Magnesium Supplements Are a Buzzy New Sleep and Anxiety Aid. Do They Work?

Everyone on TikTok is bleary-eyed and anxious, it sometimes seems. The generations that dominate the app—Gen Z and Millennials—are also those most beleaguered by anxiety, which is closely tied to sleep disturbances. It’s little wonder, then, that supposed sleep aids—like tart cherry juice, brown noise, melatonin, and CBD—are constant fixtures on the social media platform. Now, the app’s wellness community has latched onto the latest supplement touted to heal both poor sleep and anxiety: magnesium glycinate, one of nearly a dozen over-the-counter supplements that can be used to boost the body’s levels of magnesium. Content creators insist that it helps them go to bed hours earlier than they usually do, eases insomnia, and lets them unwind at the end of the day. One nurse practitioner on the app called magnesium glycinate her “holy grail supplement.” [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] So does it really work? [video id=2dfRL909 autostart="viewable"] What is magnesium? Magnesium, of course, isn’t new. It’s a mineral element that you already have in your body, thanks to foods like nuts, seeds, beans, and certain vegetable and dairy items. It works within the cells of multiple body systems to keep muscles, nerves, and other parts functioning properly. Someone trying to sell you supplements might tell you that as many as half of U.S. adults are magnesium-deficient, and while this is technically true, most ...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Diet & Nutrition healthscienceclimate Source Type: news