Glycine vs Magnesium for sleep
Short answer: For sleep, users rate them about the same: 85% report improvement with Glycine (204 reports) and 87% with Magnesium (331 reports).
Glycine has 392 meta-analyses and 620 randomized trials on PubMed; Magnesium has 82 and 210.
Based on 562 reports about Glycine and 1,893 about Magnesium. Not medical advice.
| Glycine Supplement | Magnesium Supplement | |
|---|---|---|
| User score | 52 | 51 |
| Verdict | Mostly positive | Mostly positive |
| Positive of reports that state an outcome | 71% | 72% |
| Reports | 562 | 1,893 |
| Research | AResearch: Strong | AResearch: Strong |
| Meta-analyses / RCTs | 392 / 620 | 82 / 210 |
| Mainly used for | ||
| Appetite % reporting improvement | — | 100% (2) |
| Focus % reporting improvement | 67% (9) | 77% (39) |
| Energy % reporting improvement | 92% (13) | 75% (73) |
| Sleep % reporting improvement | 85% (204) | 87% (331) |
| Anxiety % reporting improvement | 77% (48) | 89% (226) |
| Mood % reporting improvement | 88% (24) | 80% (99) |
| Memory % reporting improvement | 67% (3) | 100% (7) |
| Performance % reporting improvement | 100% (3) | 87% (15) |
| Recovery % reporting improvement | 100% (7) | 96% (24) |
| Pain & inflammation % reporting improvement | 100% (3) | 91% (33) |
| Digestion % reporting improvement | — | 83% (29) |
| Libido % reporting improvement | 50% (2) | 62% (13) |
| Hormones % reporting improvement | — | 91% (22) |
| Blood sugar % reporting improvement | — | 100% (3) |
| Heart & lipids % reporting improvement | — | 95% (22) |
| Skin & hair % reporting improvement | 100% (10) | 100% (2) |
| Immunity % reporting improvement | — | 86% (7) |
| Longevity % reporting improvement | 100% (2) | 100% (3) |
| Common side effects | insomnia, vivid dreams, anxiety, drowsiness | diarrhea, drowsiness, stomach issues, vivid dreams |
| Typical dose reported | 2 g / daily | daily |
In studies using high-throughput metabolomics, several blood amino acids appear to be consistently associated with the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Diabetes Care, 2016 ↗“2 grams with 200mg magnesium before bed gives me crazy good sleep. Crazy vivid dreams.”
This review confirms that the quality of literature is substandard for physicians to make well-informed recommendations on usage of oral magnesium for older adults with insomnia. However, given that oral magnesium is very cheap and widely available, RCT evidence may support oral magnesium supplements (less than 1 g quantities given up to three times a day) for insomnia symptoms.
BMC Complement Med Ther, 2021 ↗“after supplementing with 400mg of Magnesium daily. Winter blues hit me hard and my multivitamin wasn't doing any justice, but once I began supplementing Magnesium, everything changed.”
Related comparisons
Percentages come from first-hand user reports and are not clinical outcomes. Talk to a doctor before starting, stopping or combining anything. How we rate