If you wake up between 2 and 4 a.m., read this
Why it happens at that exact hour, why what you tried didn’t work, and what I do every night.
By Amarilis Marcano, intermittent fasting coach
You went to bed exhausted. You even fell asleep fast.
Then your eyes open, you check the clock and it’s 3:07. Your mind takes off on its own: tomorrow’s list, what you said, what you didn’t do. You toss and turn. And when you finally fall back asleep, the alarm goes off.
If this happens several nights a week, you’re not alone, and it’s not a lack of discipline. There are reasons it happens at that exact hour.
Why that hour
- 1
Sleep is lighter in the second half of the night.
The first hours are deep sleep. In the early morning you spend more time in light sleep and in dream sleep, and it’s much easier to wake up from there.
- 2
In the early morning, cortisol starts to rise.
Cortisol is the hormone that puts you on alert. It follows a rhythm: it’s lowest around midnight and starts rising in the early morning to get you up for the day. If you live with stress, that push can find your mind already racing.
- 3
In perimenopause, all of this is more noticeable.
The hormonal changes of this stage make sleep more fragile: hot flashes, night sweats and wake-ups. A study that followed women in Seattle for years found that, in some, overnight cortisol rises in the late stage of the menopausal transition.
Woods et al., Menopause, 2009
What you already tried (and why it didn’t work)
Melatonin
It’s a hormone that tells your body when to sleep. Magnesium helps your body be able to relax. They’re different things.
Chamomile tea
It’s a nice ritual, but a big mug before bed can also wake you up in the early morning to go to the bathroom.
Drugstore magnesium
It’s almost always magnesium oxide: cheap, poorly absorbed and it tends to loosen your stomach. That’s why it “did nothing” or sent you to the bathroom.
Sleep gummies and drinks
Many have sugar. And if you do intermittent fasting, sugar at 10 p.m. already broke your fast.
It’s not a lack of willpower. Nobody explained what to look for.
Stress and magnesium affect each other
Under stress, the body loses more magnesium in urine. And low magnesium can make the body more sensitive to stress. A scientific review calls it the vicious circle of stress and magnesium. On top of that, today’s diet leaves many people short on magnesium.
Pickering et al., Nutrients, 2020What to look for in a magnesium for nighttime
The form: glycinate.
Magnesium bound to glycine, an amino acid. It’s well absorbed and gentle on the stomach.
The dose of elemental magnesium.
Look at how much magnesium each serving has, not the weight of the compound. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommend not going over 350 mg a day from supplements.
No sugar.
A capsule, not a gummy: no sugar before bed.
It won’t break your fast.
Magnesium is a mineral: it has no calories, protein, fat or carbs.
Not a sedative.
Not habit-forming, and it won’t leave you groggy in the morning.
What I do every night
I help Hispanic women eat better and have more energy with intermittent fasting, and there’s one complaint I hear over and over: “Amarilis, everything’s going well… but I can’t sleep.”
I went through the same thing. What changed my nights was magnesium glycinate, and I wanted my own with everything on the list above. That’s how Duerme Mejor was born, and it’s the one I take every night.
My routine is simple: 3 capsules with a glass of water before bed. And for stress, the basics: sunlight when you wake up, eating calmly and with protein, and the phone away from the bed.
With love,
Amarilis Marcano
Duerme Mejor
Magnesium glycinate for your nighttime routine
- 275 mg of elemental magnesium as glycinate per 3-capsule serving
- Plant-based capsule, no sugar: won’t break your fast
- Not a sedative and not habit-forming
- Vegan, gluten-free and made in the USA
Free shipping
To the U.S. and Puerto Rico
- Subtotal
- $89.97
- 90-day routine discount
- −$10.00
- Shipping
- Free
- Total
- $79.97
30-night guarantee: check it off every night in the Fasting For You app and, if you don't notice a difference, we'll refund your money.
- Secure checkout: Apple Pay, Shop Pay or card
- Free shipping to the U.S. and PR
- Vegan and gluten-free
- Made in the USA
30-night guarantee
Log it every night in the supplement tracker of the Fasting For You app for 30 nights. If you don’t notice a difference by the end, email us your app log and we’ll refund your money. With the 3-bottle routine too: it covers your first 30 nights and we refund the whole order.
See everything about Duerme Mejor →
This article is educational and doesn’t replace your doctor. If you wake up with a racing heart or heavy sweats, or you’ve been told you snore with pauses in your breathing, talk to your doctor. If you’re on hormone therapy or take medication, check with your doctor before taking any supplement.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.