Magnesium supplements and mocktails for better sleep: Do they work?

You may have seen “sleepy girl mocktail” recipes making the rounds on social media, promising deep and restful sleep. Usually, these non-alcoholic beverages include a combination of tart cherry juice with other ingredients, like a magnesium supplement powder.We spoke with wellness dietitian Lindsey Wohlford to understand more about how these ingredients impact sleep and what cancer patients should know.How does magnesium affect sleep?Magnesium is a mineral involved in hundreds of processes in our bodies. One of the things that it does is to help relax our muscles, so magnesium can be effective in promoting relaxation before sleep.“But you don’t necessarily need to take a supplement to achieve that. Magnesium is readily available in lots of foods,” explains Wohlford.Foods rich in magnesium include:Leafy greensBeansSeedsNutsLean proteinsWhole grainsDairy“If you are eating these foods regularly as part of a healthy diet, most people are going to consume their magnesium requirements for th...