If you’re having trouble falling asleep, some TikTok users argue there’s an elixir called the “sleepy girl mocktail” that could provide a solution.
The drink is a combination of tart cherry juice, magnesium powder and a fizzy drink like sparkling water or prebiotic soda that allegedly promises a better night’s rest.
Here’s the recipe:
- Ice
- 1/2 cup of pure tart cherry juice
- 1 tablespoon of magnesium powder
- A fizzy drink like a prebiotic soda or sparkling water
The so-called sleep hack recipe was made popular by TikTok creator Gracie Norton and others, according to Better Homes & Gardens.
It could actually help, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
“There’s sound science to back up the idea that a drink like this could help you relax and possibly fall asleep faster,” said Devon Peart, a dietitian with Cleveland Clinic Canada’s Executive Health program. “But it’s not a cure for insomnia or a surefire antidote to poor sleep.”
Even though it’s been referred to as the sleepy girl mocktail, it can have a similar effect for any sex and/or gender, the Cleveland Clinic said.
Tart cherry juice and magnesium are the key ingredients, according to the Cleveland Clinic, as they “have been shown in some limited research to support relaxation and promote sleep.”
Tart cherries naturally contain high amounts of melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep cycles, and they also have anti-inflammatory effects.
“Anti-inflammatory foods like tart cherries can help lower our stress hormones and make us more able to relax and get into a sleep state,” Peart said.
Though magnesium won’t directly make you fall asleep, it can act as a natural muscle relaxer.
“It’s a fairly common supplement that a lot of people use,” Peart said. “And one of its benefits is that it may promote physical and mental relaxation (a sense of calm), which could make magnesium a helpful sleep aid for some people.”
Better Homes & Gardens explains that alcohol can negatively affect your sleep cycle — preventing you from getting deep sleep.
People who have tried the drink reported mixed results in various TikTok comments.
The New York Times reported that researchers who study supplements and sleep remain skeptical.
There have only been a handful of studies on the effectiveness of tart cherry juice as a sleep aid, with most including a small number of participants, the Times said, and though they include melatonin, it’s only a small fraction of the amount of melatonin in pills and gummies sold to help people sleep.
Additionally, magnesium hasn’t been conclusively proven as a sleep aid, according to the Times.
Dr. Pieter Cohen, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School who studies supplements, told the Times that the sleepy girl mocktail’s components shouldn’t have much of an effect — if at all — and if it does work for you, it’s probably the placebo effect.
However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try the drink.
“It’s entirely magical thinking,” Cohen said to the New York Times. “If you start taking anything, and you start believing that it allows you to go to sleep — that belief is really powerful.”
If you’re so inclined to give the sleepy girl mocktail a chance, Peart recommended starting with 100 to 200 milligrams of magnesium glycinate rather than other types of magnesium. Magnesium citrate, for example, would be more likely to have a laxative effect.
An alternative would be to increase your intake of magnesium-rich foods, such as nuts, seeds, legumes and whole grains, the Cleveland Clinic said.
Though the sleepy girl mocktail isn’t a foolproof way to fall asleep, Peart said “it’s worth a try,” and those who are interested should drink it about an hour before going to bed.
Megan Swift is a TribLive reporter covering trending news in Western Pennsylvania. A Murrysville native, she joined the Trib full time in 2023 after serving as editor-in-chief of The Daily Collegian at Penn State. She previously worked as a Jim Borden Scholarship intern at the Trib for three summers. She can be reached at mswift@triblive.com.