How to Use Magnesium for Better Sleep
Magnesium is an essential mineral in your diet and the second most common electrolyte in the human body.
It’s also a very common deficiency in many developed countries because high grain diets are poor sources of magnesium.
Magnesium is often helpful with protecting against depression and ADHD but is also a powerful sleep supplement as it’s been proven across multiple studies to promote deep sleep, muscle relaxation and recovery.

How much magnesium to take for sleep?
You should take 200mg-400mg of magnesium for sleep.
How long does magnesium take to work for sleep?
Magnesium typically takes 20-30 minutes to take effects - so timing it before you go to bed is a smart thing to do.=
Best Types of Magnesium For Sleep
There are several types of magnesium that exist - each of them bound to different elements and provide their own costs + benefits. Heres’ the best types of magnesium for sleep.
Magnesium Citrate for Sleep
Magnesium citrate tends to have a high elemental rate and a high bioavailability rate (25-30%) and is often easily dissolved in water. If you’re interested in having a magnesium drink for sleep - this is your go-to bet.
Magnesium Glycinate for Sleep
Also both high in elemental content and bioavailable - this is absorbed in a different area of your gut than other forms. Useful for sleep, but not the go to choice.
Magnesium Oxide For Sleep
Magnesium oxide has a higher elemental rate of magnesium than other forms, but is less bioavailable. This is better used for laxative purposes than for sleep.
Magnesium L-Threonate for Sleep -
While magnesium l-threonate has a very low elemental count of magnesium (roughly 7%), it does cross the blood-brain barrier easier than other types. It’s often recommended for sleep, but can also lead to some strange dreams according to rare reports. Read our deep dive on magnesium l-threonate here.
Other types of Magnesium Sprays & Magnesium Oils
You often see magnesium sprays and magnesium oils to help with sleep. Often these cite studies that are funded by the companies that sell these oils + sprays.
However, many studies have not found better absorption through transdermal application methods and instead recommend the tried and true oral supplementation.
What To Take with Magnesium
To further improve your sleep - you can consider adding l-thenine to your magnesium cocktail to promote relaxation and rest.
Conveniently, these are the two ingredients in our flagship product - Impossible Sleep. The effects from magnesium help promote deep sleep while l-theanine provide a calming, relaxing effect that helps you “quiet your thoughts.”
The Best Magnesium Supplement for Sleep
If you’re looking for the best night’s sleep of your life, we recommend our flagship formula - Impossible Sleep.
It contains the recommended amount of daily magnesium plus l-theanine, a naturally occurring amino
There’s no artificial sweeteners, filler, or other junk to make things complicated. Just scientifically backed, proven, high-quality components designed to help you get the best sleep of your life.
1Magnesium for Sleep Citations & References
Sources and citations for our research on magnesium + sleep:
- Magnesium supplementation improves indicators of low magnesium status and inflammatory stress in adults older than 51 years with poor quality sleep
- Oral Mg(2+) supplementation reverses age-related neuroendocrine and sleep EEG changes in humans
- Myth or Reality—Transdermal Magnesium?
- The 5 Best magnesium supplements