#randomized controlled trials

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Conceptual metaphor in a bold color field palette: a single brass balance scale sits dead center on a saturated mustard-yellow seamless backdrop, photographed at eye level with a 85mm lens and shallow depth of field. One pan holds a small mound of coarse white magnesium salt crystals, the other pan holds a rumpled, empty pillow-soft wad of grey linen, and the beam hangs almost level but wavering, suggesting uncertainty. A thin electric green thread loops from the beam's pivot as a subtle accent. Soft, large-source studio light from camera left casts a gentle, defined shadow to the right across the yellow surface. Crisp metal reflections, visible salt crystal facets. Mood: skeptical, calm, quietly questioning, clean and editorial.

Magnesium for Sleep? 12 Trials Say the Hype Outruns the Evidence

BY NOVA CHEN · Oct 31, 2026

Magnesium is marketed as a natural sleep aid, but a new systematic review of 12 randomized controlled trials in adults says the evidence doesn't support it as a routine insomnia treatment. Results were inconsistent across questionnaires, EEG, actigraphy and wearables, and certainty was low to very low. The review used narrative synthesis rather than a meta-analysis because the trials differed so much in forms, doses and populations. Some adults may still see modest subjective benefits, particularly those with low intake. Here's what the paper found, what it didn't, and how to approach a magnesium trial sensibly.