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How much zinc and magnesium before bed?

By George Thomas. Published 14 September 2026, updated 14 September 2026. Label figures and prices checked on the update date.

Before bed, with dinner: 300mg elemental magnesium and, only if your diet runs short, 10 to 15mg zinc, under the 25mg UK guidance level. That is the honest version of ZMA's 30mg, dosed for men and women alike.

  • 300mgelemental magnesium: the evening serving
  • 10mg to 15mgzinc, and only when the plate justifies it
  • 25mgthe UK zinc guidance level ZMA's 30mg exceeds
  • With dinnerthe timing: before bed means the last meal, not an empty stomach

The magnesium half: Futuro Labs Magnesium Glycinate on Amazon UK, 180 capsules for £19.99. Label breakdown. The scheduling logic is on the zinc or magnesium at night page and the ZMA comparison on ZMA vs glycinate.

The doses, and where they come from

Magnesium first, because it is the half with a reason to be evening-shaped: 300mg elemental from the supplement, the serving that guarantees the UK reference intake, 300mg for men and 270mg for women, on a narrow diet while staying under the Expert Group on Vitamins and Minerals' 400mg guidance level; glycinate is the form because a full dose has to sit inside dinner. Zinc second, and smaller: 10mg to 15mg with food, covering the 9.5mg male and 7mg female reference intakes with margin and staying well under the 25mg guidance level, taken only when the plate is genuinely light on meat, dairy, eggs and seafood, since most UK diets cover zinc already. The pairing before bed means the last meal of the day, not a lonely empty-stomach ceremony, because zinc without food nauseates a fair share of people.

The benefits, stated at their real size

The magnesium half has the evening story: small trials found modest sleep improvements in low-intake adults over eight weeks, no sleep claim is authorised, and the honest mechanism is corrected intake letting normal nervous system and psychological function return. The zinc half has no night story at all: its authorised claims, the maintenance of normal testosterone in blood, normal immune function, protein synthesis, run on weeks of adequacy and are indifferent to the clock. The for-men variant of this search usually means the testosterone wording, and the honest version is this: zinc adequacy maintains normal testosterone, deficiency lowers it, and no supplement raises it above normal, which is the same for the 30mg ZMA nightly dose except that the ZMA dose exceeds the guidance level to say so.

The evening pairing, dosed honestly, against the ZMA original
Honest pairingZMA
Magnesium300mg elemental as bisglycinate, 80% NRV450mg as aspartate; oxide in some UK copies
Zinc10mg to 15mg, only if diet is short30mg nightly, above the 25mg guidance level
Vitamin B6None needed10.5mg, at its guidance level
TimingWith dinner, before bed by defaultEmpty stomach, bedtime, away from calcium
Sleep evidenceModest magnesium trials, no claimNone for the formula
Testosterone storyZinc maintains normal levels at adequacySeller's trial positive, independent trial null
Cost per nightAbout 25p for both30p to 50p

Men, women, and the routine written once

The doses do not split by sex: the 300mg magnesium serving covers both reference intakes, and 10mg to 15mg zinc sits above both zinc reference intakes and below the shared ceiling. Women in heavy training on small cutting calories are, if anything, the likelier narrow-diet case for both. The routine: Futuro Labs Magnesium Glycinate, 2 capsules with the evening meal, 300mg elemental at 80% NRV from bisglycinate at 20%, vegan, UK made under GMP and BRC, panels shown, £19.99 for 180 capsules, 22p a night, plus a plain single-ingredient zinc at 10mg to 15mg with the same dinner on the days the plate ran short, never on an empty stomach. How much zinc and magnesium before bed: 300mg and 10mg to 15mg, with food, the same for men and women, and roughly half the zinc ZMA charges more to overdose.

What to check on the label

  • 300mg elemental magnesium with dinner: the evening serving, under 400mg.
  • 10mg to 15mg zinc, only if diet is short, under the 25mg guidance level.
  • Before bed means the last meal: never zinc on an empty stomach.
  • Same doses for men and women; the testosterone wording is maintenance, not boost.
  • ZMA's 30mg zinc is the number to avoid, not to copy.

The worked example: Futuro Labs Magnesium Glycinate

Futuro Labs Magnesium Glycinate is the magnesium half of the pairing: 300mg elemental per 2 capsules (80% NRV) from bisglycinate 20%, with dinner nightly, 22p a night from a £19.99 bottle of 180, beside an optional 10mg to 15mg zinc. Vegan, UK made, panels shown.

Elemental magnesium per serving
300mg (80% NRV)
Form
magnesium bisglycinate 20%
Serving
2 capsules a day
Bottle
180 capsules, 90 days
Price
£19.99 (22p a day)
Capsule
vegetarian shell, vegan product
See it on Amazon UK Full label breakdown
Futuro Labs Magnesium Glycinate, 180 capsule bottle

Questions people also ask

How much zinc should I take before bed?

10mg to 15mg with your evening meal, and only if your diet is light on meat, dairy, eggs and seafood. Stay under the 25mg UK guidance level.

How much magnesium before bed?

300mg elemental as glycinate with dinner, the serving that covers the reference intake under the 400mg supplement ceiling.

What are the benefits of zinc and magnesium before bed?

Magnesium: modest sleep improvements in low-intake adults over weeks, no claim authorised. Zinc: maintenance of normal testosterone and immune function at adequacy, with no timing effect.

Is zinc and magnesium before bed good for men?

At 300mg and 10mg to 15mg, yes as adequacy insurance on a narrow diet. Zinc maintains normal testosterone; nothing raises it above normal.

Can I take zinc and magnesium glycinate together at night?

Yes, both with dinner. No meaningful interaction at these doses; separating them to different meals is optional caution.

Sources

  1. Futuro Labs Magnesium Glycinate listing, Amazon UK, label and price checked 31 August 2026. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BT7Z5VQW
  2. EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies. Scientific Opinion on the substantiation of health claims related to zinc, including maintenance of normal testosterone levels in the blood. EFSA Journal 2010;8(10):1819. https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.2903/j.efsa.2010.1819
  3. Prasad AS, Mantzoros CS, Beck FW, Hess JW, Brewer GJ. Zinc status and serum testosterone levels of healthy adults. Nutrition 1996;12(5):344-348. PubMed record
  4. Wilborn CD, et al. Effects of zinc magnesium aspartate (ZMA) supplementation on training adaptations and markers of anabolism and catabolism. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 2004;1(2):12-20. PubMed record
  5. Abbasi B, et al. The effect of magnesium supplementation on primary insomnia in elderly: a double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial. Journal of Research in Medical Sciences 2012;17(12):1161-1169. PubMed record
  6. Department of Health. Dietary Reference Values for Food Energy and Nutrients for the United Kingdom. Report on Health and Social Subjects 41, 1991 (magnesium RNI 300mg men, 270mg women).
  7. Expert Group on Vitamins and Minerals. Safe Upper Levels for Vitamins and Minerals. Food Standards Agency, 2003 (magnesium guidance level 400mg a day from supplements). https://cot.food.gov.uk/sites/default/files/vitmin2003.pdf
  8. EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies. Scientific Opinion on the substantiation of health claims related to magnesium. EFSA Journal 2010;8(10):1807. https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.2903/j.efsa.2010.1807