Yahoo: Magnesium has gained popularity as a sleep aid, but is it worth all the hype?

“The data so far is weak at best,” Alon Avidan, MD, MPH, a professor of neurology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and the director of UCLA’s Sleep Disorders Center, told POPSUGAR. Many of the studies were “not done with the strongest clinical evaluation,” he explained, which is problematic when “a high placebo response is really common.”

These tests look at the Insomnia Severity Index, which is known to be highly subjective. In Dr. Avidan’s view, a strong sleep study would include close monitoring for about six months, and no studies he’s seen have actually done that.

However, magnesium has been proven to help people with restless leg syndrome (RLS), which makes the supplement a viable option for those whose sleep problems stem from their urge to move at night. This includes nonclinical conditions, like involuntarily kicking in your sleep. If you have RLS or otherwise feel restless at night, Dr. Avidan noted that taking magnesium about 20 to 30 minutes before bed may help.

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