Magnesium is a mineral that powers hundreds of physiological processes in the body. If you are deficient in magnesium, you may experience symptoms like poor sleep, low energy, muscle discomfort, etc. Often, people are unaware that these symptoms are due to lack of enough magnesium and the simple solution is to use magnesium supplements.
In the hurried lifestyle of today, understanding why take magnesium supplements is more relevant than ever for optimal health and wellness. A major portion of the global population don't get enough magnesium from their diet alone and that's why incorporating magnesium supplements into your routine is beneficial.
What is Magnesium?
From boosting energy to calming the mind, magnesium is important for about 300 biochemical reactions in the body. It's a foundational nutrient that plays a major role in:
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Energy Production and Metabolism: It's a cofactor in ATP production, which is the body's main energy currency.
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Strong Bone Health and Density: Magnesium works synergistically with calcium and vitamin D to maintain bone structure and strength. Calcium magnesium supplements like Pure Encapsulations Calcium Magnesium Citrate can be useful.
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Healthy Nerve Function and Transmission: It plays a major role in nerve signal conduction. It's important for ensuring proper communication throughout the nervous system.
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Proper Muscle Relaxation and Recovery: Magnesium is important for both muscle contraction and relaxation. Thus, it's important to prevent cramps and useful in post-exercise recovery.
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Protein Synthesis and DNA: This mineral is crucial for synthesis of proteins, nucleic acids, and amino acids. So, it has a much more beneficial role for muscular health.
Benefits of Magnesium Supplements
Some of the magnesium supplements' benefits are:
Better Sleep Quality
By regulating the GABA neurotransmitters, magnesium helps with relaxation. It also impacts melatonin production for deep sleep. If you are looking for sleep support, you can consider magnesium sleep support options like Magnesium Bisglycinate and Magnesium Threonate. They are known for their calming properties and ability to supply a healthy sleep cycle.
Stress and Anxiety
Being an important mineral for the nervous system, magnesium is useful to reduce stress and anxiety. It interacts with stress hormones to calm your mind to relieve anxiety. For example, taking a calm magnesium supplement can be gentle and effective to combat everyday stressors.
Muscle Function
Magnesium is a natural calcium blocker. It helps your muscles relax properly after every contraction. Both contraction and relaxation are important for muscle building, repair, and recovery. Those who lead an active lifestyle can get relief from muscular cramps effective with highly bio available magnesium dietary supplements.
Heart Health
Magnesium is important for maintaining a healthy heart rhythm and it plays an important role in vasodilation. It supports healthy blood pressure levels. Magnesium and potassium supplements are useful in this case. Magnesium complex supplements contain different types of magnesium and can be useful for a comprehensive heart health support.
Metabolism
For insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism, magnesium is a valuable nutrient. It plays an important role in glucose metabolism. It may help improve insulin sensitivity and healthy blood sugar level management for people with type 2 diabetes.
Bone Health
By impacting the activities of osteoblasts and osteoclasts, magnesium is important for bone formation.
What are the Signs That You May Need Magnesium Supplements?
Often, magnesium deficiency shows up as symptoms like:
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Muscle cramps and spasms
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Fatigue and weakness
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Nausea and vomiting
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Loss of appetite
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Abnormal heart rhythms
The reasons why you may have a magnesium deficiency are:
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Inadequate dietary intake
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Gastrointestinal diseases
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Alcohol dependence
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Use of certain medications
Other underlying health conditions
Generally, magnesium deficiency is identified through blood test. When your doctor suspects that you may have magnesium deficiency, they may order a blood test to find out the serum levels. If the serum levels show as below 0.4 mmol/L, your doctor may call it a deficiency of magnesium and recommend magnesium supplements to address it.
Who Can Benefit from Magnesium Supplements?
The following populations can get adequate levels of magnesium with the use of magnesium supplements:
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Elderly Individuals: In old age, people may not take a proper diet and this can cause a deficiency. Further, poor absorption due to aging adds to the deficiency.
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Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women: During pregnancy and lactation, magnesium demands increase. Taking magnesium supplements at this stage, after consulting an expert, can keep up your energy levels.
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Physically Active Individuals: The magnesium content in muscle stores can decline when you engage in physical activities and sweat more. Supplementing with magnesium can be especially beneficial to improve energy during exercise. It can also support muscle repair and recovery.
Other individuals who have health conditions that don't allow their body to absorb magnesium from their diet may also find magnesium supplements to be useful. However, you have to check with your healthcare provider and discuss your health to make the right decision.
What Type of Magnesium Supplement is Best?
Different types of magnesium supplements are available and they can be useful for various purposes:
Form of Magnesium
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Common Benefits and Uses
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Magnesium citrate
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Increases magnesium levels, soothes constipation, may alleviate mild mood-related issues.
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Magnesium oxide
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Works for acid reflux, bloating, and constipation, occasionally used for migraine relief.
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Magnesium chloride
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To address magnesium deficiency, a laxative, and might relax muscles when applied topically on the skin.
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Magnesium lactate
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Restores magnesium levels, gentle on digestion, may ease feelings of stress or anxiety.
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Magnesium malate
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Boosts magnesium intake, generally easier to digest than other forms.
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Magnesium taurate
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May help to regulate blood sugar and blood pressure, possibly benefits the heart.
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Magnesium L-threonate
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Could promote brain health, memory improvement, and relieve low mood or mental exhaustion.
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Magnesium sulfate
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Applied in baths to relax, alleviate stress, and relieve constipation.
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Magnesium glycinate
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Relaxes the body and mind, frequently used for sleep problems, anxiety, low mood, and muscle relaxation.
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Magnesium orotate
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Supports the heart, enhances cellular energy in heart cells, and preferred by athletes.
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What is the Best Magnesium Supplement for Muscles?
If you are wondering what do magnesium supplements do for active individuals, the answer lies in the role of the mineral in expanding and contracting muscles. It helps the muscles relax after a contraction so that you get better benefits from your exercises.
Athletes prefer magnesium glycinate, magnesium chloride, and magnesium sulfate to help with their muscles. The oral magnesium glycinate supplement is highly bioavailable and gentle on the stomach. Magnesium sulfate is available as bath salts, popularly called as epsom salts. After a long exercise session, you can soak in water with epsom salts for relaxation.
How to Choose the Best Magnesium Supplements?
There are different kinds of magnesium supplements and the right one for you depends on the following factors:
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Form: Magnesium supplements are available in different forms – capsules, liquid, powder, chewables. For example, Pure Encapsulations has Magnesium Glycinate in both liquid and capsule forms. Some topical oils with magnesium can be useful to soothe achy muscles. Choose a form that is more convenient for you to take consistently.
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Health Goals: Choose magnesium supplements for health goals. For example, if you want supplements to support your exercise routines, go for magnesium glycinate ones.
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Brand: Ensure that the supplement brand you choose has a good reputation. Look for brands that assure safety and potency through third-party testing.
FAQs
1. What is the best magnesium supplement for women?
Magnesium glycinate may be a suitable choice for women for enhanced energy and lean body mass. At Nutriessential, we have high quality magnesium glycinate supplements. We also feature women's multivitamins with this form of magnesium.
2. What is the best magnesium supplement for weight loss?
Though magnesium supplements do not cause weight loss per se, they can help you enhance your energy and get better exercise outcomes. Magnesium citrate and magnesium malate are easier to digest and provide some metabolic advantage.
3. What is the best magnesium supplement for sleeplessness?
The most popular magnesium supplement for sleep is magnesium glycinate. It enhances GABA control and helps to relax you, allowing you to sleep better. It's a favorite evening supplement.