The ‘sleepy girl mocktail’ is here to give your best sleep yet

If you’re anything like us, you’ve been working hard at getting your bedtime to a more reasonable hour (instead of being stuck in a doom scrolling loop at 2am). Ironically enough, though, TikTok is where we’re finding a wealth of knowledge around doing so. The latest trend to come full circle (yes, we know it’s not new but in case you missed it on its first time around) is the Sleepy Girl Mocktail. 

Sure, we’ve tried just about everything at this point to get a decent night's sleep (eight hours is the recommendation, but honestly we’d love to aim for longer). So if you’ve sampled melatonin gummies and sleepy sounds to no avail, this is the drink that will leave you with no need to count sheep. 

Does the Sleepy Girl Mocktail work?

So, what about this syrupy-looking drink helps send you to sleep? The key ingredients for sleep in the mix are magnesium (which we’ll get to later) and tart cherry juice. Now the latter of the two has seemingly come out of nowhere. So to get to the bottom of this mocktail, BEAUTYcrew chatted with nutritionist and founder of JSHealth Jessica Sepel to find out more… 

Focusing first on the tart cherry juice, Sepel can understand, even with the limited scientific-backing, why this ingredient is setting TikToker’s to sleep. So what makes tart cherry juice so eyelid-drooping? Well, it's a great source of “tryptophan and melatonin”, she says. We know what melatonin is already; so what is tryptophan? Sepel explains that it’s “a precursor to melatonin, and melatonin is involved with our circadian rhythm” AKA the signal that tells us it’s time to sleep. 

But back to the big question at hand. Does the sleepy girl mocktail actually rock us gently to sleep? Here’s Sepel’s take: “As our bodies are all so different, it is hard to say if this would work for everyone. In theory, tart cherry juice is a great idea, however, this may depend on dosage.” So unless you’re ready to skull a litre of the sour stuff (with your magnesium) then it might not work. Sepel says “it’s a nice ‘mocktail’ ingredient nonetheless” so, it could be worth giving it a shot and seeing how you sleep! But if you’re after more guaranteed results, stick to a specifically-formulated magnesium supplement.

PSA: before you start sipping this mocktail, be warned; if you’re not already used to taking magnesium the mix of it and tart cherry juice can have a slight laxative effect. So, maybe sip this drink when you’re planning on staying home the next day, just in case…

How long before bed should you drink the Sleepy Girl Mocktail?

Sepel (like other experts on the topic) recommends drinking the sleep potion “between your evening meal to an hour before bed.” Why not right before settling into your snuggly doona? Because the snooze-producing ingredients haven’t had time to kick in yet. But Sepel gives a forward-thinking heads up that “drinking large amounts of liquid too late in the evening could affect your sleep as you may need to wake up to go to the bathroom!”

Is it worth the effort?

Okay so we’ve figured out that the ‘Sleepy Girl Mocktail’ does in fact work, at least for some. But is the (tart cherry) juice worth the squeeze? As fun as this snooze-enhancing mocktail is, the individual ingredients come at a cost. So, is it more worthwhile just taking the dose of magnesium alone and letting your body do the rest? We’ll leave you to be the judge of that. But if you’re looking for a less fussy sleep-enhancing formula, check out our product recommendations.

Benefits of Magnesium:

So, we’ve seen that many of these mocktails contain magnesium, but how does it help? Well, Sepel is totally pro-magnesium for sleep support (she may even be working on a new product as we speak). But why is she such a fan? Well it’s “because magnesium plays a large role in neurotransmitter synthesis, such as GABA” (Gamma-aminobutyric acid). This transmitter works to “help calm the body and therefore can be important for sleep and relaxation”. Magnesium was formerly known for being a fantastic way to relax your muscles and unwind, which makes sense why magnesium deficiencies “have been linked with increased anxiety and stress”. All the increased tension in our bodies is unable to let go, which in turn makes for a poor night's sleep. 

Magnesium based supplements:

Shop the supplements here...

1. JSHealth Pm+ Sleep + Calm Mind Formula ($39.99 at JSHealth Vitamins)
2. Bioglan Magnesium + Ashwagandha Relax Calm & Sleep ($29.99 at Chemist Warehouse)
3. Ethical Nutrients Mega Magnesium Powder ($39.97 at Chemist Warehouse)

So if you’re tired (literally) of not being able to fall asleep, just know the doom scrolling is almost worth it for when you come across gems like the Sleepy Girl Method. 

Main Image Credit: gracie_norton

Want to get to the bottom of why you’re so tired? Check out these potential reasons why…