rhythmic.

So, surely taking a pill full of this substance should keep our body running smoothly?

“It’s more complicated,” Ms. Jackson said. For a magnesium supplement to work, we must be deficient in the mineral in the first place—and it's difficult to test for any deficiency because the vast majority of magnesium is stored in our bones and tissues.

But on an individual level, many say the supplement has made a difference.

For Katie Curran, a public relations professional who has worked with some of fashion's biggest brands, a good night's sleep was something she could only dream of.

“A year ago I was having problems,” she admits. “It would take me so long to fall asleep, my brain would work, and then I would go out only to wake up a couple of hours later.”

Katie decided to try magnesium glycinate, a combination of magnesium and glycine. amino acid with limited evidence linking this to improved sleep.

After two weeks of taking 270 mg per day, she said, the noise in her head began to subside. Her thoughts slowed and she felt like she could function again.

“My sleep has definitely improved and I have more energy. I became more active. Other things have changed in my life, so I can't pin it down to one thing, but I think the magnesium supplements were an important piece of the puzzle.”

While magnesium deficiency can definitely affect your sleep quality, there is no evidence that taking a supplement will definitely improve your sleep.

Social media is flooded with supplement seekers, many of whom post with “commission paid” in the corner, meaning they can make money from their story or video.

According to these influencers, it appears that magnesium cannot help since they recommend so many different products.

Magnesium is often mixed with other compounds to support different parts of our body. For example, magnesium when mixed with L-threonate or glycinate is thought to impact brain health, which may help improve sleep and relieve stress.

When combined with magnesium chloride, it is recommended for muscle tension and premenstrual cramps, while citrate and oxide mixtures target digestion and help with constipation.

Most of us are probably familiar with at least one of these problems. But as nutritionist Kristen Stavridis points out, the problem is that there isn't enough convincing evidence that most of these various magnesium supplements have a positive effect in healthy populations.

And even if they did, we would need a magnesium deficiency in the first place to see a benefit.

“We have dietary supplement companies screaming at us, 'We're all going to die,'” Ms. Stavridis said. “Fast! Take my pill and – hey, done – here's your solution.”

“Many of us don’t get enough magnesium,” she continues, “about 10% of men and 20% of women don’t get enough magnesium.” recommended daily dose.

“But just taking supplements is not the answer.”

Take sleep health, for example. Ms Stavridis says there is a lot of conflicting research about whether magnesium supplements really make a difference. Some studies say it may have some benefits, while some randomized controlled trials (the gold standard) are more skeptical.

There is also the added complication that supplements potentially work against each other due to the way they interact in the body.

For example, taking zinc, a supplement often recommended for perimenopausal women, may also affect the rate of magnesium absorption.

Essentially, Ms. Stavridis says, it's a minefield, not just a case of “take this” and you'll be fixed.

She recommends focusing on diet first. But if you're considering taking a magnesium supplement, Ms. Stavridis advises taking half the amount recommended on the bottle daily and seeing how you feel.

If healthy people take too much, their kidneys can get rid of it with “expensive urine”, but there are still risks such as diarrhea, vomiting and nausea.

For people with kidney disease, taking magnesium supplements can be dangerous and can cause hypermagnesemia, a potentially life-threatening condition that can lead to paralysis or coma.

Dietitian Kirsten Jackson also says that most people should “look at diet first.”

Foods like seeds, nuts, whole grain breads, greens and fruits are good sources of magnesium, she says.

She warns that if you don't consume these foods regularly, you're likely also lacking in other essential nutrients, such as vitamin C, vitamin K, fiber and prebiotics.

“A magnesium supplement alone isn’t going to help sort it all out.”