Money blog: Does magnesium help you sleep better - or am I getting ripped off? (2024)

By Mark Kleinman, City editor

The owners of Gail's, the fast-growing chain of bakeries which found itself at the centre of a row about the gentrification of London suburbs earlier this year, have hired bankers to handle a sale that should yield a handsome windfall for them.

Sky News has learnt that Gail's shareholders have instructed Goldman Sachs to run an auction of Gail's next year.

Banking sources said the appointment had taken place in recent days, and was likely to lead to a partial or full exit for the company's existing backers.

ByOllie Cooper, live news reporter

Welcome to the first part of my series on fitness supplements - where I aim to discover whether they helping you get ripped, or ripping you off.

I've enlisted the help of performance nutritionistAndrew PettsandArj Thiruchelvam, personal trainer and head coach at Performance Physique, to analysis 12 different supplements every lunchtime over the next two weeks - starting with magnesium.

Magnesium

I was sucked into marketing that suggested a supplement of the mineral magnesium would help me sleep better.

Its cost varies wildly depending on where you buy it and in what form - with tablets costing as little as 1p each and drops costing £2.70 per 1ml.

What does it do?

"Minerals such as magnesium are responsible for cellular reactions that can help muscle function, brain health/function, mental health, immune function, recovery, help break down sugars and aid with sleep so is important to consume," Andrew explains.

He adds that its intake is undoubtedly important, but that no supplement is required.

"Real food always wins," he explains.

"Nearly everyone should be getting [magnesium] from food sources like nuts, seeds, dark chocolate, avocados, leafy greens, unrefined grains and some fish," he says.

To put things into context, most females need 270mg and males need 300mg a day, though some estimates suggest you need more than that.

"30g, or a handful of almonds gives you around 80mg of magnesium, half a cup of cooked edamame beans gives you around 50-60mg - notice I've not mentioned a supplement yet?"

If tablets, drops or sprays must be used (ie, you hate every single food with magnesium in naturally), Andrew rates it a score of just 6/10 - with a further note that we as humans have a generally low absorption rate of the mineral via supplements.

Personal trainer Arj is harsher with his score, saying the average person gets little to no value for their money - 3/10.

"Most people consume magnesium for muscle relaxant and sleep purposes, but this isn't an area with strong supportive evidence and therefore I'd recommend you absorb magnesium from your daily meals instead," he says.

One important note here is that women are far more likely than men to suffer from magnesium deficiency - and if you are deficient, you really should be supplementing.

If you think you may be magnesium deficient (symptoms here), go see a doctor, who can diagnose you with a blood and/or urine test.

The verdict: A miss, unless you really, really hate dark chocolate et al

Here are 10 examples of foods naturally high in magnesium:

• Whole wheat
• Spinach
• Quinoa
• Almonds, cashews and peanuts
• Dark chocolate
• Black beans
• Edamame
• Avocado

Alternatives to help you sleep

We're not here to point you in the direction of more products to buy.

If you, like our experts, have decided that magnesium isn't the answer to solving your poor sleep, here's a sleep expert's top tips for improving its quality without spending a penny.

Alison Cullen, sleep expert and nutritional practitioner at avogel.co.uk, recommends the following:

Start early: Getting daylight exposure in the morning is a very effective way of setting your circadian clock, so that your body is aware of when you are likely to be powering down for sleep. Daylight and dark act as "zeitgebers" (literally, "time givers" or "time cues") that instruct our internal scheduling, regulating our sleep and wake cycles. A small window of daylight exposure in the morning will inform your body as to when you are likely to want to sleep. You can strengthen this message by dimming lights in the evening, and ensuring that you are not exposed to harsh screen light in the hour before bed.

Eat to sleep: Eating a light dinner, as early as possible in the evening, reduces the negative impact of digesting a heavy meal during the night. Digestive discomfort can be very noticeable at night, affecting our sleeping position, and acid reflux is more likely when lying down. In addition, the heat generated by metabolising a heavy meal interferes with the temperature drop that is associated with good quality sleep. Have a larger lunch and daintier dinner, and aim for a three-hour gap between dinner and bedtime.

Gut goodness: Another gut-related factor in sleep is the quality of the microbiome. When the gut is full of healthy microorganisms, communication between gut and brain is better and sleep improves. A simple way to support your microbiome and the microorganisms it hosts is to eat prebiotic foods. Onions, garlic and leeks are excellent to add to meals, and mushrooms, asparagus, cabbage and bananas are also helpful, as are artichokes and oats.

Back off the booze: Strange as it may seem, when an immoderate alcohol intake is associated with excessive drowsiness, even moderate alcohol consumption has been shown to lower restorative sleep quality by 24%, and high alcohol intake can affect sleep by up to 39.2%. These effects are similar in men and women, and hold true whether you're active or sedentary. However, the effects seem to be stronger in young people compared with elders. There is, as the researchers note, a big difference between "going to sleep" and "passing out", with alcohol-affected sleep being of poorer quality and less restorative.

Chill: The body naturally cools before sleep, and assisting this process is helpful in ensuring a healthy, satisfying sleep. Temperature dysregulation will impair good sleep, and one way of "setting the thermostat" for the body in the evening is to have a warm bath one or two hours before bed. It can be for as little as 10 minutes, but it's been shown to cause blood perfusion to the palms and soles, which allows the body to cool down nicely once you're out and heading for bed.

Get grateful: Counting your blessings may be a concept associated with your granny or your nanny, but research shows that gratitude positively influences sleep. Spending a few moments before sleep in thinking of everything for which you can be grateful makes a very positive end to the day, and also beneficially affects the quality of your sleep.

By Ollie Cooper, live news reporter

At its worst, I was taking 14 different pills per day.

I'd been going to the gym for about a year, and naturally thought I knew everything there was to know.

But I'd fallen in a trap I didn't even know existed.

Several of my favourite fitness influencers - who spend their days in the gym and focusing on their bodies - were pushing all kinds of supplements that I decided I needed to be taking too.

Vitamins, effervescents - pills that would help me sleep, powders that would wake me back up for a killer workout.

It was mildly addictive - and severely expensive.

The most frustrating thing is that often, the most minor tweaks to my diet, fitness routine or lifestyle would have done far more for me than what many of the supplements I was taking claimed to do.

But I fell for the marketing - the "easy" (but pricey) quick-fix.

Dr Candan Elmer, expert in consumer behaviour from the University of Central Lancashire, told us: "Amidst societal pressures and a flood of misinformation, many consumers increasingly depend on social media for health information.

"Without adequate research or medical guidance, this typically leads to reliance on supplements for quick fixes like weight loss or sleep aids.

"As consumers increasingly gravitate towards sugary, fatty, and additive-laden processed foods, their intake of essential nutrients declines. Consequently, a strong demand has risen for supplements marketed as quick fixes for nutritional deficiencies. This trend leads many to believe that supplements can fill nutrient gaps without addressing their poor eating habits."

Medically, too, there's a strong case for leaving the pills on the shelf in many cases, according to Dr Abubakr Islam, GP at Berkshire Grove Hospital.

"I often meet patients who feel overwhelmed by the sheer variety of dietary supplements available today. From multivitamins to niche products promising to enhance energy, immunity, or even slow ageing, the supplement industry often markets itself as the quick fix for health concerns.

"However, many of these claims lack robust scientific backing.

"Whilst a low-dose daily multivitamin may fill dietary nutrition gaps, in some cases, taking supplements without medical advice can be counterproductive or even harmful, particularly when they interact with existing medications or provide excessive doses of certain nutrients."

Additionally, supplements "are not a substitute for a balanced diet".

"Nutrition plays a fundamental role in overall health, and most of the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients our bodies need can be obtained from wholesome foods.

"Prioritising a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins not only provides essential nutrients in their natural form but also offers additional health benefits like fibre and antioxidants that no pill can replicate.

"Before reaching for supplements, I always encourage patients to consider dietary improvements first and to consult with a healthcare professional for personalised advice."

In short, the fitness and supplement space is full of opinions frequently mixed selectively with science to create a mass marketing machine that pumps up an industry which was worth some £122bn in 2022 alone.

So with that in mind, each day over the next two weeks I will be taking a look at value for money - are supplements getting you ripped or are you getting ripped off?

To help, we've asked performance nutritionist Andrew Petts and Arj Thiruchelvam, personal trainer and head coach atPerformance Physique, to look at 12 supplements in turn:

• Creatine
• Protein powder
• Mass gainer
• Vitamin D
• Magnesium
• Pre-workout/caffeine
• Fat burners
• T-boosters
• Ashwagandha
• Collagen
• Glutamine
• BCAAs

Andrew and Arj have discussed each and scored them, based on value for money for theaverage gymgoer,out of 10.

Visit the Money blog each lunchtime for their verdict.

An estate agent firm has revised down its forecasts for house price growth over the next three years.

Knight Frank said it now expected average UK house price growth of 2.5% in 2025, 3% in 2026 and 3.5% in 2027.

This is down from its August forecast of 3%, 4% and 5%.

Over the next five years, the firm predicted cumulative growth of 19.3% - compared with an equivalent figure of 20.5% three months ago.

Meanwhile, it said it had slightly increased its figures for expected average rents.

It said this was due to the uncertainty surrounding the Renters' Rights Bill.

"Again, the change is small but reflects the risk that supply may become more constrained due to legislation that tips the balance of power in favour of tenants," the company said.

"Plans include the scrapping of no-fault evictions and tighter rules around rent increases."

However, Knight Frank admitted there was a fair degree of doubt around any housing market predictions currently.

Factors making forecasts difficult include the impact of the increase in employers' national insurance on inflation and the labour market, the farmers' protests and conversations around a tiered tax regime for overseas investors.

"In simple terms, we don't yet know if the budget will work and therefore by how much rates could fluctuate in the years ahead," it added.

Private and non-profit social care providers face increased costs of around £2.8bn in the next financial year due to the budget, according to analysis.

The Nuffield Trust, a health and social care thinktank, said a rise in employer national insurance contributions and wage bills (after an uprating of the minimum wage) for providers could see "swathes of the social care market collapsing under these extra cost pressures".

The trust's analysis looked at potential costs to almost 18,000 independent organisations - those not run by local authorities.

Natasha Curry, deputy director of policy at the Nuffield Trust, said by choosing not to provide support to adult social care providers "the result is likely to be catastrophic".

"The government rightly wants to reform social care, but with the real prospect of swathes of the social care market collapsing under these extra cost pressures, there may be little left of it to reform unless the government takes urgent action to cover employer national insurance contributions for adult social care providers," she said.

Storm Bert had a major impact on UK travel over the weekend with hundreds of buses, trains and flights delayed, postponed and cancelled due to poor weather.

The UK's rail network has been hit particularly hard - and more disruption is expected today.

If you've been affected by delays or cancellations, you should be able to claim some - or all - of your money back.

The national compensation scheme used by train companies is called Delay Repay, where passengers can claim compensation if they arrive 15 minutes or more late at their destinations.

Delay Repay can usually be claimed via the website of the train operator you're using.

Here's a list of some of the biggest train providers in the UK and what they're advising passengers to do in the face of delays and cancellations...

Avanti West Coast

If you abandoned your journey as a result of the disruption, you can claim a fee-free refund from where you bought your ticket.

If you continued with your journey but were delayed by 15 minutes or more, you can claim Delay Repay compensation from the train company you travelled with.

Southern Rail

The network says it will be running fewer trains this morning due to the impact of Storm Bert.

You may be entitled tocompensationif you experience a delay in completing your journey today. Southern Rail advises passengers to keep their ticket and make a note of their journey, as both will be required to support any claim.

Transport for Wales

Rail services will be subject to ongoing disruption across the network today, which Transport for Wales says may result in delays and short notice cancellations.

It says all tickets for today can be used tomorrow and that ticket acceptance with other operators may be available. Passengers should check the website for the latest information.

East Midlands Railway

You can use your tickets dated yesterday (24 November) to travel today (25 November).

If you are unable or do not wish to complete your journey, you may claim a refund on your ticket. Information about how to do this can be found here.

Great Western Railway

The train provider said a combination of engineering work and uncertainty over crew availability meant services were severely affected yesterday.

GWR said tickets yesterday would still be valid today.

Alternatively, if you no longer wish to travel, you can claim a full refund here.

Southeastern

You may be entitled to compensationif you experience a delay in completing your journey.

Southeastern recommends passengers keep their train ticket and make a note of their journey, as both will be required to support any claim.

Northern

If your train has been cancelled, you can claim a full refund, but only provided your ticket was purchased through Northern.

More details can be found on theirrefunds page.

If your train has been delayed, you can claim a refund depending on the length of delay using theDelay Repayportal.

ScotRail

If you're travelling on one of ScotRail's trains and your journey is delayed by 30 minutes or more, you can get compensation.

If you've missed a connection because of a delay on a ScotRail train, you can claim for that too. Just make sure you make the claim within 28 days of the delay.

By James Sillars, business reporter

The budget fallout continues to be felt on the stock market.

Kingfisher - the owner of Screwfix and B&Q - saw its shares plunge 11% at Monday's open.

The reaction was a response to its warning an hour earlier of a big financial hit from higher employer national insurance contributions in its next financial year.

Kingfisher expected an additional bill of £31m alone in its next financial year while also fretting over consumer sentiment in France.

As a consequence, Kingfisher tightened its profit forecast for the year to 31 January.

It was the biggest faller on the FTSE 100.

ITV shares were moving the other way on the back of a report by Sky News at the weekend.

Our City editor Mark Kleinman revealed that a number of potential suitors were circling the company – long seen as a takeover target because of share price weakness.

Its stock rose 9% at the open.

The index opened 0.4% higher - building on the widespread gains of Friday.

The chancellor will mount a defence of her budget in an appearance at theConfederation of British Industry's (CBI) annual conference later as businesses express their dismay at tax rises.

The head of the industry body is expected to sayRachel Reeves has damaged investment and, by extension, growth through the tax rises announced in the budget.

But the chancellor is expected to evoke Margaret Thatcher by saying she has "no alternatives" to the measures she announced.

"I have heard lots of responses to the government's first budget but I have heard no alternatives," she is expected to say.

"We have asked businesses and the wealthiest to contribute more. I know those choices will have an impact.

"But I stand by those choices as the right choices for our country: investment to fix the NHS and rebuild Britain, while ensuring working people don't face higher taxes in their payslips."

Former PM Margaret Thatcher famously used the phrase "there is no alternative" to defend her tough economic measures.

Her cabinet critics even nicknamed her "Tina", which is an acronym of "there is no alternative".

Despite the name, Black Friday is no longer just a day - some deals started in mid-November and many will run until Cyber Monday (2 December).

Argos, Aldi, Tesco and Amazon are among the retailers offering some pretty chunky discounts.

Research from MoneySavingExpert found more than two-thirds of 50 popular items were cheaper on Black Friday in 2023 than in the lead-up to Christmas. This means if the item has a decent Black Friday discount, it could be worth you buying now rather than waiting.

But consumers need to do their research.

Today, comparison site PriceSpy has released research which illustrates the massive scale of "fake sales", where prices rise before an artificial drop.

Its analysis shows that around 1.5 million prices increased since October - meaning sales of those products now might not be all they seem.

For example, a Henry Quick Cordless vacuum cleaner cost £239 but was increased to £289 on 18 October. The price then dropped to a "sale price" of £199 - so still £40 off, but not quite as good as it would initially seem, when consumers may believe they were saving £100.

Looking back to last year, PriceSpy says 85% of products could have been found either cheaper or for the same as their Black Friday price at other times of the year.

Be wary of unusually large discounts and extra delivery charges

Liisa Matinvesi-Bassett, UK country manager at PriceSpy, said: "Based on PriceSpy's analysis over the years, it appears to be a given that around 10% of offers on Black Friday will be fake.

"While this isn't technically illegal, shoppers should be aware of it and be extra cautious if a discount appears unusually large. In addition, we've seen instances of retailers increasing delivery charges around Black Friday to offset large discounts, so it's also wise to consider the full purchase cost, not just the discount percentage."

Think - and plan - ahead

Don't just wait until the day - start looking at prices now so you know if you are actually getting a good deal.

Use a price comparison website, like PriceRunner or PriceSpy, to see how much a product has sold for recently.

If you're buying on Amazon, you can also use a free price tracker likeCamelCamelCamelto chart an item's price history before you commit to a purchase.

Every year consumer champion Which? finds products in the sales that aren't worth buying - whether because they failed safety tests or simply aren't that good. Check out their list of duds to avoid here...

Look at reviews - but be wary

Whether you're buying online or in store, it's always good practice to read customer reviews before purchasing anything, to look for answers to any queries you might have about a product.

But consumers should be cautious and look out for fake reviews.

A2023 investigationby consumer group Which? showed that one in 10 Amazon customers could have been offered an incentive in exchange for a five-star review of an Amazon product.

This is done to manipulate reviews and star ratings.

Which? lists some ways for you to spot a fake review, including:

• Look at the reviewer's profile to see if their history makes sense. Are they buying things they seem to want or need, or might they have another incentive?;
• Check the dates of reviews. If several positive reviews all appeared on the same date, it could be a coordinated campaign;
• Read the reviews properly - some will include little detail about the actual product, which could be a telltale sign of a fraudulent review.

Create a wishlist

Some retailers like Amazon allow you to set up a wishlist, so it's easier to notice when prices drop.

If you are buying from multiple places, a document of links or, if you're really organised, a spreadsheet will make it easier to click through and check prices on the day and throughout the week.

Can you use a price promise?

John Lewis and Richer Sounds will match a price you've found elsewhere (there are a few caveats to this - it's only from a selected list of retailers, and you can find details on that hereand here).

But see if you can use this to your advantage.

Set a budget, and don't rush to use BNPL

Determine how much you want to spend before you get swooped up in the thrill of a deal,

If you do decide to use a buy now, pay later service, plan for your repayments and monitor your spending - they can be a great tool, but only if used properly.

Paul Stringer, a director at Norton Finance, says: "The temptation to buy now, pay later can encourage shoppers to spend more than they can realistically afford."

Cashback = free money

While it won't save you money, cashback is one of the easiest ways to earn FREE money (yes - completely free, you can read more about that here).

If you know you are going to be making some sales purchases, set yourself up on sites like TopCashback and Quidco. Then, all you have to do is see who has the better offer, click through to the website using their app and make your purchase as normal.

Other apps, like JamDoughnut, do cashback in a slightly different way - you preload a gift card with the amount you want to spend, and it credits cashback to your account. Then you use the gift card to pay for your purchase.

Ask yourself...

...if you were going to buy it, or are you being swayed by the lure of a deal?

Martin Lewis sums it up best: "If you were going to buy it anyway and it's half price, you've saved 50%.

"If you weren't going to buy it, but do because it's half price, you've wasted 100%."

Where has Black Friday come from?

There are a few rumoured origins to this one - allegedly, in the 1950s factory managers began referring to the first Friday after Thanksgiving as Black Friday because so many workers would call in sick.

Then police in the US city of Philadelphia used the term to describe the chaos that ensued on that same day, with shoppers descending on the city for the annual Army-Navy football game.

The term caught on and grew from there.

Now it has become the time of year when businesses perform their last set of sales before Christmas shopping begins. There have been a few additions to the Black Friday calendar in recent years - we've now got Cyber Monday (when tech-specific items go on sale) as well as Small Business Saturday and Giving Tuesday (some of these are more memorable than others).

Every Monday we answer your financial problems or consumer disputes. WhatsApp us yourshere.Today's question is...

I rent a shop on a nine-year lease and the rent is reviewed every three years. The landlord has now requested backdated rent for 18 months, with an increase of over 20%, for the reason that they found out they've not reviewed the rent in the last 18 months. What should I do?

Race

Patrick Ansell, partner at Taylor Rose Solicitors, gave his thoughts on this...

He begins by noting that rent review clauses in commercial leases are commonplace and apply on specific dates throughout the term.

"It is also not uncommon for them to be 'upwards only', meaning that the rent can only go up (or stay the same) and never down," Patrick explains.

He says it is not unusual for a landlord to overlook getting the process under way for a rent review, in time for the new rent to be determined by a set date.

"Even if they have attempted to do so, it can often take a long time for the question of the new rent to be resolved one way or another if there is disagreement," he adds.

In this reader's case, it seems the landlord forgot the last review - and now that it's been remembered, they want to not only up the rent moving forwards, but want to backdate payments to the last review date.

"As with most questions about a landlord and tenant relationship, the starting point is the wording of the lease in question (ie the contract between you)," Patrick says.

"In most well-drafted modern commercial leases, rent review clauses can be quite substantial and usually try to leave little down to interpretation.

"Whilst this can be helpful for lawyers, it often makes things even more complicated and confusing for any layperson trying to understand them."

Patrick says that commercial leases will sometimes specifically confirm that when the new rent had not been decided by the review date, a landlord is still entitled to backdate the rent once it has been resolved.

"Unfortunately, even if your lease does not expressly state this, unless there are unambiguous words to the contrary, it is very likely that your landlord will be entitled to insist upon the new rent being backdated to the last rent review date as there is a lot of binding caselaw confirming this," he adds.

On whether the proposed increase of 20% is fair, it could be worth getting a valuation - and possibly legal advice, Patrick says.

"As most leases will require the rent to be assessed at the relevant rent review date, the new rent you pay should hopefully be the rent that would have been appropriate 18 months ago rather than now," he says - meaning the new rent should not factor in rent inflation over the last year and a half.

This featureis not intended as financial advice - the aim is to give an overview of the things you should think about.Submit your dilemma or consumer dispute via:

• WhatsApp ushere
• The form above - you need to leave a phone number or email address so we can contact you for further details
• Email news@skynews.com with the subject line "Money blog"