The Evening Mineral for Sleep and Fewer Cramps

Genuinely useful, honestly caveated

1 min read·Updated July 2026

Magnesium is involved in several hundred bodily processes, and modern diets frequently fall short of optimal intake.

Signs you may be low: muscle cramps or twitches, restless or poor-quality sleep, and unexplained fatigue are the common, if non-specific, signs of insufficient magnesium.

Dose: 300–400 mg, taken in the evening.

Form matters: avoid magnesium oxide specifically — it's poorly absorbed. Glycinate is a reasonable, well-tolerated choice, though the specific sleep-benefit trial used a different form, so glycinate's sleep benefit rests on plausible extrapolation rather than being separately trial-verified.

Don't exceed 400 mg without medical guidance — higher doses risk gastrointestinal side effects.

Section takeaway

Magnesium glycinate is a reasonable, low-risk evening supplement with a genuine (if imperfectly form-matched) trial basis — see the Sleep guide's Section 11 for the full evidence discussion.