Mention the phrase ‘TikTok health trend’ to people, and you’ll likely get one big eye roll — understandably so. From ineffective common cold cures to dangerous nutrition hacks, the video sharing app is no stranger to misinformation and controversial health content.

But the latest wellness buzzword going viral on the platform has a surprising amount of science-backed evidence to support it, and if you’re someone who’s taking their gym goals seriously this year, it may just be one trend worth considering.

Recently, you may have seen popular influencers like Dr Ahmed (@dra_says) and Sean Andrew (@seandrewwtalking) buzzing about the incredible benefits of magnesium on sleep and energy. Thanks to the online hype, the hashtag #magnesium has blown up practically overnight, racking up a whopping 1.6 billion views.

If you’re curious to know more about this mighty mineral, and more importantly, how supplementing can supercharge your workouts, we’ve got you covered. We asked Form’s Head of Nutrition Dr Adam to give us the lowdown on everything you need to know.

What is magnesium?

From supporting sleep, to balancing hormones and strengthening teeth and bones, Dr Adam likes to think of magnesium as the “blanket mineral” that keeps your entire body ticking over on a daily basis.

“Like calcium, potassium and sodium, it forms one of the six essential ‘macro-minerals’ we regularly need from our diet, and it can be found in a variety of foods including leafy greens, nuts and seeds, whole grains, dark chocolate and avocados,” he explains.

As it’s involved in over 300 biochemical reactions in the body, magnesium impacts pretty much everything, from muscle and nerve function to energy production, immune system function and blood sugar regulation. “It’s also a crucial source for bone health,” Dr Adam adds, “particularly for people eating a plant-based diet, as it allows our bones to absorb calcium efficiently, protecting against brittle bone conditions like osteoporosis.”

How does magnesium benefit sports performance?

When you think of gym supplements, your go-to is probably a protein-packed powder that you swig just before a heavy weights session. But magnesium is arguably just as important to think about, as it’s a key player in a bunch of biological processes that are vital for seeing fitness results.

Firstly, it’s important for basic muscle function, as having sufficient levels in your body can prevent the niggling cramps and spasms that can kill a workout early. It’s a potent electrolyte too, which means it helps you to stay hydrated, especially during intense workouts like HIIT, plyometrics or all-out boxing where you lose fluids rapidly through sweat.

You’ve probably also heard about magnesiums soothing effect on DOMS: studies have found that supplementing might help reduce muscle soreness after a big effort, which is why you’ll often find it included as a topical infredient in post-workout bath salts and rubs.

Most importantly though, it plays a major role in energy metabolism, converting the food you eat into energy that your muscles use during exercise. This is why fuelling properly before a workout can often lead to an unexpected PB in the gym.

“Technically put, magnesium has a key co-factor role in generating high-energy bonds between phosphates and adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is the source of energy for use and storage in our muscles,” Dr Adam explains. “Much of our energy metabolism revolves around using or regenerating this ATP, so if you’re exercising a lot, you’ll likely need higher levels of magnesium to keep supporting this process.”

To put that simply, your regular levels of magnesium might have be adequate through sedentary periods like Christmas, but if you’ve suddenly upped your activity rate (hello, New Year fitness goals), you might suddenly find you need more to support your revved up metabolism.

“Several studies have been conducted to explore this theory,” Dr Adam notes. “One compared magnesium levels in athletes versus non-athletes, and found that while the athletes didn’t necessarily eat less sources of magnesium compared to the non-athlete group, they still recorded lower circulating magnesium levels. The researchers concluded that athletes need more magnesium due to their higher energy demands.

“Another study involved looking at people who regularly exercise and monitoring magnesium levels in blood, urine, and sweat – both with and without magnesium supplements. What the researchers found was that magnesium doesn’t necessarily ‘disappear’ from the blood when exercising; instead, it’s taken into the muscles at a higher rate.”

When magnesium is rapidly drawn into the muscless, Dr Adam warns that it may be at the expense of other areas of the body, potentially impacting functions like sleep or factors like bone health. As we know, these elements are fairly crucial when it comes to exercise.

“Recovery, injury prevention, and muscle growth all hinge on good sleep and strong bones, so it’s important you have enough circulating magnesium to support these processes, or you risk slow progress,” Dr Adam notes.

How much magnesium do we need?

According to government guidelines, the average adult requires around 270-400mg of magnesium per day, but research from the World Health Organisation has shown that three-quarters of us simply aren’t getting enough.

In fact, magnesium deficiency is actually one of the most common nutritional deficiencies in the Western world, and it’s really important to address too, as it’s associated with a higher risk of conditions such as diabetes, chronic diarrhoea, coeliac disease and ‘hungry bone syndrome’. Experts have recently dubbed it the ‘invisible deficiency’, because it’s so often overlooked.

So what are the key signs that you’re running low? If you’ve ever lay in bed and felt painful cramps in your legs and feet, it could be a sign that you need to check your magnesium levels. As magnesium is an important tool for muscle relaxation, your muscles can involuntarily twitch and cramp in response when your body is depleted of it.

Other tell-tale signs include regular headaches and migraine attacks, as well as heightened anxiety and issues with sleep.

That said, simply changing your diet could be the fix you need. “It’s not necessarily hard to get enough magnesium from the food we eat,” Dr Adam explains, “but you generally find this minerals in fruits and veg, and there are so many people who swerve these foods for a high-processed, low-fibre diet instead.” He stresses that you should always be aiming to get all your minerals and nutrients from a balanced diet, but a high-quality magnesium supplement, like Form ZZZZs capsules, can be an insurance policy to make sure you’re always topped up.

If you’re concerned your levels might be low, or you’re simply curious to know where you sit, a simple blood test from your GP can help you to determine if you need to take further action. At-home blood tests like Thriva are another handy way to keep an eye on your magnesium count, as well as checking your other biomarkers at the same time.

Finally, it’s worth noting that while magnesium can give you a slight boost in stamina, endurance, and recovery, it’s no magic bullet – so don’t count on popping a pill and waking up with Popeye’s biceps. Still, it might just be the secret weapon to bid farewell to those dreaded DOMs come morning.