Magnesium glycinate
Magnesium bound to the amino acid glycine, a well-tolerated form mostly taken for sleep and stress.
Sleep Anxiety
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Research
REALITY CHECK // Sleep evidence is thin.
Levels: how we grade evidence. Grey = evidence of no benefit; amber = evidence it makes this goal worse.
Ratings are self-reported by a self-selected group of users: how it felt, not proof that it works.
>_ Protocol data coming soon: label checker ("Check your bottle"), study snapshot and form comparison for Magnesium glycinate.
How it was studied
Summary
Sleep evidence is thin. A meta-analysis of three small RCTs in older adults with insomnia found people fell asleep about 17 minutes faster, with low to very low quality evidence. One RCT of bisglycinate in adults with poor sleep showed a small benefit. Mood data come from an open-label trial of magnesium chloride, not glycinate. People with low dietary magnesium may benefit most (exploratory analysis).
Mechanism
Magnesium is a cofactor in hundreds of enzymes and dampens NMDA receptor activity. Glycinate may be partly absorbed as an intact dipeptide; in one small study it was better tolerated than oxide.
Typical studied dose
The bisglycinate sleep trial used 250 mg elemental magnesium daily, with the main result at week 4. The older-adult meta-analysis pooled trials of different forms and doses. Labels state compound weight; glycinate is only about 14% elemental magnesium, so check the elemental amount.
Upper limit
EFSA: 250 mg/day of supplemental magnesium for adults (readily dissociable salts and MgO in supplements, water and fortified foods). US IOM/NIH ODS: 350 mg/day from supplements. Both limits cover supplemental magnesium only, not magnesium in food. The first sign of excess is diarrhoea.
Popular stacks with Magnesium glycinate
Not enough stack data yet. A combination with Magnesium glycinate appears here once 5 people rate the same set.
Red flags: interactions and who should avoid it
Interactions
Binds tetracycline and quinolone antibiotics and reduces their absorption; take these 2–4 hours apart. Take levothyroxine at least 4 hours apart. Long-term proton pump inhibitors and loop or thiazide diuretics can lower magnesium status. May add to the effect of glucose-lowering drugs. Bisphosphonates (osteoporosis drugs): take magnesium at least 2 hours apart. High-dose zinc or calcium compete for absorption.
Avoid or ask a doctor first if
Kidney disease or reduced kidney function: magnesium can build up to dangerous levels. Also avoid without medical advice with heart block or slow heart rate and with myasthenia gravis. In pregnancy, intakes up to the upper limit have been studied; higher doses only with medical advice.
Sources (PubMed)
- Oral magnesium supplementation for insomnia in older adults: a Systematic Review & Meta-Analysis.
PMID 33865376 · 2021 · meta-analysis of RCTsSleep onset ~17 min faster in older insomniacs; low-quality evidence.
- Magnesium Bisglycinate Supplementation in Healthy Adults Reporting Poor Sleep: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial.
PMID 40918053 · 2025 · RCT (double-blind, placebo-controlled)Bisglycinate 250 mg: small insomnia benefit (d=0.2), adults with poor sleep.
- Role of magnesium supplementation in the treatment of depression: A randomized clinical trial.
PMID 28654669 · 2017 · RCT (open-label, crossover)Magnesium chloride lowered depression and GAD-7 anxiety scores over 6 weeks.
- Bioavailability of magnesium diglycinate vs magnesium oxide in patients with ileal resection.
PMID 7815675 · 1994 · small randomized absorption studyGlycinate partly absorbed intact; better tolerated than oxide.
- Effects of antacids on the clinical pharmacokinetics of drugs. An update.
PMID 1969784 · 1990 · narrative reviewMagnesium chelates tetracyclines and quinolones, cutting their absorption.
- Fatal hypermagnesemia.
PMID 10661484 · 2000 · case reportOral magnesium with renal failure can cause fatal hypermagnesemia.
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