Health Matters

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Do magnesium supplements work for anxiety and sleep?

By Haley Weiss

Health Reporter

As a health reporter who spends a lot of time in online wellness spaces, I’ve learned to be automatically skeptical when a product suddenly gains a new wave of adherents. It was refreshing, then, to discover that TikTok’s latest supplement du jour is one that’s actually backed by some science. For a few months, the app has been full of people sharing their experiences adding magnesium supplements to their routine, primarily as a sleep aid or for a little help unwinding before bed.

While these supplements haven’t been studied in depth as an insomnia solution, the relaxing results that people are sharing online are pretty on par with some of the uses we do have for the mineral (which occurs naturally in food). Athletes use it to help loosen overworked muscles, and certain forms are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat migraines. Clinical trials looking at magnesium’s ability to ease symptoms of anxiety and depression have been picking up in the last few years.

Still, there's no perfect sleep aid—at east not one that you can find in the pharmacy aisles. If you find yourself tossing and turning, the healthier solution is to take stock of your bedtime habits.

What else to read

Extreme Heat is a Health Crisis, Scientists Warn. And Climate Change Is Making It Worse

By ISABELLA O'MALLEY / AP

“The climate is changing, and we are not adapted to be able to deal with it from a health perspective," one expert warned.

How the Mother and Son on TIME’s Controversial Breastfeeding Cover Feel About It Now

By Belinda Luscombe

Jamie Lynne Grumet and her son Aram appeared next to the question ARE YOU MOM ENOUGH?

What We Know About the U.S. Intelligence Community’s Split on COVID-19 Origins

By Mini Racker

The Energy Department concluded with a low level of confidence that COVID-19 most likely emerged as a result of a leak from a laboratory in China.

Hong Kong to Lift One of World's Longest Mask Mandates After Almost 3 Years

By Jinshan Hong, Kari Lindberg and Shirley Zhao / Bloomberg

"From tomorrow we are completely returning to normalcy," Hong Kong leader John Lee said.

Why Spicy Food Makes Your Nose Run—and Why It's Great for You

By Markham Heid

A plant compound called capsaicin has an ability to combat pain. (Originally published in 2019.)

AN EXPERT VOICE

"I think there’s a lot of additional work that needs to be done in how we best balance the challenges of providing the highest quality care to our patients—but also allowing our residents, fellows, and attendings to get enough sleep."

—Dr. Frank Qian, resident internist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and clinical fellow in medicine at Harvard Medical School

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Today's newsletter was written by Haley Weiss and edited by Mandy Oaklander.

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"I think there’s a lot of additional work that needs to be done in how we best balance the challenges of providing the highest quality care to our patients—but also allowing our residents, fellows, and attendings to get enough sleep."

—Dr. Frank Qian, resident internist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and clinical fellow in medicine at Harvard Medical School