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    Magnesium glycinate for sleep — dosage and brand recommendations?

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    Anonymous

    4 months ago

    My doctor suggested magnesium glycinate to help with sleep onset (takes me 45+ min to fall asleep most nights). She said "200–400mg, 30 minutes before bed" but didn't recommend a specific brand.

    I've been on **Pure Encapsulations Magnesium Glycinate 120mg** (2 caps = 240mg) for 3 weeks and I genuinely think it's working — falling asleep in ~20 min now. But the bottle is $35/month which adds up.

    Looking for:

    - Other brands you've had good results with (especially cheaper ones)

    - Whether 200mg vs 400mg made a meaningful difference for you

    - Anyone tried magnesium L-threonate or "magnesium 3-in-1" blends and noticed a difference?

    Note: I know this isn't a substitute for sleep hygiene. I do all the boring stuff already (no screens, cool room, regular schedule). Looking for the marginal upgrade.

    6 Replies

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    Anonymous4 months ago

    **NOW Foods Magnesium Glycinate 200mg** — about $15 for 180 caps. I've compared it head-to-head with Pure Encapsulations and Thorne; can't tell a difference subjectively, and lab third-party testing (ConsumerLab) confirms it meets label claims.

    At 400mg/night I fall asleep about 15–20 min faster than baseline. Less than 200mg I notice nothing. More than 600mg gave me digestive issues.

    Glycinate specifically (vs citrate or oxide) is the right form for sleep — it crosses the blood-brain barrier and doesn't cause GI distress.

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    Anonymous4 months ago

    Magnesium L-threonate (brand: Magtein, also sold by Life Extension) is the form that actually crosses into brain tissue best. It's pricey (~$40/month) but if standard glycinate stops working for you, it's worth trying.

    For most people though, plain glycinate is plenty. L-threonate's benefits are mostly about cognitive function, not sleep onset specifically.

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    Anonymous4 months ago

    Doublewood Supplements glycinate — $20 for 240 caps, third-party tested, no fillers. Switched from Thorne and noticed zero difference except in my wallet.

    400mg about 45 min before bed is my sweet spot. 200mg I can feel; 400mg I can really feel; 600mg makes me too groggy in the morning.

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    Anonymous4 months ago

    PSA: don't buy "magnesium oxide" thinking it's the same. Magnesium oxide has ~4% bioavailability vs ~80%+ for glycinate. The cheap drugstore stuff is mostly oxide and you're basically eating chalk.

    Always look for: glycinate, bisglycinate, malate, or threonate. Anything else and you're wasting money.

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    Anonymous4 months ago

    Three months on glycinate now. The thing nobody mentions: **it took ~10 days to build up before I noticed effects.** Don't bail at day 3 if you're not seeing results. Magnesium is a cumulative supplement, not an acute one like melatonin.

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    Anonymous4 months ago

    OP, your doctor gave you the right protocol. The Pure Encapsulations brand is genuinely premium (third-party tested, no fillers, GMP certified) but you can absolutely save 50–70% with NOW Foods or Doublewood and get the same biological effect.

    What I'd caution against: the "sleep blends" with magnesium + melatonin + valerian + ashwagandha. They sound great but you can't isolate what's actually working, and most have insufficient doses of each ingredient.

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