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Comment by stronglikedan | Hacker News Reader

> Magnesium supplementation solved my sleep issues.

Which type, if you don't mind my asking? And how long did it take before you felt the benefits? I took it for a month once (forget which type) an hour before bed and nothing changed.

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I've tried both Magnesium Glyconate and Magnesium L-Threonate and both have helped my sleep, Magnesium Citrate did very little. Which makes sense, the latter is known to not be absorbed very well.

I've not noticed any significant difference between the other two.

Magnesium citrate works well for constipation, IME.

Yeah, magnesium citrate is used medically as a laxative. Because it is poorly absorbed, it draws water into the stool osmotically, making it softer. (But that also draws water out of the body and can be dehydrating.)

Magnesium Glycinate has been a game changer. My legs used to be tense to the point of cramping at night, and they’re now relaxed, enabling better sleep. I also use L-theanine as an additional supplement for a long duration deep sleep, and think it helps.

Interesting about the legs. I wake up with that in the middle of the night and have trouble falling back asleep because of it. Heck, if MC just took care of that, I'd be happy. Thanks for your input!

Suffered for a decade till I discovered this. I’d reached a point where I was actively skeptical about anything working, till this worked out. Good luck!

What I've found to fix leg cramping is skin rolling my legs (ideally every 6 months but takes maybe a couple of years to fully undo the effect). Lightly pinch some skin between your thumb and two fingers and walk it forward with the two fingers. If you need it it will feel "crunchy" in some spots rather than smooth. Ideally cover the full area at least twice at 90 degree angles (not necessarily all on one day and doesn't need to be perfect coverage, more is helpful if it still feels "crunchy"). Warning: while only mildly painful for me when doing it, after sleeping I wake up with quite sore legs which lasts two full days. Doing it every 6 months or so avoids this and is also when I start to occasionally get cramping again.

Magnesium Glycinate worked well for me, take it an hour before bed or so. L-Threonate is too expensive, citrate gave me diarrhea.

Much more deep sleep with Glycinate, some folks don’t like it because they feel too groggy after waking.

I find that Magnesium Glycinate works well for me. Magnesium Taurate also works.

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