Thorne Magnesium Bisglycinate

If you only ever buy one thing I write about in this category, make it this one.

Here's the honest pitch: most guys are underconsuming magnesium, because it lives in foods we don't eat enough of: leafy greens, nuts, legumes. It's involved in muscle function, energy production, and nervous system regulation, which is a clinical way of saying it matters for training recovery and for winding down at night. And winding down at night is the whole ballgame for dads. I can survive a hard training day. I cannot survive three bad nights of sleep stacked on a 5 AM wake-up call from a toddler with strong opinions.

The bisglycinate form is the reason I point people at this specific product instead of whatever magnesium is cheapest. Magnesium oxide, the one in most budget bottles, is poorly absorbed and famous for sending you sprinting to the bathroom. Bisglycinate is magnesium bound to glycine, absorbs well, and is gentle on the gut even at full dose. This is not a place to save eight dollars.

Thorne's version is a powder rather than capsules, lightly sweetened with monk fruit. My routine: one scoop in a half glass of water about an hour before bed, usually while I'm doing the final toy sweep of the living room. It tastes like a faint berry nothing, which is fine. It dissolves clean, no grit.

What I noticed, and what the guys at the gym consistently report back: falling asleep is less of a negotiation, and mornings after leg day feel less like being 80. Is it dramatic? No. Supplements that feel dramatic should worry you. It's a consistent 10% improvement in sleep and recovery, the two things dads are shortest on, for under a buck a night.

$52 for 60 servings. Two months. Cheaper than the fancy coffee habit the bad sleep was funding.

Full transparency: I'm a Thorne-affiliated healthcare provider through my gym, and the Thorne links on this page go through my practitioner dispensary. Same product, same price as thorne.com. Buying through the link just supports the site.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Talk to your doctor before starting any supplement.