It’s something of a joke among my friends at this point, but I’m fanatical about my sleep. I like to have it in abundance and in exactly the way I like—door open, window ajar, the night stretching out before me. I’ve left birthday parties (my own) to get into bed and genuinely live by what my Oura ring tells me. Having said that, I don’t need much help in the getting-to-sleep department. So long as the room is cool enough, I’ve activated the blue light-blocking filter on my phone and vented all of the day’s frustrations to my long-suffering partner, I’m usually able to drift off quite easily. But then I discovered magnesium.
A longtime user of magnesium, I usually pop a capsule (or three) of magnesium glycinate before sleep, confident that it’s working on bringing my nervous system back to baseline as I snooze. If I miss a dose, though, I’m not bothered. It doesn’t keep me up at night, as it were.
Magnesium spray, though, I am now religious about. The very last thing I do before I swing into bed is moisturize and then spritz the soles of my feet, allowing the wetness to air dry before getting under the covers. During the six weeks that I’ve been doing it, my sleep “score” (an amalgamation of factors from duration to quality, number of REM cycles to heart rate variability and body temperature) has gone from good to excellent.
How can magnesium spray help with rest, relaxation, and sleep?
“Magnesium used on the feet can improve sleep quality through the effect it has on the nervous system, muscle relaxation, and localized transdermal absorption,” Lelani Loubser, functional medicine practitioner at The HVN, tells me. “Magnesium can help to support melatonin production (the sleep hormone), lower cortisol (the stress hormone), and aid deep sleep.”
Transdermal absorption (which means that you absorb it through your skin rather than orally or intravenously) is an easy way to reap the benefits of a supplement without taking pills or tablets. “Transdermal magnesium helps to boost the calming neurotransmitter GABA, which can help promote relaxation and calm,” she continues. “It can also help block excess glutamate, preventing overstimulation and neurotoxicity,” she says.
The reason magnesium is so beneficial is that it kickstarts your parasympathetic nervous system – the rest and digest counterpart to fight or flight mode, and can help promote feelings of calm and relaxation. Another benefit of absorbing it through the skin, The Nue Co founder Jules Miller tells me, is that it bypasses the digestive system, where nutrients can often be poorly absorbed.
Is there any benefit to spraying it on your feet?
“The soles of the feet contain a high density of sweat glands, which may enhance the absorption of topical substances like magnesium,” Miller explains. “In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the feet are also key energetic gateways, linked to meridians that correspond to the whole body. Applying magnesium here can help relax the nervous system and promote sleep, either through local absorption or the calming ritual itself.”
Can you combine oral and topical magnesium?
It depends on what you’re using it for, but usually, yes. Because the research on topical absorption is still evolving, it’s recommended that those who are severely deficient in magnesium concentrate on oral supplementation first, not exceeding 500 mg a day (unless otherwise instructed by a medical professional). “Oral supplements provide systemic support, while topical forms may offer more local, targeted relief,” explains Miller.
So, whether you’re looking for a new sleep ritual or a way to (potentially) swerve adding another capsule to your supplement regimen, join me in the foot spraying business! If for no other reason than it’s quite calming to do the same thing each night before going to sleep. Everything else—including improved sleep scores—is a bonus.
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