Magnesium: Magnesium — found in whole grains, beans, and dark leafy vegetables like spinach — has been shown to have an effect similar to lithium, the most common bipolar medication. Upping your intake of magnesium, a natural mood stabilizer, may decrease your need for medication.
Magnesium might help. If you find yourself irritable, stressed or downright depressed, this critical mineral may help you get out of your funk. Studies suggest adequate magnesium intake can calm stress, improve mood and enhance sleep.
Adaptogens, exercise, nutrition, meditation or mindfulness, omega-3 fatty acid, and vitamin D are some examples of natural mood stabilizers.
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.
Magnesium blocks the actions of glutamate in the NMDA receptors. If your body is magnesium deficient, it means that few of the NMDA receptors are blocked. This may lead to overexcitation and cell damage. Because of this, it is possible that magnesium may be useful in the treatment and prevention of depression.
Magnesium effects the Hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis in the brain, which controls the stress response system and therefore, anxiety and depression. Tentative data indicate that oral magnesium supplementation may be effective for treating mild to moderate adult depression.
Magnesium is an important mineral that helps maintain a healthy mood. Low levels of magnesium are associated with fatigue, anxiety, and depression. Research shows that adults, as well as children, don't get enough magnesium and that this may be linked to climbing rates of mood and mental health problems.
Conclusion: Administration of Mg supplement for at least 6 weeks might improve depression symptoms. It can also be considered as a potential adjunct treatment option for MDD patients who are under SSRI treatment.
It's thought magnesium helps maintain the neurotransmitters in our brain related to moods. American researchers discovered that when people were given 125-300 mg of magnesium with each meal and at bedtime, they reported improved symptoms of major depression in less than seven days.
Omega-3 fatty acids: found in cold-water fish and certain vegetable oils, and available as a supplement, omega-3 fatty acids are sometimes used to help depression and other psychological problems. Emmons recommends a dose of 2,000 to 4,000 milligrams or more when taken for mood problems.
Magnesium: Magnesium — found in whole grains, beans, and dark leafy vegetables like spinach — has been shown to have an effect similar to lithium, the most common bipolar medication. Upping your intake of magnesium, a natural mood stabilizer, may decrease your need for medication.
The time of day doesn't matter so much—it's the consistency of taking magnesium daily that matters most. While some recommend taking magnesium supplements right before bed (to calm your mind and nervous system, setting the stage for sleep), do what works best for you to ensure that it becomes a daily healthy habit.
The benefits of magnesium supplementation in healthy individuals aren't clear, but Dr. Nassar says that taking a magnesium supplement every day likely isn't unsafe for most people. Just be sure you're not taking too much magnesium. The maximum dietary allowance for most adults is around 400 mg or less.
Neurological functions of magnesium include cellular energy production, regulating neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine and gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA), regulating ion gradients, and neuronal excitability.
Magnesium ions regulate calcium ion flow in neuronal calcium channels, helping to regulate neuronal nitric oxide production. In magnesium deficiency, neuronal requirements for magnesium may not be met, causing neuronal damage which could manifest as depression.
Agitation, irritability, poor self control, reduced attention span, hyperactivity and a hair-trigger temper can occur with low magnesium. Magnesium works as a natural sedative and helps the brain calm down from stress and stimulation.
Cortisol regulation – magnesium calms your nervous system and prevents the creation of excess cortisol, the stress hormone. When your stress hormonal system is in balance, your levels of progesterone, estrogen, testosterone, FSH and LH will be too.
These improvements were seen in just two weeks of supplementation and occurred regardless of whether participants were taking depression medications. Although the results were promising, there were a few limitations to this study.