I’m fanatical about my sleep. I like to have it in abundance and in exactly the way I prefer – door ajar, window open. I’ve left birthday parties (my own) to get into bed and tend to live and die by what my Oura ring tells me. I’m also fortunate in that I have never needed 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’ve found that I’m usually able to drift off quite easily. But then I discovered magnesium spray.
I’ve frequently popped a capsule of magnesium glycinate before sleep, confident that it’s working on bringing my nervous system back to baseline as I kip. If I miss a dose, though, I’m not bothered. It doesn’t keep me up at night, as it were.
Since discovering magnesium spray, though, I have become evangelical about it. Now, the very last thing I do before I swing into bed is moisturise and then spritz the soles of my feet, allowing them to air dry before finally sliding 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 localised transdermal absorption,” Lelani Loubser, functional medicine practitioner at The HVN, Knightsbridge, confirms. “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.
What are the benefits of using a magnesium spray?
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.
Other benefits include:
- Topical absorption avoids the digestive tract for people with sensitive systems
- Magnesium spray makes it easy to adjust the dose depending on your preference
- Making magnesium spray part of your wind-down ritual can trigger feelings of calm, relaxation and sleepiness
- Magnesium spray can promote muscle relaxation and soothe sore or tired feet
- Magnesium can ease feelings of anxiety
- Magnesium supports a calm nervous system
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 500mg 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.
How to choose a magnesium spray
Most magnesium sprays include a number of other relaxation-inducing ingredients to help make drifting off easier. Think herbal remedies like lavender (the queen of calm) and chamomile, along with muscle-soothing oils such as menthol, peppermint and eucalyptus oils. Don’t worry about staining your bedsheets; the concentration of oils in these sprays is typically very low – just enough to transmit the nervous system-soothing benefits. Some will include hydrating ingredients like glycerin to moisturise the skin, and offset any drying effect some magnesium sprays can have on the soles of your feet.
Is magnesium butter the same as magnesium spray?
Yes, in that both forms of topical magnesium contain magnesium and will help with promoting relaxation, calm and eventually sleep via transdermal application. The way they feel and go on is vastly different, though.
Magnesium spray tends to be a very fine mist designed to be sprayed on the soles of the feet – or onto sore muscles. It dries quickly and can be applied without your hands becoming sticky/having to touch the product.
Magnesium butter, on the other hand, is magnesium that’s been infused into ultra-moisturising oils (like coconut or shea) and set to the consistency of a balm. Think of it as being similar to a cleansing balm in texture – rich and nourishing. For people who don’t like the feeling of ultra-rich products on their feet or skin, skip magnesium butter. You’ll likely find it too greasy and that it won’t dry quickly enough.
I love to use it for a quick post-shower foot massage before bed (a godsend for tired, swollen feet) and then pop on a pair of fluffy socks for 10 to 20 minutes after applying. Once the butter’s been totally absorbed by my skin, I take the socks off and head to sleep. You only need a little bit as the butter warms up when applied to the skin and goes much further than a spray would. Like magnesium spray, most magnesium butters can be applied to sore or aching joints, too.
It’s best for people with dry skin, and those who enjoy the ritual of a quick foot rub and are willing to spend a bit of time on it before bed, rather than eager to turn the lights out ASAP.