Magnesium (threonate or glycinate)
Taken 30-60 minutes before bed to help with sleep onset
L-threonate and glycinate, the two well-absorbed forms of magnesium usually named, taken in the evening. Many people are mildly deficient, and the sleep-onset effect is the most commonly reported benefit, though threonate is the one claimed to cross into the brain. Doses vary widely from one form to another, and it causes vivid dreams or gut upset in a minority of people.
People on record
Sorted by strength of stance
Does it: documented as part of their own routine. Recommends: explicitly advises other people to do it. Discusses: covered it substantively without clear personal adoption; this can include criticism or disagreement.
- Andrew HubermanDoes it
Neuroscientist · Huberman Lab
Takes magnesium threonate in the evening, one of three ingredients in his sleep stack, and notes that a minority of people find it does the opposite.
Source: Huberman Lab: Master Your Sleep & Be More Alert When Awake“So personally, I can only talk about what I personally do. I personally take 3 or 400 milligrams of magnesium threonate about 30 to 60 minutes before sleep, and it helps me fall asleep.”
Huberman Lab: Master Your Sleep & Be More Alert When Awake (opens in a new tab) · 11 Jan 2021 - Dave AspreyDoes it
Biohacker · Bulletproof Coffee
Splits his magnesium, half in the morning for daytime energy and half at night for sleep. He says most US adults are short of it and puts it on his list of ten supplements almost everyone should take; the product he names is a bisglycinate from Suppgrade Labs, his own company.
Source: Dave Asprey blog: Top 10 Supplements (almost) Everyone Should be Taking“I take half of my magnesium in the morning so I have more energy during the day and half at night so that I sleep better.”
Dave Asprey blog: Top 10 Supplements (almost) Everyone Should be Taking (opens in a new tab) · 8 Apr 2025 - Mark HymanDoes it
Physician · The Dr. Hyman Show · author of Young Forever
A small dose at night, taken as part of a wind-down that also includes eye shades and earplugs. He lists it with his everyday supplements rather than his experimental longevity stack.
Source: The Doctor's Farmacy: My Personal Longevity Routine - Mel RobbinsDoes it
Author and podcaster · The Let Them Theory
Some nights she stirs a scoop of magnesium into a cup of mint tea as part of her five minutes of wind-down time. She presents it as a small ritual rather than a dosing protocol.
Source: The Mel Robbins Podcast: 5 Night Habits to Boost Focus & Energy - Peter AttiaDoes it
Physician · The Drive · author of Outlive
Evening magnesium sits on a short list of supplements he considers worth the money.
Source: The Drive podcast - Rhonda PatrickDoes it
Biomedical scientist · FoundMyFitness
Magnesium glycinate daily, around 125mg. She points out how common inadequate intake is, given magnesium's part in over 300 enzymatic reactions.
Source: FoundMyFitness: her 2025 supplement routine - Stacy SimsDoes it
Exercise physiologist · Women Are Not Small Men
Magnesium L-threonate is one of two things she names for quieting the brain before bed, and she notes in passing that she takes them herself, 30 to 60 minutes before sleep.
Source: Dr Stacy Sims: Where Do I Start? A Roadmap for Active Women“My go-to pre-bed routine (wherever I am) is L-theanine, magnesium L-threonate, and Rhodiola Rosea, 30 minutes before I want to be asleep.”
Dr Stacy Sims: Why Jet Lag Hits Women Harder (opens in a new tab) · 18 May 2026 - Tim FerrissDoes it
Author · The Tim Ferriss Show
Magnesium threonate and apigenin before sleep, a small sleep-focused routine.
Source: The Tim Ferriss Show #557 transcript - Daniel AmenRecommends
Psychiatrist · Change Your Brain, Change Your Life
Magnesium turns up twice on his teaching arm's supplement page: among the multivitamin nutrients it wants covered, and in the calming group it pairs with theanine and valerian root under his brain type framework.
Source: Amen University: How Nutritional Supplements Support Brain Health - Chris HemsworthDiscusses
Actor · Limitless and Centr
The same Centr shoot diary ends the day at 9pm with a magnesium and zinc supplement alongside papaya and yogurt. The form and dose are not given.
Source: Centr: Chris Hemsworth's workout routine to build muscle - Layne NortonDiscusses
Nutrition scientist and powerlifter · Biolayne
His tier-two summary is that magnesium can help performance, recovery and sleep in people who are low in it, while those already replete do not seem to benefit. He flags citrate and oxide forms as the ones most likely to upset the gut.
Source: Dr. Layne Norton Podcast: Supplement Series, Tier 2
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On record from 3 of 62 tracked people: 2 do it, 1 recommends it
Supplement entry · notes paraphrased from cited sources, quoted excerpts copied from the transcript they link to. Not medical advice. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by anyone listed. How this works.