Normally I wake up on my back with one leg bent up. But for the past week, both my legs have been bending upwards. When so, they will spread open (see stock image) By the time I wake? I'll be in a lot of pain in the groin area. It's to painful to close them slowly. I'll have to close them quickly. Like "ripping off the bandaid" so to speak. By the time I close them, there will be zero pain at all. Is this something to be concerned about? Or am I essentially just getting a good stretch in while sleeping. (Image not meant to be provocative)

ive always been a hot sleeper and mostly sleep on my side. i wake up flipping the pillow every couple of hours once it warms up which u guys can tell is quite frustrating. Anyways  after returning 3 different cooling pillows over the last year and a half, im trying not to make the same mistake again. my budget is around $100, although id probably stretch to $170 if something actually stays cool through the night.

Coop Home Goods Eden. This is probably the one i am most into right now. its usually around the $100 mark, the shredded fill is adjustable so i ended up taking quite a bit out to get the loft right, and its been the most comfortable for side sleeping so far. the only thing is that the foam still warms up eventually if i stay in one spot all night, i’ll still end up flipping it once or twice.

Purple Harmony. This is the one i’ve seen everyone talk about how cool it sleeps. the gelflex grid seems to let more air move through than regular foam, at least from what ive tried in stores, and people say it holds up well overnight. the price is what gives me pause though, and ive seen a few people mention the bouncy latex feel takes some getting used to.

Layla Kapok. the kapok blend seems to stay cooler than regular shredded memory foam and it looks softer than the Coop. but my only concern is that a few side sleepers mentioned it compresses more than they expected, so im not sure itd have enough support if you stay on one side most of the night.

One thing ive found is that the fill  is the most important thing. adjustable fill and breathable materials have make a bigger difference  than any cooling gel cover ive tried.

ive also figured out after 26 years of my life if the room is warm, expecting a pillow to stay cold all night is just unrealistic.

For now im leaning toward sticking with the Coop because I already know it works reasonably well for me, but the Purple keeps tempting me every time someone says its the coolest pillow they've owned.

Did anyone switch from the Coop to the Purple (or the other way around) and actually notice a difference after a few months or are both the same.?

Scroll through social media for more than five minutes, and you will find someone telling you that magnesium changed their sleep forever. Magnesium is everywhere right now, and while some of the claims are plausible, others are wildly overstated.

As with many things, the truth sits somewhere in the middle. Magnesium does, in fact, play a genuine role in how the body prepares for sleep. But a supplement alone is unlikely to be the silver bullet that wellness influencers suggest.

Here is what the science actually says.

What does magnesium do in the body?

Before getting to sleep specifically, it helps to understand what magnesium actually does. Magnesium is one of the body's most widely used minerals, involved in hundreds of biological processes, including:

• Energy production. Magnesium is essential for converting food into the cellular energy your body runs on.
• Protein and DNA synthesis. It plays a foundational role in building proteins, DNA and RNA, the basic machinery of every cell.
• Muscle and nerve regulation. It controls how muscles contract and relax, and acts as a gatekeeper for electrical signals passing through the nervous system.
• Cardiovascular health. Magnesium supports healthy blood vessel function, helps regulate blood pressure, and contributes to overall heart health.

So sleep is just one piece of a much larger picture.

Does magnesium help with sleep?

There are several ways magnesium interacts with the mechanisms behind sleep, and they are worth understanding properly.

Unlike prescription sleep medication, it’s important to understand that magnesium does not sedate you. Instead, it works with your body's existing systems rather than overriding them, which is why people who take it do not typically report that heavy, groggy feeling the following morning.

Here is what magnesium can do:

• Calm the brain. Magnesium binds to GABA receptors, the brain's primary calming receptors. This is the same system involved in sleep paralysis and the body's transition into rest. Activating it helps quieten mental activity before sleep.
• Reduce excitatory signals, encouraging rest. At a cellular level, magnesium can dampen the electrical signals that keep your nervous system activated, bringing the body toward a calmer baseline.
• Suppress cortisol. Some studies suggest magnesium can reduce cortisol production. Given that elevated cortisol is one of the main reasons people struggle to fall or stay asleep, this matters.
• Support melatonin production. Research also indicates that magnesium plays a role in producing melatonin, the hormone that signals to your body that it is time to sleep.

While the wider benefits are great, it is important to caveat that the overall scientific evidence that magnesium supplements alone meaningfully improve sleep is limited.

What type of magnesium is best for sleep?

This is where it gets more specific. Magnesium is not one thing – it comes in several different compounds, each with different properties and uses. If you are considering the supplement, the type matters.

For sleep specifically, magnesium glycinate is the most widely recommended starting point. It targets the nervous system and muscle relaxation without the digestive side effects that some other forms cause.

Should you be taking a magnesium supplement to aid sleep?

That depends on where you are starting from.

Most of the magnesium your body needs comes from food; leafy greens, nuts, seeds and whole foods are the richest sources. If your diet includes plenty of these, your levels are likely fine and supplementing may not add much.

Modern diets have drifted heavily toward refined carbohydrates and processed foods, which are low in magnesium. If your diet is unbalanced, a supplement may help fill the gap.

Some groups are more likely to have lower magnesium levels and may benefit more from supplementation:

• Older adults. The gut's ability to absorb nutrients declines with age, while the kidneys excrete more magnesium. The combination can lead to gradual depletion in the body.
• People with type 2 diabetes. High blood sugar causes the kidneys to produce more urine, and magnesium is lost in that process.
• Those with gastrointestinal conditions. Conditions like Crohn's disease or coeliac disease compromise the digestive tract's ability to absorb minerals effectively.

If any of these apply to you, it’s worth having a conversation with your GP rather than self-diagnosing through a supplement. Low magnesium can have multiple causes, and addressing the root issue is more effective than masking it.

As always, it’s important to seek professional or medical advice before starting any supplement, particularly if you take other medication.

The bottom line

If you are sleeping badly, magnesium is not going to fix it on its own. Social media has a habit of turning anything with a plausible biological mechanism into a miracle cure, and magnesium has received that treatment in full.

If you have a genuine deficiency, addressing it, whether through diet or supplementation, may remove one barrier to better sleep. But a magnesium deficiency alone is not the reason most people sleep poorly.

The foundations of sleep matter more. A consistent sleep schedule, a dark and cool bedroom, reduced screen exposure before bed, and a mattress that actually supports your body. These are the things with the most evidence behind them, and no supplement changes their importance.

Got this mattress (king) from Costco a few weeks ago and my wife (105lb) and | (170lb) have literally been having the best sleep of our lives. Completely eliminated my lower back pain. I have a Fitbit and she has an oura ring and our deep sleep and REM is noticeably higher than we've ever seen. We've gone through 3 different mattresses in the past year and they all had sinking issues and had no support. This one has the perfect mix of support and firmness. And the value is literally unbeatable at $799 for a king and $699 for a queen. Plus Costco's free return policy.
Can't go wrong. Just wanted to share the joy!

I've been staying in Mexico for about 4.5 months. I just moved into this fairly chique penthouse (I got a deal from the owner as I was staying in one of his other properties).

Throughout the years I've absolutely struggled with insomia. Waking up in the middle of the night. And often because I'm too damn hot.

When I was buying mattresses a few years ago I went through 3. The most expensive one I ended up with was $1,500--and they just get drastically more expensive than that.

As soon as I laid down on the mattress at this apartment I was impressed. And then 2/3 nights I SLEPT ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE NIGHT. For me that's pretty wild.

So I did some digging into what type of mattress this is...

Apparently it's a (king size) Spring Air, Kipling model.... $470. One of the distinguishing features about this one is medium firmness and a eurotop.

When I was researching if they sell to the U.S. the answer was yes, but they sell "different" products. More "luxurious" offerings (suuuure). The closest equivalent (medium, eurotop) I was able to find? $2,200.

When I was mattress shopping, I couldn't help but feel that prices were being inflated because American consumers have developed this perception of "well I spend 1/4 of my life in bed, I SHOULD pay a lot". So mattresses have turned into one of those industries where the products are wildly overpriced because consumers keep insisting that high price is a requirement for a decent product, nevermind what the actual cost of the product is (see mountain bikes and diamonds).

Anyhoo, thought this was interesting and wanted to share. If you live near the border, you may be able to take advantage of this.

I was sick of "just fix your sleep hygiene" advice that treats insomnia like one problem with one solution. So I ran my own 90 day experiment, changed exactly one variable at a time for two weeks, logged how I felt and how long it took to fall asleep. Here's what actually moved the needle, in order.

Days 1 to 14 (Baseline, no changes): Average time to fall asleep: 47 minutes. Woke up 2 to 3 times a night. This was just documenting the mess so I had something to compare against.

Days 15 to 28 (Fixed wake time only): Same wake time every day regardless of how I slept, nothing else changed. Time to fall asleep dropped to 38 minutes by day 20. Didn't expect this to matter more than anything else I tried later, but it did.

Days 29 to 42 (Caffeine cutoff at 10 hours before bed): Barely moved the needle at first (days 29 to 35), then noticeably improved night wakings starting around day 36. Half life effects take longer to show up than people think, don't judge a caffeine cutoff after 3 days.

Days 43 to 56 (Removed evening scrolling, added a boring paperback instead): This is the one that surprised me. Time to fall asleep barely changed, but the number of 2am wake ups dropped by more than half. I think it wasn't about "blue light," it was about not getting my brain worked up again right before bed.

Days 57 to 70 (Added stimulus control, out of bed if not asleep in 20 min): Hardest one to actually do consistently, but by day 65 my brain stopped associating the bed with lying awake anxious. This is the one that finally broke the cycle, not any single habit before it.

Days 71 to 90 (All combined): Average time to fall asleep: 14 minutes. Night wakings: 0 to 1. None of these individually would've done this on its own, it was the stack, and the order I found things mattered (fixed wake time had to come first or nothing else stuck).

Happy to share the actual log or spreadsheet if anyone wants the raw data instead of the summary.

For years, I had a hard time falling asleep because my brain just wouldn’t stop thinking. The moment I lay down, it felt like my mind wanted to replay conversations, imagine random scenarios, or worry about things that didn’t even matter.

After a lot of trial and error, I found a simple routine that has been working surprisingly well for me:

1. Lie down completely flat and get comfortable.
   
2. Relax every muscle in your body, starting from your face down to your feet.
   
3. Relax your mind by not actively following your thoughts.

The third step was always the hardest. Telling someone to “stop thinking” is way easier said than done.

What finally helped me was playing white noise. Instead of trying to fight my thoughts, the white noise gave my brain something neutral to focus on, and it became much easier to let my mind go quiet. Since I started doing this, I’ve been falling asleep much faster.

I’m not saying this will work for everyone, but it has made a big difference for me. Hopefully it helps someone else too.

What’s your go-to trick for falling asleep? I’d love to hear what works for other people in the comments.

After being an absolute nuisance on Reddit and wreaking havoc I’m going to sleep now

Goodnight

I have ordered two mattresses in a box (all my budget allows) and have had the worst sleep of my life. I’m literally going crazy. I’m trying to return and they say I have to wait 30 days at least. I will lose it by then. I’ve had to sleep at my parents house these have been so horrible. FWIW I got the Sealy foam and Nectar hybrid. Pure junk.

I have a 16-year old that has been having chronic nightmares since October 2024.  Literally every single night.  Some nightmares are of course worse than others, but they are happening every single night and during naps.  We’ve tried medication (Prazosin & Abilify & Trazodone).  We’ve recently started Propranorol at bedtime to see if that helps.  It hasn’t yet.  We’ve spoken to the pediatrician and a sleep doctor.  The only course of action they have left is a sleep study to rule out Sleep Apnea which we feel certain they do not have.  Their sleep hygiene has been pretty good.  They get 9 to 11 hours of sleep a night.  We’ve tried no screens before bed (up to an hour).  Tried dream journaling.  We are open to any advice, suggestions, or hearing from others with similar experiences.  The dreams are not recurring…sometimes there are recurring themes…but not the same dream over and over.  And it’s not things that happen in real life so likely not PTSD.

I am wondering who actively seeks to improve their sleep quality and what methods they have used to do so, i.e. sleep trackers, apps, etc? What are the specific methods that worked/didn't work? And What do you personally feel is lacking from the solutions available?

So I usually sleep like 7 hours, but at 5 pm I feel tired and I want to take a nap, and my family is noisy and I'm always disturbed, and then I'm left feeling so grumpy and anxious and in a bad mood. Any advice?

Sometimes when i sleep i get stuck in a loop of being sleepy, sleeping and being even more sleepy. I feel sooo tired. The kind of tired where when i force myself to get up and do stuff it feels like im moving a Puppet (if that makes sense at all)

Im not the type to do running activities or play sports, i mostly sit down, animate, draw and whatever so im even more confused. I guess im not that well mentally so it could be related to that but yea

I have been trying to clean up my sleep schedule by cutting caffeine earlier and leaving my phone outside the bedroom, but my brain still seems to wake up the second I get into bed. I do not want to rely on anything intense, so I am trying to build a boring wind-down routine that feels easy enough to repeat. Things like dim lights, a warm shower, gentle stretching, a heat pack, an eye mask, or even a few minutes of foot massage sounds reasonable, but I know myself and I will not stick with a complicated routine. If anyone who also faced the same ,what small at-home habit actually helped you shift into sleep mode?

Not dramatically, but just enough to feel it. Between later dinners, vacations, and longer evenings because it stays light outside, my whole schedule gets thrown off.

I’ve been waking up feeling less refreshed lately. Curious whether you guys actually change your recovery/sleep routine during the summer to combat this?

Personally, I've just been trying to strictly keep at least one non-negotiable recovery habit right before bed to signal my body it's time to wind down, even if I sleep later than usual. For me, it's doing 10 minutes of red light therapy in the dark to help switch off my brain. What’s your one go-to habit that keeps your sleep consistent when summer chaos hits?

I don't think I can recall sleeping on time consistently for past 2 years now. And now, I'm experiencing the effects of it.

I’ve been tracking my sleep for a while because I noticed I wasn’t feeling rested ever. It seems that I have a hard time getting deep sleep and rem. What can I do?

What my daily routine looks like:
Sleep with fan
Blackout curtains
Vitamins - D3, magnesium glycinate, omega 3 at least 1 hour before bed

I can feel completely exhausted after a long day, but the moment I get into bed, it's like my brain suddenly wakes up.

Instead of falling asleep, I start replaying conversations, thinking about tomorrow, or worrying about things I can't even control.

It's frustrating because my body is asking for rest, but my mind refuses to slow down.

Has anyone found something that genuinely helps with this?

Not looking for a miracle cure—just curious what has made a real difference for you.

I'd love to hear your experiences.

Hi guys, I keep seeing post about sleeping in plank position. Is that a real thing or is it a joke? 😅 Sorry if I found stupid.

If it is a real thing, can someone actually drop a pic of what sleeping in a plank look like? I keep seeing diff pic when I look it up. Hopefully there can be some unanimous answer to this.

On a side note, the reason why I check on “sleep in a plank position” is because I wanna improve my posture and body asymmetry. My body is so uneven and I wanna improve it as much as I can so I’m open to suggestions and advices on that as well!

Thank in advanced :)

Problem : I can sleep for 12 hours, but still feel not well rested
Well, i don't really sleep for 12 hours a day. Sometimes 8. but it's the same thing I still feel tired.

I am tired of this thing and I want to fix it, but I don't know where to start.

I am 27M, skinny.

I don't work out (but I "move" alot bc of my business operating at home) - self employed
My body feels clunky too. Like a machine lacking oil. But I think that's because of lack of exercise.

I sleep on a sofa. But I don't recall it making a difference if I am on bed. ( I sleep in the sofa for 1 year now because some relatives just moved in and I give them the rooms)

I sometimes play PC for 10+ hours straight.

I don't really get much sunlight. sometimes 1 week of no sunlight

I eat irregularly, sometimes 1 meal but like a kings meal, sometimes twice. Depends.
Sleep is also irregular, sometimes I can be up till 5AM gaming. Sometimes I sleep 5 hours because I just wake up and start doing business stuff. (im sleep but I HAVe to do it)

My diet is random. Like really random. Sometimes I just eat bread. sometimes is rice + meat. sometimes rice + veg.
I don't eat much junk food but I do from time to time. same for Soft drinks.

if you need more information please let me know

So I have a history of insomnia whether its not sleeping enough, trouble falling asleep, trouble staying asleep, and oversleeping. I literally check all of those boxes.

The last 3 days I have been waking up more fatigued than I ever have in my entire life and not having any energy to get out of bed in the mornings. So instead of going to my classes I just go back to sleep.

The confusing part is I'm still waking up multiple times in the night like normal and I'm waking up to my alarms like normal.

On monday I slept 17 hours combined, Tuesday I slept 12 hours combined, and last night I slept 14 hours combined.

I literally don't know what to do at this point and I dont know how I should even phrase this to a doctor without them telling me to just get up in the morning because I physically can't pull myself out of bed till the late afternoon or even evenings.

I'm thinking maybe my natural waking time is earlier, 6am

There were these couple of days last week where my body would naturally wake up at 6, and I COULD NOT go back to sleep. IF I went back to sleep which would take discomfort and phone use at 6 am, I would later wake up extremely tired

That had me thinking that my natural wakeup is 6am.

But then ive also not been waking up naturally at 6am anymore, now its been 2am sleep, 11am wake, and I could easily do with 2hrs more of sleep at 11am but I just force myself up to get on with my day

I hate summer. My sleep and anxiety are worse, the temps rise and my sleep is so bad…
It’s almost 6 am I’m dreading the sun rise. I’m trying to fix my sleep but it’s hard, especially with anxiety.

Nothing works don’t give advice, I’m just ventingx

I know the general recommendation for adults is 7–9 hours, but I'm more interested in people's real-world experience than the guideline itself.

Have you found a specific amount of sleep that consistently leaves you feeling mentally sharp, physically rested, and productive throughout the day? Or does the quality of your sleep matter more than the total hours? Happy to hear about those in your 30s, 40s, or older, do you find you need more sleep than you did in your 20s, or less?