Zoe Ball recently opened up about her past struggles with a debilitating health issue and shared a remedy that has significantly improved her wellbeing. On a recent episode of the Dig IT podcast, Zoe and her co-host Jo Whiley tackled a query from a listener named Alison, who asked if they ever experienced middle-of-the-night awakenings or insomnia. Alison confessed she often tuned into the podcast at 3 a.m. due to her sleeplessness.

Alison shared that her sleep quality has worsened with age. Despite trying various solutions such as medication, sleeping in a separate room, practicing good sleep habits, and using meditation apps, her insomnia persisted. She sought advice from Zoe and Jo on how to alleviate her nighttime restlessness.

In response, Zoe empathized, saying, “Alison, dear, I completely understand your frustration. I, too, struggled with sleep and relied heavily on sleeping pills. It’s important to avoid long-term use of these because they can increase the risk of dementia, yet the anxiety over sleeplessness can perpetuate the cycle of insomnia.”

Zoe then shared her personal solution: “Alison, you may have tried almost everything, but taking magnesium at night has made a notable difference for me.”

She also mentioned being advised to bathe in magnesium salts, acknowledging that while she isn’t sure how the mineral works, it has noticeably improved her sleep quality.

According to the NHS, insomnia is marked by persistent sleep disturbances, which can include not only difficulty falling asleep but also awakening during the night, staying awake, waking up too early, being unable to nap during the day despite fatigue, and overall restlessness.

The NHS also highlights that adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep each night, unlike children, toddlers and babies who require more. Some of the causes of insomnia include depression, anxiety or stress, shift work, temperatures, nicotine, caffeine and alcohol, but it also emphasises that improving your sleeping habits can alleviate the condition.

Some of the suggestions included maintaining the same routine when heading to bed and rising in the morning, attempting to unwind approximately one hour before bedtime (recommending reading or having a bath), regular physical activity and ensuring your bedroom remains both dark and quiet.

Healthline states that magnesium might tackle our sleep difficulties by reducing anxiety and depression whilst assisting people in calming down. It explains that magnesium is a common mineral that proves essential for our health.

Indeed, it plays a role in more than 600 “cellular reactions” in the human body , and amongst its health benefits, supports bone health and the function of the brain, heart and muscles.

Regarding sleep, magnesium might assist your brain and body in relaxing, it adds.

One way it may achieve this is through “activating the parasympathetic nervous system”, which the publication explains is responsible for making you relaxed.

Magnesium also regulates melatonin (a naturally occurring hormone that has a role in the sleep-wake cycle) – in fact, people with insomnia sometimes take a synthetic version of melatonin to aid sleep. It could also help in quieting down the nervous system.

Meanwhile, lacking adequate magnesium could lead to issues with sleep, with research indicating that both excessive and insufficient levels could create sleep issues .

In other news, Zoe has reportedly welcomed a mystery man into her home, discussing the matter on another instalment of her and Jo’s podcast. Zoe, who split from her former partner, Michael Reed, two years ago, revealed this while discussing a product she purchased online that she uses to “whack” her legs and underarms.

She claimed that it helps with circulation, noting that it’s “quite good” for lymphatic drainage, and apparently, the mystery man, whom she refers to as “the lodger”, spotted her using it.

She recalled: “I remember the first time the lodger walked in and saw me doing it, and just sort of turned on his heels.”

Jo then asked the BBC Radio 2 icon if he was “still around”, to which Zoe confirmed that he indeed was. She cryptically mentioned that he was still there at present and “still lodging”, but she did not disclose his identity.