Magnesium Malate vs Magnesium Oxide for sleep
Short answer: For sleep, more users report improvement with Magnesium Malate — 88% of 17 reports, versus 33% of 21 for Magnesium Oxide.
Magnesium Malate has 82 meta-analyses and 210 randomized trials on PubMed; Magnesium Oxide has 24 and 81.
Based on 168 reports about Magnesium Malate and 174 about Magnesium Oxide. Not medical advice.
| Magnesium Malate Supplement | Magnesium Oxide Supplement | |
|---|---|---|
| Users say it helped | 80%helped82 reports · medium confidence | 13%helped137 reports · high confidence |
| Verdict | Mostly positive | Mostly negative |
| Research | AResearch: Strong | AResearch: Strong |
| Meta-analyses / RCTs | 82 / 210 | 24 / 81 |
| Mainly used for | ||
| Energy % reporting improvement | 94% (35) | 60% (5) |
| Sleep % reporting improvement | 88% (17) | 33% (21) |
| Digestion % reporting improvement | 100% (2) | 57% (23) |
| Anxiety % reporting improvement | 69% (13) | 67% (3) |
| Mood % reporting improvement | 88% (8) | 67% (3) |
| Common side effects | stomach issues, anxiety, indigestion, drowsiness | diarrhea, stomach issues, laxative effect, insomnia |
| Typical dose reported | 1600 mg / every morning | 375 mg |
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 ↗“malate is a much better option for me (though stil gives me some energy, just not the panic/sense of dread that glycinate does)”
Limitations include small sample sizes in some studies, heterogeneity of conditions being treated, and a range of reference treatments.Despite some methodological limitations, the results from randomised, controlled trials to date suggest benefits for Vitex extracts in the treatment of premenstrual syndrome, premenstrual dysphoric disorder and latent hyperprolactinaemia. Further research is recommended, and greater transparency in reporting for future trials.
Planta Med, 2013 ↗“The next day, my legs felt amazing. I could walk again without feeling like my legs were deadweight.”
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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