Magnesium supplement

Hi AT14 

Thanks for getting in touch about magnesium supplements. I’m Linda on of the nurses from our support line.

There has been a lot of interest in the use of magnesium supplements to help with sleep recently, particularly over social media platforms. However there haven’t been any significant trials carried out to assess its potential benefit. And of the studies that have looked at the use of magnesium for sleep the conclusions often provide conflicting views.

As support line nurses, we are unable to advise on the use of prescribed medication or over the counter products and supplements. This is because we have no way of accessing NHS held records containing patient’s medical histories and medications. Because of this we would ask you to speak with your GP or hospital team before trying any supplements, to reduce the risk of harm to you.

Sleep problems can be frustrating, and they can impact on daily life for a lot of people. To help we have this information which includes a link to an app called Sleepio to help

If you would like to call us, we would be happy to chat further about your sleep to see what further guidance or support we can offer you.

It may also be worth posting about your sleep on the breast cancer forum too, to see how others cope and whether there are any tips that they can share with you.

Best wishes Linda
(Cancer Information Nurse Specialist)

The Macmillan Support Line offers practical, clinical, financial and emotional support. You can call us free from landlines and from most mobile phone networks on 0808 808 00 00, 7 days a week, 8am – 8pm or contact us by email or webchat. 

Ref: LM/KA