Magnesium Nutrition and Sleep Behavior in Older Adults

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Nutritional Deficiency; Insomnia
• Interventions: Dietary Supplement: Sugar Pill; Dietary Supplement: magnesium

• Registration Number: NCT00833092
• Lead Sponsor: USDA Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center

Brief Summary

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.

Detailed 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.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2008-01
• Primary Completion: 2008-12
• Study Completion: 2008-12
• Study First Submitted: 2009-01-27
• Study First Submitted QC: 2009-01-28
• Study First Posted: 2009-01-30
• Results First Submitted: 2011-07-27
• Results First Submitted QC: 2012-03-07
• Results First Posted: 2012-04-04
• Status Verified: 2015-03
• Last Update Submitted: 2015-03-06
• Last Update Posted: 2015-03-26

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 111

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

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Sugar pill	Sugar Pill	Sugar Pill
magnesium	magnesium	300 milligrams of magnesium daily

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Global Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index	9 weeks	Improvement in the Pittsburgh Global Sleep Quality Index (PGQI). The index is based on a score of 0 to 21, the lower the score on the index the better the subject perceives their sleep.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

USDA Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center; 🇺🇸 Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States