Can you take too much magnesium? High magnesium levels (
At the same time, magnesium interacts with hormones (cortisol, adrenaline) and neurotransmitters (GABA) to minimize anxiety and stress, which can improve sleep quality. Magnesium also seems to regulate the pineal gland's release of melatonin, a hormone essential to making us feel sleepy at the right times.
Does magnesium make you sleepy during the day? 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.
“Most magnesium will stay in the body for anywhere from 12 to 24 hours. So it's not something you can just take once, see results, and then never take again,” explains registered dietitian Amanda Li, R.D.
One of the side effects of magnesium might be drowsiness. In this case, you should consider magnesium supplementation at the end of the day (with dinner) to prevent the midday magnesium slump.
High magnesium levels (hypermagnesemia) can result from taking too many magnesium supplements. It can lead to lethargy, gastrointestinal symptoms, low blood pressure, and cardiac arrest.
Researchers hypothesize that magnesium may relax the central nervous system and cause chemical reactions. View Source in the body that increase sleepiness. Studies suggest that magnesium supplements might help to reverse age-related changes in sleep often seen in older adults.
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.
Taking large or frequent doses of dietary magnesium supplements, including magnesium glycinate, can cause adverse effects, including diarrhea, nausea, and stomach cramps. Extremely high intakes of magnesium can lead to an irregular heartbeat and potentially a cardiac arrest, which can be dangerous.
For most adults, a daily dose of 200-400 milligrams of Magnesium Glycinate is generally considered safe.
Signs of a magnesium overdose can include nausea, diarrhea, low blood pressure, muscle weakness, and fatigue. At very high doses, magnesium can be fatal.
Most experts recommend taking magnesium supplements one to two hours before bed to give them enough time to spur sleepiness and kick-start the body's relaxation response.
Magnesium Glycinate
It's best taken at night before bed. “It's a highly bioavailable form of magnesium (easy to absorb), so you do not need to take it with a meal or worry about running to the bathroom afterward,” she adds.
Magnesium glycerophosphate is the ideal form of magnesium to help boost sleep quality. It helps the body and brain relax by activating the parasympathetic nervous system. Magnesium also help boost the sleep hormone melatonin, which in turn binds to GABA (the neurotransmitter responsible for calming the nervous system).
Early signs of excessive magnesium intake can include low blood pressure, facial flushing, depression, urine retention, and fatigue. Eventually, if untreated, these symptoms can worsen and include muscle weakness, difficulty breathing, irregular heartbeat, and even, in very rare cases, cardiac arrest.
Those still planning to take a magnesium supplement should know that the best magnesium for sleep is magnesium glycinate or magnesium citrate at 200 milligrams, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Magnesium can also reduce physiological symptoms like headaches, muscle pain, back pain, and stomach pain. In addition, magnesium benefits mental health by acting as a mood booster, muscle relaxer, stress reducer, and sleep aid.
This means that magnesium is combined with the amino acid glycine. Overall, the glycinate form absorbs better and is least likely to cause digestive distress. More commonly, you will find magnesium glycinate in capsule form.
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.
How long does it take for magnesium to reduce anxiety? In most cases, magnesium starts working within a week, since it's a fast-acting nutrient. You need to take it consistently to reduce anxiety and help you relax.
Taking magnesium supplements can bring a range of side effects, such as drowsiness or fatigue during the day, muscle weakness, nausea, vomiting, skin flushing or diarrhea, Gurubhagavatula said. Some risks are even more serious.
Because it may help improve the quality and amount of sleep you get, magnesium glycinate may also help decrease daytime fatigue and enhance focus, learning and even information retention/memory.
Dr. Umeda recommends taking the supplement about 30 minutes before bedtime. And don't take more than the recommended amount. More won't help you sleep better, but it may cause stomach upset.