Oral magnesium supplementation for insomnia in older adults: a Systematic Review & Meta-Analysis

Researchers combined the results of three small clinical trials involving 151 older adults with insomnia. The participants took oral magnesium or a comparison treatment for several weeks. Magnesium may have helped people fall asleep about 17 minutes faster. However, it did not clearly improve total sleep time or other measures of sleep, and the studies had important weaknesses.

What this means for you: This is not strong enough evidence to buy magnesium specifically for insomnia. Talk with a healthcare professional before using it, especially if you have kidney problems or take medicines that may interact with supplements.