Magnesium may help to quiet the nerves in the body that keep people awake. However, while experts recommend melatonin for treating some sleep disorders, magnesium may not be something that a doctor recommends unless a person has another reason to take it, such as evidence of low magnesium levels.
Generally speaking, you will find that magnesium supplements start to work after one week of using them. After one week of regular magnesium supplementation, individuals may experience benefits such as improved energy levels, reduced muscle cramps, better sleep quality, and reduced anxiety.
Although many people use magnesium for sleep support, it isn't known to cause tiredness during the day. However, if you want to maximize the benefits for better sleep, it's best to take your magnesium supplement an hour or two before bedtime.
The lowdown
Medical research has linked magnesium to reduced anxiety. Magnesium helps you to relax by stimulating the production of melatonin and serotonin which boost your mood and help you sleep. Magnesium also reduces the production of cytokines and cortisol, which lead to increased inflammation and stress.
Taking Magnesium in the Morning or Afternoon
While it's not a stimulant and won't prevent you from sleeping, your body needs magnesium to produce energy. Getting enough magnesium will help you feel steady, calm energy.
Magnesium deficiency is diagnosed via a blood test and sometimes a urine test. Your doctor may order the blood test if you have symptoms such as weakness, irritability, abnormal heart rhythm, nausea and/or diarrhoea, or if you have abnormal calcium or potassium levels.
From regulating mood, maintaining healthy heartbeat to supporting sleep, muscle and nerve function along with energy production to name just a few. It's clear the mineral is vital for both men and women.
Based on current data, magnesium taurate and glycinate have the most research supporting their effects on anxiety and other mental health disorders. Magnesium malate and threonine have also demonstrated therapeutic effects and may be useful in many psychiatric cases.
The claimed benefits of magnesium supplementation range from boosts in everyday wellness — better sleep, increased energy levels and improved mood — to specific health benefits, such as lower blood pressure, reduced risk of heart disease and improvement in migraines.
"Research has shown that magnesium supplementation may affect the brain functions that help lower stress and anxiety," Gorin says. It works by helping your body kick into the "rest and digest" state, or by activating your parasympathetic nervous system.
Magnesium supplements can cause nausea, cramps, and diarrhea. Magnesium supplements often cause softening of stool. Interactions. Magnesium supplements may interact with certain medicines, including diuretics, heart medicines, or antibiotics.
High doses of magnesium from supplements or medications can cause nausea, abdominal cramping and diarrhea. In addition, the magnesium in supplements can interact with some types of antibiotics and other medicines.
Antibiotics: Taking magnesium supplements may reduce the absorption of quinolone antibiotics, tetracycline antibiotics, and nitrofurantoin (Macrodandin). Magnesium should be taken 1 hour before or 2 hours after taking these medications. Quinolone and tetracycline antibiotics include: Ciprofloxacin (Cipro)
Other research from 2017, appearing in the journal PLoS One , found that a 6-week course of magnesium chloride led to a significant reduction in depression and anxiety symptoms.
In addition to those health benefits, magnesium can also aid in weight management. A 2013 study in the Journal of Nutrition found that higher magnesium intake was associated with lower levels of fasting glucose and insulin (markers related to fat and weight gain).
Magnesium malate -- Magnesium malate is a fantastic choice for people suffering from fatigue, since malic acid -- a natural fruit acid present in most cells in the body -- is a vital component of enzymes that play a key role in ATP synthesis and energy production.
According to a review conducted in 2017, one way magnesium helps reduce anxiety is by enhancing brain functions. This same research also suggested that magnesium helps regulate natural brain chemicals, called neurotransmitters. Simply put, these chemicals send messages to the body via nerve cells.
The association between magnesium and depression has been observed in several studies. Some studies have found promising effects of magnesium supplementation in the treatment of depression. A 2017 study found that magnesium supplements improved symptoms of depression in adults.
Magnesium is a cofactor in more than 300 enzyme systems that regulate diverse biochemical reactions in the body, including protein synthesis, muscle and nerve function, blood glucose control, and blood pressure regulation [1-3]. Magnesium is required for energy production, oxidative phosphorylation, and glycolysis.
Magnesium helps to ensure your skin is armoured against external damage as it regulates cellular regeneration and repair. Everyday your skin is under attack from free radicals. This is one of the most important magnesium benefits for skin and hair because it actively helps your skin in terms of protection and recovery.
Magnesium has multiple skin specific benefits ranging from reducing sun damage and repairing cells through to fighting skin allergens and calming sensitivity. It can also help to enhance barrier repair, so plays a role in treating dry, damaged skin.
Every organ in the body, especially the heart, muscles, and kidneys, needs the mineral magnesium. It also contributes to the makeup of teeth and bones.
Hypomagnesemia happens when you have a low level of magnesium, an electrolyte, in your blood. It can be mild or severe and is treatable. It often happens alongside low calcium and potassium levels, which are also electrolytes.