February feels like a reset for me. Kids are back at school, routine can get back on track and so can my sleep! This really got me thinking about how it all started for me on my journey into the world of this incredible wonder mineral - magnesium.
I didn’t come to magnesium because it was trending or because I was looking for a “fix”.
I came to it because I was exhausted.
My first real introduction to magnesium wasn’t through wellness culture or supplements — it was during pregnancy, when my sleep was being disrupted by relentless leg cramps. Night after night, just as my body would finally settle, I’d be jolted awake by that sharp, gripping tension in my legs. As if being pregnant isn't uncomfortable enough. I was desperate for some relief.
Before that, I’d always loved a bath. I used Epsom salts, enjoyed the ritual of warm water, and found it calming — but I didn’t really understand magnesium. I just knew baths felt good. A naturopath had once said to me that when I felt like I was getting sick, the first signs of a cold etc, have a bath in epsom salts. I always found it helped.
Back to my preggy leg cramps - I started googling and saw that Magnesium Oil was suggested for leg cramps. So I emailed the company who made them and they assured me it was safe and that I had nothing to loose. When I started using it, the difference was amazing. The leg cramps eased. My body felt less tight. Sleep became more restful again. That experience planted a seed — even if I didn’t realise it at the time.
Then came motherhood.
Like so many women, sleep became fragmented in new ways. Broken nights, feeding, settling, waking — all of it felt expected, even normal. You tell yourself it’s a season, that you’ll sleep again one day.
And then one day… you do.
Or at least, you’re supposed to.
Except now my children were a bit older and sleeping through the night, but I wasn’t. I’d lie awake, tired but wired, my body exhausted but my mind running through everything — the day that had been, the day ahead, the constant mental load.
When I did fall asleep, I’d wake multiple times during the night. And in the morning, I’d wake feeling flat and heavy, like sleep had somehow passed me by.
After years of disrupted nights with babies, it honestly felt unfair.
I’d done the hard yards — and now that sleep should have come easily, it wasn’t.
That was the point where magnesium came back into my life.
What made the biggest difference wasn’t chasing more things or more solutions. It was consistency. Magnesium spray. Magnesium baths. Night after night, supporting my body instead of trying to override it.
The magnesium flakes in particular fascinated me. I started noticing how differently my body responded when I used them regularly. Sleep felt deeper. My body felt more settled.
That curiosity led me down a path of learning. I became deeply interested in the science behind magnesium, how it supports the nervous system, muscle relaxation, and recovery. But more than that, I paid attention to what I was feeling in my own body.
And what I noticed was simple but powerful:
When the body feels supported, sleep comes more naturally.
Why I always start with sleep when talking about Magnesium.
Sleep is not passive.
It’s when the brain processes the day, consolidates memories, and clears metabolic waste so it can function well the next day. When sleep is disrupted or inconsistent, the effects don’t stay confined to the night — they ripple into energy, mood, focus, stress tolerance, and recovery.
For me, when sleep is off, everything else feels harder.
That’s why sleep is always where I start.
Not because it’s easy — but because it’s foundational.
How I use magnesium for sleep (real life)
I don’t use magnesium occasionally.
I don’t save it for “bad” nights.
It’s part of my nightly rhythm.
Magnesium oil is something I use every night before bed. I spray it onto my body and let it absorb — no rubbing, no fuss. That consistency has made the biggest difference over time.
Baths are something I layer in when my system needs more support. When I’m overtired, overstimulated, or carrying stress in my body, a bath helps my nervous system fully settle. I aim for at least one bath per week, and often more depending on the season of life.
If I wake during the night, I keep magnesium oil next to the bed. I’ll spray again and treat it as gentle support rather than “starting the night over”.
For anyone new to magnesium, I always suggest starting small. Spraying onto the soles of the feet before bed is a gentle place to begin. For those who’ve been using it for a while, spraying onto the tummy before bed is my favourite.
Magnesium oil can be used by the whole family. With children, starting on the soles of the feet helps keep the experience comfortable and positive (we all know how they can be if they don't like feeling of something!).
What I’ve learned along the way
Sleep doesn’t improve through pressure.
It improves through support, routine and consistency.
Since using magnesium consistently, my sleep has been the best it’s ever been — not perfect, but deeper, more settled, and far more resilient.
That’s why this work matters to me.
It’s not about fixing ourselves or chasing ideal routines.
It’s about listening to the body, supporting it gently, and creating the conditions for rest to happen.
This is why sleep is the foundation —
and why it was the beginning of everything that followed.
—
Amee
Founder, Hide + Soak
Salt Diaries
