Magnesium is a salient mineral that helps your body build bones and muscles, keep nerves and heart functioning properly, improve muscle health and even lower your risk of diabetes. You can have magnesium from dietary sources such as nuts and dark leafy greens, but many people don’t get enough from their diet alone.

A daily magnesium supplement may help you reach your recommended allowance for this critical mineral.

Benefits of taking magnesium supplements

Magnesium supplements are an excellent way to get the correct amount of magnesium in your diet. They’re also easy to take and may help relieve symptoms such as muscle cramps and spasms, headaches, fatigue and insomnia. Here are other ways how magnesium supplements help you.

• Magnesium helps with muscle health, nerve function, and heart health. Magnesium is an essential mineral that helps with at least 300 biochemical reactions in the body, including those critical to muscle health and nervous system function. It’s so vital that it’s required by every single cell in your body. Magnesium is needed for optimal energy production and to help maintain a healthy heart rhythm and blood pressure levels.

• Magnesium also contributes to bone health; studies show that people with higher magnesium intake have stronger bones and fewer fractures than those who consume less of the mineral.

• Magnesium supplements are essential for older adults because they need higher magnesium levels, and people tend to eat less as they age.

• Taking magnesium can be a great way to help you get better sleep quality, but it can have the opposite effect (by keeping you awake) if taken too late in the day. Magnesium, as a natural muscle relaxer, can get you to relax and get comfortable in bed, making it less challenging for you to fall asleep.

• Magnesium can also help with muscle cramps. If you have frequent leg or back cramps at night, taking this vital nutrient may be helpful for that as well!

• Magnesium can help in blood sugar control and acid reflux by reducing the insulin produced by the pancreas.

• Magnesium can also help with constipation and high cholesterol because it increases bowel movements, leading to more frequent waste elimination through the stool.

Who should consider taking a magnesium supplement?

People who don’t get adequate magnesium in their diet should take a magnesium supplement. Magnesium deficiency is common and can cause:

• muscle cramps and weakness

• constipation

• high blood pressure

• heart arrhythmias

• anxiety and depression

Severe magnesium deficiency can lead to seizures, nausea, and vomiting. It has also been associated with chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes and osteoporosis. It’s unclear if magnesium supplements are effective at preventing these conditions, though they may be beneficial for people with a history of these health issues.

Take this test to measure the magnesium level in your blood.

Low levels of magnesium are typical in people with chronic diarrhoea or malabsorption disorders such as celiac disease. People with kidney failure, diabetes, alcoholism or eating disorders may need a magnesium supplement.

Types of magnesium supplement

Magnesium supplements have many different types, including:

• Magnesium oxide is often used in multivitamins because it’s cheap and highly absorbable. However, it may cause diarrhoea or stomach cramping if taken at higher doses than recommended.

• Magnesium citrate is among the most common types of magnesium supplements. Your body quickly absorbs it to raise magnesium levels and treat constipation.

• Magnesium chloride is another magnesium supplement, but it’s not water-soluble. This means it’s not absorbed well in the intestines and may cause gastrointestinal side effects in some people. Magnesium chloride is often used to treat constipation because it helps soften stool. It is often used as a topical treatment for burns or muscle soreness. Magnesium chloride is also available as an oral supplement, but it may cause diarrhoea and stomach cramping if taken at higher doses than recommended. Magnesium chloride is typically sold as a liquid or powder; however, some brands sell capsules that contain this form of magnesium.

• Magnesium glycinate is often appreciated for its calming effects in treating insomnia, anxiety, and depression. However, research supporting its efficacy for such conditions is limited.

Magnesium is also in the form of a laxative or antacid. This type of magnesium is used to treat constipation and other digestive problems. It’s also given to people who have overdosed on a different kind of calcium, such as calcium carbonate.

When choosing a magnesium supplement, it’s essential to choose one that has been tested for quality and purity.

They can also be found with other nutrients, including calcium or potassium. Magnesium is often used with calcium and vitamin D for bone health because these nutrients are essential for strong bones.

How to take a magnesium supplement

The required magnesium daily depends on age, sex, and other factors.

It’s best to take it with food or drink, such as juice or coffee, to get the full benefits of magnesium. You can also take it without food if you’re experiencing diarrhoea or vomiting. If you take your magnesium supplement on an empty stomach, be sure to have a lot of water liquids throughout the day to avoid dehydration.

• Be careful not to take more than 350 milligrams (mg) of magnesium at once. Its recommended daily allowance is 300 mg for women and 320 mg for men.

• Don’t take this supplement if you have kidney disease unless your doctor says it’s OK.

• The best time to take magnesium is before bed or after a meal. Magnesium is absorbed best with food, so if you take it at bedtime, eat dinner first. You can also take it during the day, but it may be best to take it with food.

Is it OK to take magnesium supplements while taking other medications?

Some drugs can interfere with the absorption of magnesium and cause side effects. If you’re taking one of these medications, you must follow up with your doctor before taking any supplements.

• NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), such as naproxen and ibuprofen, can reduce the absorption of magnesium by 50%. This can cause side effects, including abdominal pain and diarrhoea. For this reason, it’s best to separate taking NSAIDs from taking magnesium by several hours.

• Diuretics (water pills) are treatments for high blood pressure and heart failure. If you’re taking a diuretic, wait at least six hours after taking it before taking a magnesium supplement. This will give you enough time to absorb the supplement and let it work throughout your body while you sleep. Diuretics cause your kidneys to excrete potassium and sodium, so taking them when taking magnesium could increase how much water leaves your body through urination, which can lead to dehydration.

• Antibiotics, especially those with a long list of side effects or ones prescribed for an extended period, can also affect your body’s ability to absorb magnesium by preventing it from being absorbed in your small intestine or by reducing the amount of magnesium in your blood. This means that if you take an antibiotic when taking a magnesium supplement, it might not work as well as it should. Antibiotics can also damage the good bacteria in your body, which is beneficial for your health. If you’re taking an antibiotic and are considering taking magnesium, wait at least two weeks after finishing the course of medication before starting to take a supplement. Some people may also experience stomach upset when taking magnesium with antibiotics, but this shouldn’t last longer than a day or two.

• Calcium supplements and Vitamin D supplements can also make magnesium less effective, so it’s best to wait a minimum of two hours after taking your calcium supplement before taking your magnesium. You may also want to consider switching brands or types of calcium or Vitamin D if they’re not working well with your magnesium levels.

• Stomach acid reducers like proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) or H2 blockers (also called histamine two receptor antagonists) can reduce the absorption of magnesium by your body. You may also experience increased bowel movements when taking these medications, which can cause loose stools and diarrhoea, making magnesium less effective. These medications reduce the acid in your stomach, essential for breaking down food to absorb nutrients. If you take these medications and experience magnesium-related symptoms, talk to your doctor about reducing or stopping them.

Safety of magnesium supplements

Magnesium supplements are generally safe when taken at recommended levels. However:

• High doses can cause diarrhoea, dehydration, nausea and vomiting, dizziness or light-headedness, weakness, and other side effects.

• Magnesium is not suitable for use by those with kidney failure or cardiovascular disease.

• It may also interact with certain medications, including antacids that contain calcium carbonate (like Tums) or calcium-containing drugs like antibiotics (such as gentamicin).

• Taking certain diuretics (medications that increase urination) alongside magnesium may increase your risk of kidney problems due to the loss of potassium in the urine.

• While generally safe, you should take magnesium cautiously if pregnant or breastfeeding.

• Magnesium supplements may also cause a laxative effect, so speak with your doctor if you have any digestive problems before taking them.

There’s no evidence that magnesium supplements are unsafe for most people. However, if you have kidney disease or other medical conditions, it may be best to talk with your doctor before taking them.

Because there haven’t been many studies on the safety of long-term use of magnesium supplements, it isn’t clear how much is safe for children or pregnant women.

Other ways of preventing and treating magnesium deficiency

Magnesium supplements are not the only way to prevent and treat low magnesium levels. You can gain more magnesium and stay healthy if you:

• Consume a diet rich in whole grains and green leafy vegetables rich in magnesium. Other magnesium-rich foods are:

  • seaweed

  • nuts

  • beans

  • lentils

  • dark chocolate

  • spinach

  • avocado

  • almonds

  • cashews

• Drink plenty of water. This will help your body absorb magnesium from food sources or supplements more efficiently. Dehydration can also trigger a loss of magnesium in your body.

• Get plenty of exercises to assist your body in getting rid of toxins that may be depleting the body’s stores of this vital mineral. When you sweat during physical activity or your body digests junk food that you eat too often, these processes can leach magnesium from your body.

• Take an oral supplement if you don’t get enough through diet alone (consult your doctor).

• Magnesium is available in topical applications, such as lotions, bath soaks, or bath flakes.

Check the amount of magnesium in your blood by using this test.

The takeaway

Magnesium is a naturally occurring mineral necessary for many bodily functions. Magnesium plays a role in keeping calcium balanced, supporting muscle contraction and relaxation, and controlling blood pressure levels normal. Most people fail to get enough magnesium in their diet, which is why magnesium supplementation is an easy method to get your daily recommended allowance of this essential mineral. However, you should be aware that taking too much magnesium might cause stomach discomfort or diarrhoea. If you are experiencing these side effects or other issues with your health, talk to your doctor about getting tested for low blood levels of this vital nutrient!

To determine the amount of magnesium present in your blood, consider taking this test.

Read more about the 11 warning signs of a magnesium deficiency and the magnesium benefits for women here at Welzo!