Experts Distinguish Melatonin and Magnesium for Sleep as $8.5 Billion Supplement Market Grows
Updated
Updated · health.yahoo.com · Jul 14
Experts Distinguish Melatonin and Magnesium for Sleep as $8.5 Billion Supplement Market Grows
3 articles · Updated · health.yahoo.com · Jul 14
Summary
Melatonin and magnesium are not interchangeable sleep aids, experts said, with melatonin acting on circadian timing and magnesium helping calm the nervous system through pathways tied to GABA and relaxation.
Research suggests both can help, but only modestly: a 2013 meta-analysis found melatonin cut sleep onset by about 7 minutes and added 8 minutes of sleep, while newer magnesium studies show small gains for insomnia and anxiety.
Melatonin is best suited to jet lag and other timing shifts, often at low doses of 0.5 mg to 3 mg taken one to two hours before bed; magnesium may fit stress-related restlessness, typically at 100 mg to 400 mg daily.
For chronic insomnia, the experts said neither supplement is a first-line treatment, pointing instead to CBT-I, medical evaluation and newer prescription DORAs for people needing more than over-the-counter support.
Safety and quality remain a concern in the loosely regulated supplement market: one analysis found melatonin products ranged from 74% below label claims to 347% above, with more than 88% outside a 10% accuracy band.