Dietician Explains Why You Should Try The 'Sleepy Girl' Mocktail Trend
Can a drink really help us get better sleep?
Olena Yakobchuk / Shutterstock The lure of a good night’s sleep maintains a strong hold on people, as anyone who’s been offered warm milk with honey by their mom knows. The 2024 antidote to insomnia has arrived: In the form of a drink touted by TikTok influencers as the answer to our sleepless nights.
The ‘sleepy girl mocktail’ is trending hard — but does the TikTok drink actually work?
If you search for “sleepy girl mocktail” on TikTok, you’ll find post after post from young, female influencers wearing pajamas, mixing together a drink they promise will put you straight to sleep for a full night.
The recipe is simple: Mix one part of flavored sparkling water, two parts tart cherry juice, and a scoop of magnesium powder.
On a TikTok account dedicated to health and wellness, sleep specialist Dr. Broch made the mocktail and then went through the various elements that might make the drink effective.
“Magnesium is wonderful for sleep,” she explained. “I often recommend it to my patients as a natural supplement, a mineral. It helps so many reactions in the body, from cardiovascular, bones, muscles, nerves, [and] calming down nerves.”
Dr. Broch noted that cherries contain melatonin, yet she also made sure to say that cherry juice doesn’t actually have much melatonin in it. A study referenced in the New York Times reported that 100 grams of tart cherry juice have about .01 percent of a milligram of melatonin, way less than a supplement or gummy has.
The sleep specialist’s take on the sleepy girl mocktail is that it’s fun to drink, yet it probably won’t affect how much you sleep.
A registered dietitian named Taylor Grasso also gave her perspective on the drink, going through the various ingredients and explaining how and why they benefit people.
Grasso used magnesium glycinate in her version of the drink, emphasizing one very important aspect of magnesium: Different kinds of magnesium have different effects on the body.
She explained that magnesium citrate creates “a laxative effect in your digestive system — that is not the one you want to drink before bed.” Magnesium glycinate, on the other hand, is “the most gentle on the digestive tract. It’s just going to help your body calm down, unwind, and relax before you go to sleep.”
When it comes to the cherry juice element of the drink, Grasso said that you can use either tart cherry juice or tart cherry concentrate. If you choose the concentrate, you only need about one ounce of it, which you’d dilute with water. If you’re using juice, you can use two to four ounces.
“Tart cherry juice is a natural source of melatonin, so it’s gonna help you fall asleep faster [and] stay asleep longer,” she said.
Photo: fizkes / Shutterstock
She also revealed that “tart cherries are packed with polyphenols and antioxidants, so especially if you’re someone who’s an active individual and you need your muscles to repair and recover while you’re sleeping, this stuff is key.”
She topped off her version of the mocktail with a Poppi soda, which she says is good for your gut due to prebiotics.
While the scientific evidence as to whether or not the sleepy girl mocktail actually leads to better sleep isn’t particularly conclusive, there’s inherent value to having a nighttime ritual that takes you away from your screen and helps you wind down before bed.
Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team. She covers social issues, pop culture analysis and all things to do with the entertainment industry.