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Sleepy Girl Mocktails Are Trending But Do They Really Help You Sleep Better?

Updated January 23, 2024

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TikTok has once again triggered a viral health trend. This time, it’s all about getting the best sleep of your life.

In mid-December, Google Trends noted the spike in interest for “sleepy girl mocktails,” a concoction consisting of magnesium powder, tart cherry juice, and soda water that should be sipped on before bed. The actual products and specific ratios of each ingredient vary from TikToker to TikToker, with some claiming it’s important to use magnesium glycinate powder—ideally with L-theanine, an amino acid also purported to promote healthy sleep—and mixing anywhere from one teaspoon to a tablespoon or more into the juice and soda blend.

Many TikTokers who have tried it out swear it works, and it’s certainly a potential swap for a boozy nightcap if you’re practicing Dry January. As always, though, the question is whether the science supports the claim.

Two of the mocktail ingredients, magnesium and tart cherry juice, are thought to nurture better sleep, the latter because the juice contains melatonin, the sleep-promoting hormone. The evidence, however, has not been conclusive.

A review of nine studies published in 2023 in the journal Biological Trace Element Research was mixed on whether magnesium affects slumber. Trusted Source National Center for Biotechnology Information The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information. View Source While observational studies suggested an association between the two, randomized controlled studies—the gold standard for evaluating claims like this—didn’t support that association.

Too much magnesium may cause unpleasant side effects that could interfere with slumber. Magnesium’s recommended daily allowance for adults is 310-420 milligrams, depending on age and sex, according to the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Trusted Source Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) The ODS, part of the National Institures of Health (NIH), is the lead federal government entity addressing scientific exploration of dietary supplements. View Source Magnesium powder supplements can vary widely in how many milligrams each serving provides. Be aware of how much you add to the mocktail. Using too much could result in nausea, diarrhea, and abdominal cramping—indeed, not a trio that promotes restful sleep!

As for tart cherry juice, the evidence is promising, but more research is needed. Some evidence supports the idea that tart cherries may improve how long and well you sleep. For example, a small 2019 study from the American Journal of Therapeutics Trusted Source National Library of Medicine, Biotech Information The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information. View Source showed that sleep improved for 11 participants who drank about a cup of tart cherry juice twice daily, containing about 0.135 micrograms of melatonin. (For reference, adults who use melatonin as a sleep aid typically take 1-5 milligrams.)

Given that most TikTok videos show “sleepy girl mocktails” made with just a quarter to half a cup of tart cherry juice, the amount of melatonin in the drink is significantly lower than what was consumed in the study—and that certainly affects how well it will work.

Plus, expert organizations like the American Academy of Sleep Medicine say there’s not enough substantial evidence yet to recommend using melatonin to help fix sleep problems. Trusted Source National Institutes of Health (NIH) The NIH, a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the nation’s medical research agency — making important discoveries that improve health and save lives. View Source While you still might want to try this mocktail to see if it will help you sleep better, be aware that supplements like melatonin can interfere or interact with any medicines you take. Also, remember that drinking fluids just before bedtime could mean you wake more often throughout the night to use the bathroom.

Although the latest TikTok health claim may be tempting to try, there are tried-and-true ways to fall asleep faster. By first implementing these, you might find you don’t need any pre-bedtime beverage to sleep soundly through the night.

Got a hot tip? Pitch us your story idea, share your expertise with SleepFoundation.org, or let us know about your sleep experiences right here.

Written By

Kelsey Casselbury, Contributing Writer

Kelsey Casselbury is a contributing writer with a degree in journalism from Penn State University. Her work has appeared on Livestrong.com and Testing.com, as well as in School Nutrition and National Culinary Review.

Learn more about our Editorial Team

References
4 Sources

Arab, A., Rafie, N., Amani, R., & Shirani, F. (2023). The role of magnesium in sleep health: A systematic review of available literature. Biological Trace Element Research, 201(1), 121–128.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35184264/
Office of Dietary Supplements. (2022, June 2). Magnesium. National Institutes of Health., Retrieved Jan 22, 2023, from
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Magnesium-HealthProfessional/#h2
Losso, J. N., Finley, J. W., Karki, N., Liu, A. G., Prudente, A., Tipton, R., Yu, Y., & Greenway, F. L. (2018). Pilot study of the tart cherry juice for the treatment of insomnia and investigation of mechanisms. American Journal Of Therapeutics, 25(2), e194–e201.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28901958/
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH). (2022, July). Melatonin: What you need to know. NCCIH., Retrieved Jan 22, 2023, from
https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/melatonin-what-you-need-to-know