Don’t sleep on this bedtime hack.
Drowsy dames are slurping down the “sleepy girl mocktail” — a concoction that many claim has cured agonizing nights of restlessness, sending even the worst insomniac into a serious slumber.
The relaxing refreshment involves mixing just half a cup of seltzer water, half a cup of tart cherry juice and a spoonful of magnesium powder.
Videos on TikTok, which have collectively clocked up tens of millions of views on the app, have become so popular with sleep-deprived scrollers (many of whom are browsing ’til the wee hours) that they have even sparked fears of a nationwide cherry juice shortage
Wellness influencer Gracie Norton, who boasts 1.1 million followers, brought the beverage to the mainstream last year with a viral video that showed her preparing the mocktail, saying it would put her “out like a light.”
Skeptical of any too-good-to-be-true TikTok trick, I called up New York City sleep specialist Dr. Anne Mooney to ask for her thoughts — and was surprised by her enthusiasm.
“I actually think it’s very clever,” Mooney — who runs the Sleep Well Doc clinic in Midtown Manhattan — told The Post, saying she may even start recommending the recipe to some of her patients.
Mooney says magnesium promotes stress reduction, which can improve sleep, while tart cherry juice contains both tryptophan and melatonin, which are known to regulate sleep.
“There’s definite science behind these two things, and in my opinion, this is safe and natural,” the doc declared.
“TikTok is very cleverly making it into something cute,” she further said of the sleep aid. “It has a cute name, it’s going to taste good and it’s easy enough to make that it can be a part of a nightly routine.”
So, with TikTok’s backing — and Mooney’s blessing — I dubiously decided to test the drink.
The experiment
Mooney usually recommends magnesium threonate or magnesium glycinate to patients suffering from insomnia.
While both types usually come as capsules, they can be found in powdered form — but they’re not easy to procure.
I went to a Rite Aid, a Walgreens and a CVS in my quest to buy any type of magnesium powder, only to find all three franchises completely sold out.
Eventually, I tracked down a magnesium citrate powder at Whole Foods for $27.99 (good sleep doesn’t come cheap). Other types are even more expensive. For instance, the trendy Moon Juice magnesium chelate blend favored by many TikTok influencers retails online for $40.
The influencers instructed that the mocktail be made and consumed about an hour before bedtime, so I followed the rules accordingly.
I scooped a heaping teaspoon of magnesium powder into a glass before adding equal parts tart cherry juice and seltzer water. I gave it a good stir and tried a sip.
While many on social media rave about the delicious taste of the sleepy girl mocktail, I found it surprisingly sour.
Perhaps because I used a flavorless magnesium powder and am not a huge fan of cherry, the concoction was bitter and almost metallic, even though it was watered down with seltzer.
But with the promise of a deep sleep, I finished the fizzy elixir and prepared for slumber.
The hype
After Gracie Norton’s initial posting of her TikTok clip, fans flooded the comments section to rave about the mixture.
“I just started doing this and I woke up for a second to make sure I was still alive since I was sleeping so good,” one exclaimed.
Content creator Kayla Gresh has similarly shared a clip creating the concoction, which scored a staggering 3.4 million views and almost identical enthusiasm.
“Just started this, I’m so happy to say it’s working wonders,” a fan fawned. “Stress has been making it hard to sleep but now I fall asleep like the elderly.”
But would I experience a similar outcome?
The results
To my complete disbelief, the sleepy girl mocktail sent this skeptic into an immediate, unbroken seven-hour slumber.
Often it takes me up to an hour to drift off to sleep, but I was out as soon as my head hit the pillow.
Most nights, I wake up in the early hours and toss and turn in a half-sleep for the remaining hours, eventually arising with pillows and blankets strewn across the room.
However, with the aid of the mocktail, I slept soundly, waking only to the sound of my alarm clock.
While magnesium is regularly safe in small doses, the mineral can cause cramps and diarrhea.
I’m pleased to report that I experienced neither of those side effects.
In very rare cases, it can result in more serious medical issues, with one nutritionist warning that consuming too much of the substance can cause cardiac arrest.
But Mooney says that’s highly unlikely.
“You would have to take a very large amount of magnesium to reach the point of cardiac complications, and you would likely have intolerable gastrointestinal side effects such as diarrhea long before that,” she stated.
Take it from me: A single teaspoon is more than enough to be effective and, despite the subpar taste, I’ll definitely be drinking this beverage again.
The sleepy girl mocktail has awoken a new desire to try other TikTok hacks. I’m sorry I ever slept on this one in the first place.
