During the depths of COVID, when our outside time was limited to an hour a day, I couldn't sleep.

My body - buzzed from stress and no physical activity to tire out my limbs - simply refused to rest. I'd lay, staring at the ceiling for hours sometimes, begging for sleep to come. No such luck.

Eventually, I found some over the counter sleeping pills to assist. They packed a punch too. I'd only need a quarter of a tablet to get straight to sleep at night. But as time went on, I was starting to need them every night. It reached the point where I simply couldn't fall asleep without taking a sleeping pill. Obviously, this is not a sustainable habit.

But, how to move away from sleeping pills without having to go through a couple of sleepless weeks as my body got used to functioning without them? My solution ended up being magnesium.

If you're over 30, you've probably already had someone in your circle recommend magnesium to you, and more than once. I certainly had. In fact, I was actually in the middle of researching it's benefits as an adaptogen to help combat my PCOS-related cortisol issues, when someone told me that magnesium can also be a sleep aid.

Courtesy of Amazon Prime, two jumbo bottles of the Vitaceuticals magnesium arrived on my door step that week. Within a few weeks, I was able to abandon the sleeping pills completely.

Does this mean that magnesium is a direct alternative to sleeping pills and other sleep aids?

Of course not. Magnesium is a supplement, which is vastly different to a pharmaceutical. In my experience, magnesium didn't give me the same instant knockout effect of a sleeping pill. But what it did do - it offered a deeper and more relaxed sleep that let me feel far fresher in the morning. Like I'd actually had a solid nine hours - even if it has only been six.

Magnesium works in different ways to something like a sleeping pill. But that doesn't mean the end result can't be similar. Many over the counter sleeping pills (like the ones I was taking) use anti-histamines, which block the chemicals in the body that keep you alert. This is what leads to drowsiness. Magnesium on the other hand, works by calming the nervous system.

"Magnesium is involved in over 300 different biochemical pathways and most known for how it influences and supports the nervous system and neurotransmitters - which is the link to better sleep" explains Jessica Sepel, Founder of JSHealth Vitamins.

Put simply, it activates the parasympathetic nervous system - the rest and digest part of our nervous system - which could lower the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline. And lowered stress supports better sleep.

There's more. Magnesium can also calm the body down. It does this by binding to GABA receptors which Sepel explains are "an amino acid that acts as a neurotransmitter in the brain and spinal cord to slow down the brain and reduce neuronal excitability in the body."

Why did I decide to switch? Even though magnesium doesn't have the same instant drowsy effect as other sleep aids?

In the end it was all about how I felt when I woke up in the morning. I feel the best after magnesium.

Sure, sleeping pills or melatonin can be better at getting you to sleep faster. But sleeping pills did not promote quality sleep for me and melatonin has been suggested to interfere with birth control.

When I asked Jessica Sepel, she confirmed my suspicions. "Magnesium is an undeniable stress and sleep support, without the negative side effects. It would have less of a sedating effect causing drowsiness in the morning.

"Magnesium research also points to how it can support better energy production - which also reduces feelings of drowsiness or tiredness that other sleeping medicines may cause."

It makes complete sense in the context of my experience. Occasionally , even after taking magnesium, I would struggle to drift off. But every time I slipped back into the habit of popping a sleeping pill, I would wake up shattered. It was like I could never wake up fully and would have to resort to a lunchtime nap to sustain myself.

But my magnesium induced-rest? I feel sprite after waking up. Rested and not at all drowsy.

Now, as a fully fledged member of the over-30s magnesium cult, I can say if you are struggling with your sleep, this is a great place to start. Just make sure you get Magnesium Glycinate. You can have a look through TikTok to understand why you don't want to get the other kind.

If you're looking to try it out, my favourite magnesiums are the JS Health Advanced Magnesium, the Vitaceuticals MagZorb and the Bioceuticals Ultra Muscleze Night (this also has a bit of inositol, which supports those with PCOS).

Happy sleeping.