Magnesium status, sleep quality, and stress physiology

Background: Magnesium status has been proposed to influence sleep quality and stress physiology through effects on neuromuscular excitability, circadian regulation, and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal signaling. This review summarized observational and interventional studies assessing whether magnesium intake or supplementation is associated with better sleep metrics and lower stress burden. Across the literature, lower magnesium status was sometimes linked to poorer subjective sleep quality, greater fatigue, and higher stress-related symptoms, especially in groups with low baseline intake. Small intervention studies suggested possible benefits on sleep onset, restfulness, and perceived stress, but findings were inconsistent and often limited by short duration, heterogeneous measures, and concurrent lifestyle changes. The evidence base did not support strong claims of universal efficacy, yet it remained biologically plausible that magnesium repletion could help individuals with marginal deficiency or stress-related sleep disruption. The review concludes that magnesium may be a reasonable supportive intervention, while acknowledging that stronger randomized data are still needed.