Can you take magnesium and melatonin together?

Recently updated on November 20th, 2023 at 10:55 am

Desperate for quick results, many insomnia sufferers turn to sleeping pills or other aids that are not only short-term solutions but can also come with an array of side effects.

Both magnesium and melatonin work from within, fixing the inner causes of an interrupted wake-sleep cycle.

Magnesium glycinate and magnesium citrate are the potent forms of magnesium for optimal metabolism functioning, while melatonin is the hormone regulating our circadian rhythm.

But is it safe to take them together?

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About magnesium

It’s interesting that the mechanisms by which magnesium works for sleep are still unknown to researchers.

What we do know is that magnesium deficiency is directly related to insomnia and sleep disorders like day sleeping, restless leg syndrome, chronic stress, severe migraines, memory loss, depression, chronic inflammation, etc. which can be the building blocks of a (un)healthy sleep pattern.

Recommended daily magnesium intake for adult men is 400-420 mg and 310-320mg for women which is much more than we can obtain only from food.

While magnesium supplements are widely available, selecting the right form is key for optimal absorption. Among the various types, magnesium threonate is particularly noteworthy for those looking to enhance sleep quality. For this purpose, you might consider the option to buy magnesium threonate for sleep, known for its potential benefits in improving sleep patterns.

Studies also show that during magnesium deficiency in disrupted sleep duration, very little is made up through food, but rather from the right supplementation.

There are more than 10 types of ingestable magnesium, depending on what is it attached to and its scope of effect.

For sleep deprivation, magnesium glycinate and citrate proved the most effective as they are easily absorbed and less likely to cause digestive stress. Magnesium glycinate is related to neurological health, while magnesium citrate showed improvement for people with severe headaches.

To achieve optimal results, taking supplements with a magnesium complex is most advisable.

About melatonin

Melatonin is the hormone of sleep. Our body shutting down, the grogginess, slow heart rate and all the body changes when we fall asleep are regulated by melatonin that starts secreting in the absence of light.

In the morning, however, melatonin production is very low, signalling it’s time to wake up.

This is why its proper secretion is the key to a healthy sleep-wake cycle. Due to a unique lifestyle, constant travellers, shift workers, and those who don’t conform to nighttime sleep can develop irregular melatonin secretion and suffer from interrupted sleep, insomnia, constant waking up and not being able to fall into the REM phase.

Clinical studies have shown promising results with melatonin supplementation, helping patients with Parkinson’s disease prologue sleep cycles and enter the REM phase quicker. Melatonin-based aids also turned out very effective for eliminating jet lag symptoms, balancing melatonin secretion and resetting the body to its natural circadian rhythm.

Groundbreaking effects of oral melatonin have been successful with blind patients who experienced interrupted circadian rhythm. A 6-week supplementation trial of 5mg melatonin showed significant improvement, but it could be either by improving the sleep-wake cycle or by having a sedative effect that would eliminate sleep interruptions.

Either way, melatonin emerged as the go-to supplement for serious cases of insomnia and patients with periodical sleep.

Can you take magnesium glycinate and melatonin together?

Research relates magnesium glycinate with the delayed sleep phase disorder, proving that it helps patients minimise the time for falling asleep.

It is the unique combo of magnesium and amino acid glycinate that provides such a potent effect. One study determining the effectiveness of glycinate supplementation showed significant improvement in sleep longevity and quality.

Many nutritional supplements combine magnesium glycinate and melatonin for achieving optimal results in sleep disorders. These types of supplements are highly recommended for those who experience interrupted sleep-wake cycles, have trouble falling and staying asleep for a required healthy time period.

Is it safe to take magnesium and melatonin together?

Having little or no major side effects, both melatonin and magnesium make a great combination for fighting different problems with sleep.

A study examining nightly supplementation with melatonin, magnesium, and zinc in patients with primary insomnia showed long-term improvements of not only sleep quality but also overall well being.

Therefore, combining melatonin and magnesium may only give more chances for positive results. This is backed up by another study that examined the effects of magnesium supplementation on sleep deprivation, concluding that magnesium affects better melatonin secretion amongst other things (controlled cortisol and renin production).

While melatonin balances out regular sleep hormone secretion, magnesium works on secondary problems like headaches, muscle pain and restlessness, anxiety, depression, neurological function, etc. that indirectly cause chronic sleep disorders.

Therefore, finding supplements rich in both melatonin and magnesium may just be the right cocktail for a sound sleep.