Magnesium is one of the essential nutrients your child needs to grow up healthy and strong. Magnesium for kids is especially important as their little bodies are going through so much intense development. And its benefits go way beyond the physical too.
Initially, signs of magnesium deficiency in children are loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, fatigue and weakness. When deficiency is severe, symptoms can include numbness, tingling, muscle spasms or cramps, and severe symptoms related to irregular heartbeats and seizures.
In addition to what you get from food, the highest dose you should take of magnesium supplements is: 65 mg/day for children ages 1-3. 110 mg/day for children ages 4-8. 350 mg/day for adults and children ages 9 and up.
Ensuring a child has the correct level of magnesium leads to benefits including: helping with sleep, mood, concentration, energy levels, bone and teeth health, blood sugar levels, bowel regulation, immune system, digestion and absorption of other essential nutrients such as calcium and vitamin D.
Early signs of a deficiency include a loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and weakness. As it becomes more serious, symptoms may include numbness, tingling, muscle contractions or cramps, and extreme symptoms involve irregular heart rhythms and seizures (5).
Vitamin D and magnesium supplementation in children with ADHD was effective on conduct problems, social problems, and anxiety/shy scores compared with placebo intake but did not affect psychosomatic problems scores, significantly.
You'll often hear magnesium being referred to as the calming or relaxing mineral. This is because it has an overall calming effect on the nervous system. So when our kids are wound up, hyperactive or irritable, it can help relieve the symptoms. Magnesium also promotes GABA.
Clinically, I've found magnesium to be very helpful in treating children who are experiencing anxiety and elevated stress.
Magnesium before bed can help your child feel more relaxed and can start to calm down overstimulating or hyperactive behavior, too!
Magnesium L Threonate (or magnesium citrate in those who can only take gummies) are the preparations that has been most studied and show the highest benefit for ADHD, cognition, mood, and anxiety.
Magnesium Improves ADHD Behaviors
In one study, after eight weeks of Vitamin D and magnesium supplementation, the blood levels of these nutrients increased significantly, which resulted in a significant decrease in conduct problems, social problems, and anxiety and shy scores.
Magnesium soothes the central nervous system and acts as a sedative. It helps us fall asleep and stay asleep longer, waking more rested and better able to learn and cope with daily stress. Children's sleep can be disturbed by what are commonly known as 'growing pains'.
“Many forms of magnesium are appropriate for kids, but I typically recommend magnesium citrate,” Evans says. “It is cost-effective and more easily absorbed than many other forms.” Natural Calm Kids is made with magnesium citrate.
ADHD Supplement: Magnesium
A child can safely take 100-300 mg. of elemental magnesium twice daily in the form of magnesium glycinate, citrate, or chelate.
Ideal for kids to help with sleep, growing pains and ADD. Directions: Children (1-3 years) - 1/4 teaspoon daily. Children (4-8 years) - 1/2 teaspoon daily.
The essential B vitamins for combating stress and anxiety are Folate, Vitamin B6, and Vitamin B12. All are water-soluble vitamins found in many foods and supplements.
Magnesium for Relaxation and Sleep
Some small studies8 have shown that adding magnesium supplements decreases some symptoms of ADHD. Magnesium certainly helps with sleep and relaxation — big challenges for adults and children with ADHD — and should be discussed with your doctor.
Taking too much magnesium in supplement form can cause problems like diarrhea and stomach cramps. In very large doses, magnesium can be toxic. The tolerable upper intake level for magnesium in supplement form is 65 mg per day for children ages 1 to 3, and 110 mg per day for children ages 4 to 8.
Finally, supplementing vitamins B and C can also help alleviate ADD and ADHD symptoms. Vitamin C, like zinc, iron, and magnesium, is used to produce neurotransmitters like dopamine. Additionally, vitamin B deficiency is linked to irritability and fatigue in children.
As you know, one trademark of ADHD is low levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine — a chemical released by nerve cells into the brain. Due to this lack of dopamine, people with ADHD are "chemically wired" to seek more, says John Ratey, M.D., professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School in Boston.