It’s thought that about have restless leg syndrome (RLS). If that’s you, you’ll know the tingling and crawling sensations and overwhelming urge to move your legs at night can make sleep much harder to get.
Magnesium supplements are often recommended, but research into them doesn’t really support their effectiveness as an RLS treatment.
Below, we dive into research on magnesium for restless leg syndrome, more evidence-backed treatments for RLS, and how the RISE app can help you fall and stay asleep — whether you decide to try magnesium or not.
“Magnesium deficiency is one cause of restless leg syndrome and supplements can reduce symptoms for some people, so I do recommend magnesium among other treatments,” says Dr. Chester Wu. “As well as magnesium, you can try iron supplements, regular exercise, getting more sleep, and medications like pramipexole and ropinirole. Speak to your healthcare provider to find out the best treatments for you.”
Dr. Chester Wu is double board certified in Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine, and provides sleep medicine services, medication management, and psychotherapy to adults at his private sleep medicine and psychiatry practice.
Anecdotal evidence and some studies suggest magnesium may help reduce symptoms of restless leg syndrome by helping your muscles relax. But overall, there isn’t enough research supporting the supplement as an effective treatment for RLS.
Magnesium may help some people with RLS due to the placebo effect. And the studies we have so far are often , inconclusive, , or aren’t high quality.
For example, a looked at eight studies on magnesium for RLS and periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD). One study in the review didn’t find any benefit of magnesium and the overall results were inconclusive.
The researchers said, “It is not clear whether magnesium helps relieve RLS or PLMD or in which patient groups any benefit might be seen.”
Heads-up: RLS and PLMD are similar sleep disorders and often occur together.
When it does help, magnesium may treat restless leg syndrome by relaxing your muscles and regulating calcium, which can activate your nerves and cause muscle contractions.
Magnesium plays a role in muscle and nerve function and regulates the transportation of the electrolytes calcium and potassium into your cells. Electrolyte imbalances can cause muscle cramps too.
And magnesium deficiency may be a direct cause of RLS. Magnesium levels in the blood of people with RLS are sometimes lower than those without RLS — and the lower the magnesium levels, the worse the symptoms.
Recent studies are promising, but more research is still needed.
In a on 75 people with RLS, participants were given either 250 milligrams (mg) of magnesium oxide, 40mg of vitamin B6, or a placebo daily for two months.
There wasn’t any change after one month of treatment. But after two months, RLS severity and sleep quality improved for all groups. Magnesium was the most effective followed by vitamin B6.
Magnesium is generally assumed to help with RLS only if you have mild-to-moderate symptoms or a magnesium deficiency, but this has not been conclusively proven.
For now, there are more science-backed treatments for RLS than magnesium. We’ll get into those soon.
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Magnesium may not help always with RLS, but there’s research showing it may help other sleep and health problems like:
We cover more on how magnesium makes you tired and sleepy here.
If you decide to try magnesium for restless leg syndrome, get medical advice to make sure it’s safe for you and to find out which type and how much to take.
RISE can help you build the habit of taking magnesium.
You can get a reminder when it’s time to start your bedtime routine, which can include popping a magnesium supplement. Customize when you get this reminder and get notified on your phone, iPad, or Apple Watch.
There isn’t a specific type of magnesium that’s best for restless leg syndrome. Despite magnesium being marketed as a treatment for RLS, research on its effectiveness is limited.
Studies typically use magnesium oxide and magnesium sulfate, but these aren’t necessarily recommendations for the general public.
Dr. Wu usually recommends magnesium oxide, magnesium citrate, or magnesium glycinate to improve sleep problems in general.
Your healthcare provider can let you know which type of magnesium is best for you.
There isn’t a recommended amount of magnesium to take for restless leg syndrome as more research is needed on magnesium as a potential treatment.
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