I’m a doctor – of all the supplements there’s one I recommend because it banish insomnia

A top doctor has revealed the only supplement he swears by for its surprising anxiety-busting and sleep-inducing benefits. 

According to Dr Myro Figura, an anaesthesiologist from California, a special type of magnesium called magnesium glycinate could be the answer to sleepless nights.

In an Instagram video that has so far been viewed over 942,000 times, Dr Figura, who is a member of the American Board of Anesthesiology, said not only does the vitamin pill improve sleep, it can enhance vitamin D absorption, which is beneficial for bone health.

Magnesium is an essential mineral that ensures the body converts food into energy and helps the thyroid glands to function.

But it is also known to offer sleep benefits by reducing levels of the stress hormone cortisol and boosting melatonin, helping the body relax ready for sleep. 

‘If there was one supplement I would recommend, magnesium glycinate would be it,’ said Dr Figura in the video.

‘Firstly, more than half of us are deficient in magnesium and magnesium is involved in all kinds of biochemical reactions.’ 

Magnesium glycinate is a highly absorbable form of magnesium that is created by combining the mineral with an amino acid called glycine.

Unlike other forms of magnesium, this supplement is unlikely to put added stress on the digestive system and is thought to help the body release heat, which is needed to fall asleep. 

Supplements sold at the likes of Boots, Holland & Barrett and on supermarket shelves are often sold as 375mg tablets, and cost as little as 10p per dose.

A deficiency in magnesium is known to heighten levels of the stress hormone cortisol, triggering sudden night time waking.

In the video, Dr Figura references a systematic review, published in the journal Nutrients, that looked at 18 different clinical trials and found that magnesium could be beneficial for those who suffer with mild anxiety. 

Dr Figura advised that for these people, taking magnesium supplements could help them sleep better at night. 

It is thought that magnesium can alter how certain chemicals like cortisol work in the brain.

One 2022 review of studies, involving more than 7,000 participants, suggested there was ‘an association between magnesium statuses and sleep quality’.

However, writing in the journal Springer Nature the researchers from Iran said this was only found in observational studies, which could not fully establish cause and effect.

According to Dr Figura, magnesium is not only good for boosting sleep health.  

‘If you don’t have magnesium, your vitamin D is not going to work,’ the anaesthesiologist warned. 

This is because the body needs magnesium to be able to covert vitamin D into a form the body can absorb.

Lacking in the so-called sunshine vitamin can cause a whole host of other problems, including bone deformities, muscles weakness and incorrect growth patterns. 

Dr Figura said: ‘Vitamin D is implicated in all kinds of things like your immune system, anxiety and depression.’ 

It is currently estimated that around one in six adults in the UK do not get enough vitamin D—which can be caused by a magnesium deficiency.

The NHS recommends women aged between 19 and 64 get 270mg of magnesium a day, while this increases to 300mg for men of the same age. 

The upper limit for magnesium glycinate, however, is roughly nine times that of other types of magnesium, as it contains a smaller amount of the element.

The health service adds that most people should get all the vitamins and minerals they need by having a varied and balanced diet. 

Experts have long advised that leafy green vegetables are a good source of magnesium because it is found in chlorophyll, which is the green pigment in plants.

Unrefined grains, nuts and seeds are also good sources, as well as some fish.

This comes as research suggests that up to 1 in 6 people living in the UK are affected by insomnia—meaning they regularly have problems sleeping—yet 65 per cent never seek help. 

The poll of 2,000 people, by The Sleep Charity, found nine in ten experience some sort of sleep problem, while one in two engage in high-risk or dangerous behaviours when unable to sleep.

Poor sleep has been linked to a number of health problems, including cancer, stroke and infertility.

Experts have long advised that waking up during the night does not necessarily mean you have insomnia, which figures suggest affects up to 14million people living in the UK.

Still, sleep deprivation takes its own toll, from irritability and reduced focus in the short term, to an increased risk of obesity, heart disease and diabetes.

According to the American Sleep Association, nearly 70 million Americans also have a sleep disorder.