Magnesium vs. Zinc: Which Is Better for Sleep?



Medically reviewed by Alex Yampolsky, PharmD

Credit: elenaleonova / Getty Images
Credit: elenaleonova / Getty Images
  • Magnesium and zinc are popular supplements that may help improve sleep quality.
  • If it is difficult for you to rest or fall asleep, magnesium may be the best option. If you have no problem falling asleep, but do not feel well rested, zinc may be the most useful.
  • Taking a zinc or magnesium supplement for sleep will likely be most effective if your levels for either mineral are low.

Magnesium and zinc are both common supplements that may help with sleep and relaxation. Depending on what sleep issues you are having, one may be more useful than the other.

Magnesium for Sleep

Magnesium is a mineral needed for many body processes, including sleep. The mineral helps improve sleep in many ways, such as:

  • Regulates the production and release of stress- and sleep-related hormones and neurotransmitters, like melatonin and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)
  • Promotes relaxation through your body by calming your nervous system and lowering stress and anxiety
  • Relaxes your muscles from contraction, which also helps you rest physically

Research has found that magnesium can improve sleep in many ways, including helping you sleep for longer, fall asleep quicker, and improve the overall quality of sleep. This is especially true for people who have low magnesium levels. However, studies also show that magnesium may not be helpful for everyone, especially for people with normal magnesium levels.

Zinc for Sleep

Zinc is a mineral that also plays a role in regulating sleep. Zinc helps create and regulate the sleep and mood hormones serotonin and melatonin. There is also proof that zinc helps with the sleep-wake cycle of your brain by affecting GABA.

Studies have found that people taking zinc supplements or eating zinc-rich diets report falling asleep more quickly, feeling more refreshed after deep sleep, and noticing overall improvements in their sleep quality. People with normal or high zinc levels are more likely to report good sleep health and that they get 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night.

However, other studies have found that zinc supplements do not improve sleep quality. More studies are needed to understand the ideal dose and role of zinc in sleep.

Which Is Better for Sleep?

Both magnesium and zinc play different roles in the biological processes that affect sleep. Magnesium helps you physically and mentally relax. Zinc helps more with "deep" sleep and improving your sleep-wake cycle, similar to melatonin. While studies have shown that both minerals can help you fall asleep quicker, there have not been any studies directly comparing the two.

It's best to understand how your sleep is affected to decide which mineral may be best for you. If you find it difficult to rest or fall asleep, magnesium may be the best option for you. If you have no problem falling asleep but do not feel well-rested when you wake up, zinc may be the most useful.

If you have low levels of either magnesium or zinc, this can also help you choose which supplement may be best for you. Normal magnesium levels in adults range from 0.75-0.95 millimoles per liter (mmol/L) of blood, while a normal zinc level is between 80-120 micrograms per deciliter (mcg/dL) of blood. Your healthcare provider can check these levels for you through routine lab work. If you learn that either your magnesium or zinc levels are low, consider taking a supplement or eating foods high in zinc or magnesium.

Possible Magnesium and Zinc Side Effects

Magnesium supplements are considered safe when taken at the recommended dose. Most side effects reported with magnesium are gastrointestinal (GI), including nausea, diarrhea, and stomach cramps. The tolerable upper intake level for magnesium supplements in adults is 350 milligrams daily. Very high doses of magnesium can cause serious side effects, like low blood pressure (hypotension) and abnormal heart rate (arrhythmias).

Zinc is also considered safe when taken at the recommended dose. Possible side effects from zinc include nausea, vomiting, and stomach pain. Very high doses of zinc can lead to immune function issues and lower the amount of iron in your body. The tolerable upper intake level of zinc in adults is 40 milligrams per day. Doses above 40 milligrams can raise your risk for the mentioned side effects.

Magnesium and zinc are safe to take together. However, they can both cause GI side effects. If taking both, be sure to watch for side effects and consider only taking one if you notice any.

Other Useful Sleep Aids

Sleep plays an important role in overall health. For people experiencing insomnia and other sleep issues, other supplements may also help improve rest. Popular examples include melatonin, L-theanine, tart cherry, and valerian root.

You can also take steps to improve your sleep without medication or supplements. Some lifestyle tips for better sleep include:

  • Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day
  • Exercise regularly, but avoid exercise right before bed
  • Maintain a nutritious, well-rounded diet
  • Create a relaxing bedtime routine that you follow every day
  • Limit or avoid screens or electronic devices for at least 30 minutes before bed
  • Keep your bedroom quiet and at a cool temperature at all times
  • Limit or avoid caffeine in the afternoon and evening
  • Limit or avoid large meals and alcohol before bedtime

Talk with a healthcare provider if you have questions about ways you can help improve your sleep.



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Python Variables – Table of Content

Python Variable 

A name that is used to refer to the memory location in a programming language is called a variable. Python Variables are also termed storage containers in other words. Variables in python are ‘statically typed’ meaning a user does not need to create variables while coding. The variables get declared themselves whenever a value is assigned to them. There are 4 main types of variables: integer, long integer, string, and float. Hence, we cannot have any type of command which can create a variable.

The main use of variables in python is to store values as a reserved memory container. In this article, we will understand what variables actually are, how identifier naming is done while working with the variables, declaration of a variable in python, identifying objects using variables, different types of variable names and their types such as local variable, global variable, object reference and how to finally delete a variable once created.

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Identifier Naming

Variables in python are just an example of an identifier that will recognize the literals which are being used in the program. They work according to a set of rules which are mentioned below:

  • The name of an identifier is always case-sensitive. For example, ‘WelcomeToHKR’ and ‘WelcometoHKR’ are not the same.
  • The identifier’s initial character should either be an alphabet or an underscore(_)
  • The alphabet following the initial alphabet
  • The identifiers cannot have special characters in them including white spaces.
  • The name of the identifier need not be the same as the keyword defined in the programming language.
  • Some examples to correct identifiers are: x301, _x, x_0, etc.
  • Some examples of incorrect identifiers are 2y, 1%r, =34, etc.

Declaring a Variable in Python

As we have discussed, there is no need to create a variable unless there needs to be a value assigned to it. One more thing which is very important to note is that variables need not be declared in a specific type. The type of variable can even be changed after the user declares them. We use the equals (=) operator to assign a value to the variable.

Let us take an example of python code below to understand how we can declare variables in python:

a = 10

b = "HKR"

print(a)

print(b)

Output:

10

HKR

The user can also re-declare the variable after creating it. Check out the python code below:

Number = 10

print("Before declaring the variable: ", Number)

Number = 12

 
print("After re-declaring the variable:", Number)

Output:

Before declaring the variable:  10

After re-declaring the variable: 12

Object Identification Using Variables

Every variable created in python is unique. It is not possible to have two same variables for 2 different objects. There is a built-in function in python id() which identifies the id of the variable meaning whether it’s defined already or it’s new.

Let us take an example of python code below and understand how object identification is done in Python using variables:

x = 10 

y = x  

print(id(x))  

print(id(y))  

x = 50  

print(id(x))

Output:

9756512

9756512

9757792

Here in the code above, the user has assigned y = x, where both x and y are pointing to the same object. With the use of id() function, it will also return the same number.

Hence, we will re-assign x to 50; then it is termed as a new object identifier and will have a new changed output.

Variable Names

We have already discussed how variables work with programming languages and how we can declare them along with assigning value to them. The names of variables may be of any length having a lowercase (a to z), an uppercase (A to Z), any digits from 0 to 9, or an underscore (_).

Let us take an example below and see how variable names can work in python.

Name = "Y" 

name = "X"  

naMe = "Z"  

NAME = "M"  

n_a_m_e = "L"  

_name = "N"  

n_a_m_e = "L"

name_ = "O"  

_name_ = "P"  

na56me = "R"  

  

print(Name,name,naMe,NAME,n_a_m_e, NAME, _name, n_a_m_e, name_,_name, na56me)  

Output:

Y X Z M L M N L O N R

As we can see in the example above, the user has declared some valid variable names such as naMe, _name, etc. But this procedure might create confusion when one reads the code so therefore this is not mostly recommended. The user should try making the variable name a little descriptive hence making the code more readable.

The multi-keywords can be created as:

Pascal Case – In this, the first word is capitalized along with the word or abbreviation in the middle of the word. For example: WelcomeToHKR, HowAreYou, etc.

Snake Case – The words are separated using underscore(_) in the snake case. For example Welcome_To_HKR, How_Are_You, etc.

Camel Case – Mostly like the pascal case, each word in the middle will begin with a capital letter. For example: welcomeToHKR, howAreYou, etc.

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Python Variable Types

There are two types of variables in python: Local variable and Global variable.

Let us understand more about these and understand them in depth.

1. Local Variables: These types of variables are always defined inside the function. Their scope is also limited to the function only. Check out the example below of how we can make use of local variables in a python code:

def add():  

    x = 10  

    y = 20  

    z = x + y  

    print("The sum of numbers is:", z)  

add()

Output:

The sum of numbers is: 30

As we can clearly see in the code above, the user declared a function as add() to assign it to variables within the function. The variables will be called local variables as they will have scope inside the function only. If the user tries to declare them outside of the function, he will get a code error called NameError: name ‘x’ is not defined

2. Global Variables: These types of variables can be used both inside as well as outside the function. Their scope lies in the complete program. In case it is not mentioned in the code, the global variables are by default declared outside the function. In case the user forgets to mention the variable type, it will be local by default. Check out the example below of how we can make use of global variables in a python code:

a = 10  

  

def mainFunction():  

    global a  

    print(a)  

    a="Welcome To HKR Training"  

    print(a)    

mainFunction()  

print(a) 

Output:

10

Welcome To HKR Training

Welcome To HKR Training

As we can see in the code above, the user has declared a global variable a and a value is assigned to it. Then the user defines a function and it accesses the pre-declared variable inside the function by making use of the global keyword.

Variable type in Python

The data types in a programming language basically states the operations that are to be performed on the given data.  As we know that python works for objects in the programming, variables work as the objects only for the data types.

Here is a list of few data types that work with python variables:

  • Numeric
  • Sequence
  • Boolean
  • Set
  • Dictionary

assigned to different values.

Let us consider an example below and see how we can use various data types with variables:

var1 = 12345

print("Numeric data is : ", var1)

String = 'Welcome to HKR'

print("Topic is Python Variables")

print(String)

print(type(True))

print(type(False))

set = set("HKR Trainings")

print("\nSet with the use of String: ")

print(set)  

Dict1 = {1: 'HKR', 2: 'Welcomes', 3: 'You'}

print("\nDictionary with the use of Integer Keys: ")

print(Dict1)

 

Output:

Numeric data is :  12345

Topic is Python Variables

Welcome to HKR

<class 'bool'>

<class 'bool'>

Set with the use of String: 

{'g', 'a', 'r', 'R', 'i', 'n', 'T', ' ', 's', 'X', 'H'}

Dictionary with the use of Integer Keys: 

{1: 'HKR', 2: 'Welcomes', 3: 'You'}

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Object Reference

a=10

b=a

If we take the example above, we understand that the code creates an object to represent the value 10. Then, it is creating the variable in case it does not exist. It is made as a reference to this new object having a value of 10. In the second line, there is a creation of another variable b however it isn’t assigned with a but is made in reference to that object that an actually does.

Multiple Assignment

In python, a user is allowed to assign a single value to multiple variables. The user can perform multiple assignments in two different ways. It is done either by assigning one value to different variables or can also be done by having different variables assigned to different values.

Let us see an example below of how we can assign single value to multiple variables:

a=b=c=10    

print(a)    

print(b)    

print(c)

Output:

10

10

10

Now let us see another example of how we can assign multiple values to multiple variables:

a, b, c = 10, 20, "WelcomeToHKR"

print(a)

print(b)

print(c)

Output:

10

20

WelcomeToHKR

As the variables appear, the values will be assigned in the same manner only.

Deleting a Variable

A variable can be deleted using the ‘del’ keyword.  

Let us see an example of how we can delete a variable using python:

a = 10  

print(a)  

del a  

print(a)

Output:

Traceback (most recent call last):

  File "./prog.py", line 4, in

NameError: name 'a' is not defined

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Conclusion

Through this article, we have understood what a variable is, how we can declare a variable inside a function and how we can assign a value to the variable. The article will help you clear all your doubts about python variables along with the basic rules that variables come up with.

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