Magnesium Nutrition and Sleep Behavior in Older Adults

USDA Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center

Status: Completed

Conditions: Insomnia; Nutritional Deficiency

Treatments: Dietary Supplement: Sugar Pill; Dietary Supplement: magnesium

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other U.S. Federal agency

Identifiers

NCT00833092

GFHNRC014

Details and patient eligibility

About

Insomnia is not a natural part of aging but is higher in older adults because of a variety of factors common in later life. One of these factors may be a deficient magnesium status. This study will look at whether or not magnesium supplementation will improve sleep.

Full description

Insomnia affects approximately one-third of older Americans. More than half of all people aged 65 and older experience sleep problems. The prevalence of insomnia and other sleep disorders is not a natural part of aging but is high in older adults because of a variety of factors common in late life. One of those factors may be a deficient magnesium status. There is a close association between sleep architecture, especially slow wave sleep, and activity in the glutamatergic and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) system. Because magnesium is a natural N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)antagonist and GABA agonist, magnesium apparently plays a key role in the regulation of sleep. Such a role is supported by supplementation, correlation, and animal studies showing that magnesium intake or status affects sleep organization.

Enrollment: 111 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 51+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• have sleep complaints
• Score greater than 5 on Pittsburgh Global Sleep Quality Index

Exclusion criteria

• taking medications that affect sleep
• taking 100 milligrams or more of magnesium
• body mass index of 40 or higher
• abnormal breathing conditions

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Triple Blind

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111 participants in 2 patient groups, including a placebo group

Sugar pill

Placebo Comparator group

Description:

Sugar Pill

Treatment:

Dietary Supplement: Sugar Pill

magnesium

Active Comparator group

Description:

300 milligrams of magnesium daily

Treatment:

Dietary Supplement: magnesium