Magnificent Magnesium
By Faith Haney, PostGlo Student Intern
Sleepytime cocktail, anyone? There’s a good chance you’ve come across someone online who swears by their evening magnesium-boosted beverage to get a good night’s sleep or have heard that taking magnesium supplements can ease your stress, but is the hype real?
Why is magnesium important?
Magnesium is a mineral that is necessary for more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body and is particularly important for maintaining a healthy cardiovascular system, nerve function, protein synthesis, muscle function, blood sugar control, brain health, bone development, and immune health. Ensuring adequate levels of magnesium is crucial for chronic disease prevention, as low magnesium has been associated with stroke, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, migraines, insomnia, Alzheimer's disease, and type 2 diabetes (Volpe, 2013).
How much do I need and what foods can I get it from?
The recommended daily intake of magnesium is 320 mg for adult women and 420 for adult men, with requirements of about 350-360 mg during pregnancy (National Institutes of Health, 2022). Signs and symptoms of low magnesium include nausea, reduced appetite, fatigue, muscle cramps, abnormal heart rhythm, or numbness in the arms and legs (Shmerling, 2025). Those with gastrointestinal disease or type 2 diabetes, people taking medications like diuretics, frequent consumers of alcohol, and older adults are more susceptible to magnesium deficiency due to lower absorption.
Dietary sources of magnesium include green leafy vegetables like spinach, chard, and artichokes; nuts and seeds like pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, almonds, cashews, and peanuts; legumes like black beans, soybeans, and kidney beans; whole grains like oats, brown rice, and whole wheat bread; and dark chocolate (National Institutes of Health, 2022). Eating a balanced and varied diet that regularly includes magnesium-rich foods can help you meet your needs, but reach out to a dietitian if you have concerns about your magnesium intake.
What about magnesium supplements?
Unless you have a suspected or diagnosed magnesium deficiency or a health condition that increases your requirements, taking a supplement is not necessary as long as you are regularly consuming sources of magnesium through your diet. However, magnesium supplementation can be beneficial for certain populations. Research has shown that supplementation with magnesium may improve mental well-being by alleviating symptoms of depression and anxiety along with modulating the body’s stress response and decreasing cortisol levels (Fatima et al., 2024; Pickering et al., 2020). In addition, some evidence suggests that magnesium supplementation can improve sleep quality by supporting circadian rhythms (Arab et al., 2023). Considering the relatively high safety of supplementation, taking magnesium before bedtime may be something to explore for those experiencing sleep difficulties. Furthermore, magnesium can also help relieve sore muscles or cramping, and some forms of supplements can ease constipation (Tarsitano et al., 2024).
There are a variety of magnesium supplements on the market, but which type is best? Each form of magnesium has its own advantages and drawbacks, so be sure to consider your individual needs, preferences, and budget. The most common types include:
Magnesium glycinate: assists in improving sleep quality and reducing anxiety
Magnesium citrate: a powerful laxative that can relieve constipation
Magnesium oxide: can be taken for indigestion, constipation, and migraine relief
While magnesium supplementation is generally safe for those with normal kidney function, be wary of consuming over 350 mg from supplements (not including dietary sources), which can result in diarrhea, nausea, and stomach cramping as well as place stress on the kidneys (National Institutes of Health, 2022). Too much magnesium from food is typically not a problem, as the kidney is able to eliminate the excess. As always, consult your physician before starting any supplement to ensure it is the right thing for you.
In conclusion, magnesium is a vital nutrient for numerous systems in the body, as evidenced by the wide-reaching health benefits that have been associated with its intake. Due to its presence in a large variety of foods, supplementation is usually not necessary, though it can provide additional benefits like reducing stress and improving sleep for certain individuals.
References
Arab, A., Rafie, N., Amani, R., & Shirani, F. (2023). The role of magnesium in sleep health: a systematic review of available literature. Biological trace element research, 201(1), 121-128.
Fatima, G., Dzupina, A., B Alhmadi, H., Magomedova, A., Siddiqui, Z., Mehdi, A., & Hadi, N. (2024). Magnesium Matters: A Comprehensive Review of Its Vital Role in Health and Diseases. Cureus, 16(10), e71392. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.71392
National Institutes of Health. (2022). Magnesium. National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Magnesium-HealthProfessional/
Pickering, G., Mazur, A., Trousselard, M., Bienkowski, P., Yaltsewa, N., Amessou, M., ... & Pouteau, E. (2020). Magnesium status and stress: the vicious circle concept revisited. Nutrients, 12(12), 3672.
Shmerling, R. H. (2025). What can magnesium do for you and how much do you need?. Harvard Health.