Many wellness trends focus on improving sleep, which is vital to your health. One method has been buzzing lately. Tart cherry juice and magnesium before night are lauded online. TikTok users call it the "Sleep Girl Mocktail."
Magnesium and tart cherry juice benefits The Sleepy Girl Mocktail may be more than a TikTok wellness trend. Both Shapiro and Schachter believe magnesium and tart cherry can improve sleep.
"Magnesium is an essential mineral plays a critical role in brain function and mood, and low levels are linked to various conditions including insomnia," Schachter says. This mineral "regulates neurotransmitters, which send signals throughout the nervous system and brain" and regulates your brain's sleep-wake cycle. "Magnesium-rich people sleep better," she explains.
Shapiro agrees: "Magnesium is particularly great to help promote sleep as it helps relax the central nervous system including your muscles so helps the body to relax." We know that relaxation is crucial to sleep. Before bed, try some soothing exercises and magnesium pills.
Tart cherry juice boosts sleep hormones naturally. "Tart cherries are a natural source of melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate sleep-wake cycles," Schachter explains, adding that studies have shown it can improve sleep duration and quality.
Tart cherry juice also contains tryptophan, an amino acid that helps produce melatonin, according to Shapiro. What distinguishes this from melatonin supplements? Below, we'll compare.
Melatonin vs. tart cherry juice and magnesium Melatonin is arguably the most common sleep supplement. It's not as good as a tart cherry juice-magnesium mocktail.
"When comparing magnesium and tart cherry to melatonin supplements, there are some considerations," Schacter says. Melatonin directly affects sleep. However, it doesn't work for everyone, can cause grogginess, and long-term use may impair melatonin production.
Magnesium and sour cherry juice offer a "more natural route to boost the body's own production and regulation of sleep-related compounds," she says.
Melatonin may aid with short-term sleep, but Shapiro advises against long-term use. Melatonin can disguise hormone imbalances, sleep difficulties, mood disorders, and more. "It's also addictive," she says. Thus, sour cherry juice and magnesium may be better sleep aids.