The Effects of a Multicomponent Sleep & Recovery Supplement on Muscle Fatigue and Sleep

August 5, 2026 updated by: University of Exeter

The Effects of a Multicomponent Sleep & Recovery Supplement on Exercise Performance and Recovery Following a Muscle Damaging Protocol

The goal of this clinical trial (randomised crossover study) is to learn if a multi-component sleep and exercise recovery supplement can improve sleep quality and enhance recovery following exercise in healthy, recreationally active adults aged 18-40.

The main questions it aims to answer are:

  1. Does the supplement reduce delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) following an intense exercise protocol?
  2. Does the supplement improve sleep quality?

Researchers will compare the supplement to a placebo (a look-alike tablet with no active ingredients) to see if the supplement improves exercise recovery and sleep quality. In this crossover design, all participants will receive both the supplement and the placebo in separate 2-week periods, with a 2-week washout period in between.

Participants will:

  • Take the supplement during one 2-week period and the placebo during another (order randomised), 30 minutes before bed each day
  • Complete an exercise protocol involving repeated leg extensions designed to induce muscle fatigue
  • Attend six laboratory visits, including baseline testing and follow-up assessments at 24 and 48 hours post-exercise
  • Complete daily sleep questionnaires during each supplementation period
  • Record food intake prior to exercise trials and replicate it for consistency
  • Perform muscle soreness assessments and single-leg jump tests before and after exercise, and during recovery

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

25

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Aged between 18-40, healthy and non smokers
  • Recreationally active, exercise at least 2 times a week

Exclusion Criteria:

  • • Not have any injuries that would affect performance

    • Not taking any medications that could affect drowsiness or energy levels
    • Not taking any other dietary supplements high in magnesium
    • Not be pregnant
    • Not have any illness or medical condition that could make intense exercise unsafe
    • Not be participating in other studies that could interfere with the outcomes of this study
    • Not have any current sleep problems e.g. Insomnia

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Magnesium-based sleep & recovery supplementation
Supplementation of a magnesium-based sleep & recovery supplement (2g/day for 2-weeks)
Dietary supplement: magnesium-based sleep & recovery supplement
magnesium-based sleep & recovery supplement (2g/day for 2-weeks)
Placebo Comparator: Placebo Supplementation
Supplementation of placebo (2g/day for 2-weeks)
Dietary supplement: Placebo Supplementation
Placebo Supplementation (2g/day for 2-weeks)

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Changes in total work done
Time Frame: Following each 2-week supplementation period of either supplement
Changes in total work done as measured by the Biodex
Following each 2-week supplementation period of either supplement
Changes in work done (Flexion)
Time Frame: Following each 2-week supplementation period of either supplement
Changes in work done (Flexion) as measured by the Biodex
Following each 2-week supplementation period of either supplement
Changes in work done (Extension)
Time Frame: Following each 2-week supplementation period of either supplement
Changes in work done (Extension) as measured by the Biodex
Following each 2-week supplementation period of either supplement
Changes in Single Leg jump height
Time Frame: Before and Immediately After Muscle Damaging Protocol at the End of Each 2-Week Supplementation Period
Changes in Single Leg jump height (m)
Before and Immediately After Muscle Damaging Protocol at the End of Each 2-Week Supplementation Period
Changes in Single Leg Jump hang time
Time Frame: Before and Immediately After Muscle Damaging Protocol at the End of Each 2-Week Supplementation Period
Changes in Single Leg Jump hang time (s)
Before and Immediately After Muscle Damaging Protocol at the End of Each 2-Week Supplementation Period

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Changes in sleep quality
Time Frame: Following each 2-week supplementation period of either supplement.
Changes in sleep quality as measured by the Groningen Sleep Quality questionnaire where a lower score indicates better sleep quality.
Following each 2-week supplementation period of either supplement.
Changes in perceived muscle soreness (Pain pressure threshold)
Time Frame: Following each 2-week supplementation period of either supplement and 24hr and 48hr following the muscle damaging protocol.
Changes in perceived muscle soreness (Pain pressure threshold in Newtons) as measured by the muscle algometer where a higher score means a better outcome
Following each 2-week supplementation period of either supplement and 24hr and 48hr following the muscle damaging protocol.
Change in Self-Reported Readiness to Train Score (5-Point Likert Scale)
Time Frame: Following each 2-week supplementation period of either supplement and 24hr and 48hr following the muscle damaging protocol
Change in perceived readiness to train or compete assessed using a self-reported 5-point Likert scale, where 1 = not at all ready (extremely fatigued/sore) and 5 = completely ready (fresh, no limitations)
Following each 2-week supplementation period of either supplement and 24hr and 48hr following the muscle damaging protocol
Changes in Sleep Quality
Time Frame: Following each 2-week supplementation period of either supplement.
Changes in Sleep Quality as measured by the Consensus Sleep Diary.
Following each 2-week supplementation period of either supplement.
Change in perceived recovery status (10-Point Likert Scale)
Time Frame: Following each 2-week supplementation period of either supplement and 24hr and 48hr following the muscle damaging protocol
Change in perceived readiness to train or compete assessed using a self-reported 10-point Likert scale, where 0 = very poorly recovered and 10 = fully recovered
Following each 2-week supplementation period of either supplement and 24hr and 48hr following the muscle damaging protocol
Change in perceived overall muscle soreness (10-Point Likert Scale)
Time Frame: Following each 2-week supplementation period of either supplement and 24hr and 48hr following the muscle damaging protocol
Change in perceived readiness to train or compete assessed using a self-reported 10-point Likert scale, where 0 = no soreness and 10 = worse soreness imaginable
Following each 2-week supplementation period of either supplement and 24hr and 48hr following the muscle damaging protocol

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University of Exeter

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

August 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

October 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

April 16, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 5, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

August 10, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

August 10, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 5, 2026

Last Verified

August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 8096200

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • SAP
  • ICF

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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