BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Combine magnesium glycinate, 100% tart cherry juice, your favorite seltzer, and you've created the "Sleepy Girl Mocktail" — but what exactly is this viral drink, and does it actually make you tired?
The "Sleepy Girl Mocktail" has been blowing up all over social media with supporters claiming it helps you fall asleep and stay asleep.
But how accurate are these claims? 7 News reporter Hannah Ferrera spoke with some sleep experts to see if the drink is "doctor approved."
Dr. Marc Frost, a partner of the DENT Neurologic Institute and medicial director of its sleep lab, broke down the drink's ingredients and their potential sleepy-benefits.
"Magnesium [glycinate] is one of those supplements that's used for so many different things," Dr. Frost said. "I'm using it for people with insomnia. It's great for people who get nighttime leg cramps."
But what about the juice? Why 100% tart cherry juice?
"Tart cherry juice, at least some of the studies have shown, does have some melatonin in it," he said. "It has some tryptophan in it, which is one of the precursors in the body of melatonin."
But Dr. Frost said this isn't exactly a groundbreaking drink — it's just trendy.
"The typical recommendations I'm making for someone with insomnia, before using any prescription medication, is combinations of magnesium and melatonin," he said. "I'm looking at it as just another combination of things we've been recommending for years."
Ferrera also spoke with Dr. Sandra Block, the medical director of the Sleep Medicine Department of the Buffalo Medical Group, who was a little more skeptical about the powers of this drink.
"I don't think there's a strong likelihood that they're [the drinks] are doing a whole lot," Dr. Block said. "But the fact that you think they're doing something is probably helpful."
In other words, even if these drinks are a bit of a placebo, if they settle you into your nighttime routine — go for it.
"If this helps with your feeling about sleep and feeling like this is going to help and it calms me down, then I'm all for it," she said.
So, what's the verdict?
"I can't comment on how well it works because there are no medical studies on it," Dr. Frost said. "But I just can't see there will be any harm — certainly the ingredients that are in it are things we've been using for years."
