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Try magnesium. Stress depletes magnesium. The cells in our body need magnesium and calcium for their operation. When you're low on magnesium your cells can't go

Try magnesium. Stress depletes magnesium. The cells in our body need magnesium and calcium for their operation. When you're low on magnesium your cells can't go into off state. When that happens your muscles become stiffer and you can't sleep. Magnesium supplementation is the solution. "Supplementation of 500 mg of Mg has been associated with significant improvement in the insomnia severity index, sleep time, sleep efficiency, sleep onset latency, serum cortisol concentration, serum renin, and melatonin." https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5637834/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5637834/ "As compared to the placebo group, in the experimental group, dietary magnesium supplementation brought about statistically significant increases in sleep time..." https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3703169/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3703169/ "When Mg2+ was reintroduced in food and water, sleep organization and ECoG recordings were restored to their original patterns." https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8232845 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8232845

verylittlemeat 6y ago
I've been reading good things about KAL magnesium glycinate in various contexts. There seems to be at least 10 different types of magnesium (oxide/glycinate/citrate/etc). Can you recommend any of these in particular?
- flowerlad 6y ago
  Magnesium Glycinate Lysinate seems to work well for me. Also, magnesium l-threonate seems to work well for insomnia.
ComputerGuru 6y ago
Thanks for providing the links on the benefits of sleep linked to magnesium, but can you provide a link for this: > Stress depletes magnesium.
- manmal 6y ago
  I've found a study that suggests that Mg deficiency actually produces stress: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5112180/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5112180/
- flowerlad 6y ago
  I don't have any peer-reviewed research publications on this, but here's a magazine article: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/evolutionary-psychiatry/201106/magnesium-and-the-brain-the-original-chill-pill https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/evolutionary-psychia... Quote: "stress causes us to waste our magnesium like crazy"
- flowerlad 6y ago
  Just found this: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507250/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507250/ "extended periods of stress result in progressive Mg deficit"
chillytoes 6y ago
Trying magnesium after reading about it on HN comments last year changed my life. Definitely try it. I just use magnesium citrate from Walgreens.
PragmaticPulp 6y ago
Magnesium had zero noticeable effect for me until I tried Magnesium Glycinate. I later tried pure Glycine without magnesium and realized that it was the Glycine that helped my insomnia, not the magnesium component. There are several studies showing positive effects of Glycine on sleep induction. Magnesium is harmless to try at low doses, but be warned that there is a substantial amount of low quality information about Magnesium on the Internet lately. Despite what you might read, it is possible to consume too much magnesium. Magnesium accumulates in the body with a very long elimination time (days or weeks) which means overdose can occur after months of supplementing at the same level. Anecdotally, Gwern recorded a subtle downward trend of cognitive test scores over time during both of his Magnesium trials. If you choose to supplement with magnesium, keep the doses low. Don’t escalate dosing in an attempt to capture greater effects. The high doses used in studies are for proving a point on a short duration study, so long-term dosing is likely lower than clinical study dosing. Also be careful to note the difference between magnesium salt content and pure elemental magnesium content of the supplements you’re taking, because the two measurements shouldn’t be confused with each other.
- flowerlad 6y ago
  > Despite what you might read, it is possible to consume too much magnesium. Magnesium accumulates in the body with a very long elimination time (days or weeks) which means overdose can occur after months of supplementing at the same level. You have not supported this with links to credible sources. Too much magnesium from food does not pose a health risk in healthy individuals because the kidneys eliminate excess amounts in the urine. Source: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/%20magnesium-HealthProfessional/ https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/%20magnesium-HealthProfess...
  - PragmaticPulp 6y ago
    > Too much magnesium from food The conversation was about magnesium supplements, not food. It’s well-known that overdose from magnesium supplements is possible. The condition is called “Hypermagnesemia” and one of the primary causes is magnesium supplements. > You have not supported this with links to credible sources. If you'd like to know more about the dynamics of magnesium, scientific articles are easy to find: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4455825/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4455825/ As for supplement overdose: You should always assume that overdose is possible when taking concentrated supplements. Don't assume that you can apply the same logic to food (as in the link you provided) and isolated supplements consumed in bulk (as with the high magnesium doses discussed in this thread).
joveian 6y ago
I have found that 500mg Magnesium helps me stay asleep as much as anything and maybe helps get to sleep a bit earlier, however it also leaves me much more tired than usual the next day. I get a fair amount of magnesium in my diet so I think it might be too much for me, however less doesn't seem to help me sleep. OTOH, I have unusually sever sleep issues so it may be more helpful for many people.

verylittlemeat 6y ago

I've been reading good things about KAL magnesium glycinate in various contexts. There seems to be at least 10 different types of magnesium (oxide/glycinate/citrate/etc). Can you recommend any of these in particular?

flowerlad 6y ago
Magnesium Glycinate Lysinate seems to work well for me. Also, magnesium l-threonate seems to work well for insomnia.

ComputerGuru 6y ago

Thanks for providing the links on the benefits of sleep linked to magnesium, but can you provide a link for this: > Stress depletes magnesium.

manmal 6y ago
I've found a study that suggests that Mg deficiency actually produces stress: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5112180/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5112180/
flowerlad 6y ago
I don't have any peer-reviewed research publications on this, but here's a magazine article: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/evolutionary-psychiatry/201106/magnesium-and-the-brain-the-original-chill-pill https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/evolutionary-psychia... Quote: "stress causes us to waste our magnesium like crazy"
flowerlad 6y ago
Just found this: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507250/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507250/ "extended periods of stress result in progressive Mg deficit"

chillytoes 6y ago

Trying magnesium after reading about it on HN comments last year changed my life. Definitely try it. I just use magnesium citrate from Walgreens.

PragmaticPulp 6y ago

Magnesium had zero noticeable effect for me until I tried Magnesium Glycinate. I later tried pure Glycine without magnesium and realized that it was the Glycine that helped my insomnia, not the magnesium component. There are several studies showing positive effects of Glycine on sleep induction. Magnesium is harmless to try at low doses, but be warned that there is a substantial amount of low quality information about Magnesium on the Internet lately. Despite what you might read, it is possible to consume too much magnesium. Magnesium accumulates in the body with a very long elimination time (days or weeks) which means overdose can occur after months of supplementing at the same level. Anecdotally, Gwern recorded a subtle downward trend of cognitive test scores over time during both of his Magnesium trials. If you choose to supplement with magnesium, keep the doses low. Don’t escalate dosing in an attempt to capture greater effects. The high doses used in studies are for proving a point on a short duration study, so long-term dosing is likely lower than clinical study dosing. Also be careful to note the difference between magnesium salt content and pure elemental magnesium content of the supplements you’re taking, because the two measurements shouldn’t be confused with each other.

flowerlad 6y ago
> Despite what you might read, it is possible to consume too much magnesium. Magnesium accumulates in the body with a very long elimination time (days or weeks) which means overdose can occur after months of supplementing at the same level. You have not supported this with links to credible sources. Too much magnesium from food does not pose a health risk in healthy individuals because the kidneys eliminate excess amounts in the urine. Source: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/%20magnesium-HealthProfessional/ https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/%20magnesium-HealthProfess...
- PragmaticPulp 6y ago
  > Too much magnesium from food The conversation was about magnesium supplements, not food. It’s well-known that overdose from magnesium supplements is possible. The condition is called “Hypermagnesemia” and one of the primary causes is magnesium supplements. > You have not supported this with links to credible sources. If you'd like to know more about the dynamics of magnesium, scientific articles are easy to find: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4455825/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4455825/ As for supplement overdose: You should always assume that overdose is possible when taking concentrated supplements. Don't assume that you can apply the same logic to food (as in the link you provided) and isolated supplements consumed in bulk (as with the high magnesium doses discussed in this thread).

joveian 6y ago

I have found that 500mg Magnesium helps me stay asleep as much as anything and maybe helps get to sleep a bit earlier, however it also leaves me much more tired than usual the next day. I get a fair amount of magnesium in my diet so I think it might be too much for me, however less doesn't seem to help me sleep. OTOH, I have unusually sever sleep issues so it may be more helpful for many people.