The Benefits of Magnesium | Supplements for Mamas

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Magnesium has been in my life for years and years. Way back before I had kids, which isn’t really THAT long ago, but it feels like it to me. I first started using it in epsom salt form in baths. I love a warm, soothing bath. I’ve written before about how I love epsom salts for my kids’ baths and to combat sickness. It’s a staple in my home.

After epsom salts, I eventually started trying pill forms. I learned more about their benefits while working in the front office of a primary care office. The nutritionalist came to our office for appointments on certain days of the month and had her supply of preferred supplements. When they were close to expiration, when they were still good, but she couldn’t sell them, we got to have them. I can’t remember if she gave them to us, or if we just got a wholesale price. She told me all about the benefits of magnesium, and I started taking them, and never looked back.

What is Magnesium?

Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in our bodies. So, maybe it’s important? The body does not produce magnesium, and so we need to get it through diet and supplementation. Magnesium-rich foods include:

• dark leafy greens
• nuts and seeds
• broccoli and squash
• legumes
• meat
• unprocessed whole grains
• chocolate (yum!)
• coffee

Magnesium helps transport essential minerals that allow proper muscle and nerve function, regulates blood pressure, cholesterol production, and guards against bone loss. It functions as an electrolyte, allowing your body to stay better hydrated, and helps your body’s stress-response system, lowering or even relieving stress.

What are the Benefits of Magnesium?

When at optimum levels, magnesium can stabilize mood, reduce stress, promote better sleep, and increase heart and bone health as well.

Sleep: Low levels of magnesium can cause restless sleep, frequent waking, and difficulty falling asleep. Insomnia is a common sign of magnesium deficiency. Healthy levels can promote deeper, more sound sleep, as well as help restless-leg syndrome, that also disrupts sleep.

Stress and Mood: Healthy magnesium levels also help regulate the stress-response system within our bodies. It promotes a healthy level of GABA, a neurotransmitter, that helps our bodies relax and reduces anxiety. Lower stress and anxiety helps balance out our mood.

Bone health: As one of the top minerals in our body, magnesium is a part of the bone formation process, as well as maintaining bone density. It supports the process of using calcium and Vitamin D to build strong bones, as well as helping to improve bone mass. This means that as we age, magnesium becomes even more important for our health.

Heart Health: As a muscle function regulator, magnesium also plays a part in the health of our hearts. It aids in maintaining a healthy rhythm, regulating blood pressure, and the production of cholesterol.

Pain Relief/Anti-inflammatory: Magnesium deficiency is linked to headaches and migraines, an increase in symptoms for people with fibromyalgia, increased PMS symptoms, and muscle tension/fatigue.

Constipation: Another use to magnesium is increasing bowel movements. Especially depending on which form of magnesium that you take. Some of the forms are less easily absorbed by the body, and therefore will flush your system out, helping you to stay more regular.

At a Glance:

• anti-inflammatory/pain relieving
• bone health
• heart health
• stress reducer/mood lifter
• sleep-promoting
• relieve constipation

My Preferred Method/Brands

As I said above, there are multiple versions of magnesium. Here are a few that I have used over the years:

• Magnesium oxide – poorly absorbed by the body, so is mainly used for its laxative effect for constipation, and not for increasing levels of magnesium.
  
• Magnesium citrate – bound with citric acid and one of the most available forms in supplements. Believed to be one of the most absorbable forms for your body. It has a natural laxative effect, making it great for treating constipation.
  
• Magnesium chloride – Well absorbed and great for multiply uses. Helps treat low magnesium levels, heartburn, and constipation. Commonly found in lotion and spray form that can be used for muscle soreness. (See below about using with kids!)
  
• Magnesium glycinate – Easily absorbed into the body and has calming properties. Does not cause the same laxative effect as some other forms, and helps improve overall magnesium levels.
  
• Magnesium sulfate – Epsom salt. can be taken for constipation, but is not very tasty. Great for hot baths to relax, soak tired muscles, and relieve stress.

Magnesium oxide and citrate are the two you will find most on the shelves of stores selling supplements. They do have a laxative effect, so you will have to experiment with dosing. Some sources suggest slowly increasing your dosage until you start having a laxative effect and then back off the dosage slightly until it stops.

I personally, prefer to simply take magnesium glycinate, which does not have the laxative effect. Then I don’t have to worry about taking too much and being in the bathroom all day! Magnesium glycinate is also the form that the nutritionalist all those years ago sung praises about to me. She told me it was the best method for supplementation without the uncomfortable side effects. I take a pill version that I leave in my bathroom, and take it each night before bed.

I also have a love of Natural Vitality Calm powders. It is magnesium citrate, so it is easily absorbed, but does have a laxative effect in large amounts. It’s a powder that easily mixes into water, or a drink of your choice. It comes in multiple flavors, and all have a sour aftertaste. So if you don’t like sour/tart drinks, this may not be the one for you. I had heard about it for years, but then heard even more about it when first pregnant. It is often suggested to pregnant women for relieving constipation, reducing tension, increasing sleep, and helping with restless-leg syndrome and achy muscles.

Magnesium spray and lotion are both also staples in my house. Both are magnesium chloride. I first started using magnesium spray for my restless-leg syndrome years ago. It helped relax my legs so that I could fall asleep. The down side to magnesium spray is that it can have a weird tingling or itchy feeling. Some say the more sensation, the more depleted your levels of magnesium are currently. I’m not sure if that’s true, but the spray always leaves my skin tingling. Sometimes in a not pleasant way. But, that same tingling often helped my mind shift focus away from the restless-leg feeling, allowing me to fall asleep, so it was worth it to me. Magnesium lotion is the same thing, but magnesium chloride in a lotion. There isn’t a tingling or discomfort in my experience, but it still helps tired and achy muscles.

I always have epsom salts in the house. For me, the kids, for fighting sickness, fatigue, self-care, and more. I cannot recommend them enough. I have never personally taken them for constipation purposes, though the directions are always right there on the container.

Beneficial for Kids Too

Epsom salts are great for kids. They make baths more fun, they increase levels of a much-needed mineral, they help the body fight off illness, and they easy achy, growing muscles. My kids beg to pour epsom salts into their baths.

The lotion is great for growing pains. Once my kids started getting old enough for growing pains, I wanted something to help them with the discomfort. I did NOT want to use magnesium spray since I knew it can have an uncomfortable feeling and would not subject my children to that when young. They can choose if that’s a method they like when they are older and more aware. Lotion gives me the same options, while also making “medicine” more fun for my kids. I can give them a nice massage with their lotion on their legs and feet before bedtime to help relieve the tension from the day.

For my oldest, who fights constipation, we mix Natural Vitality Calm drink into water or juice (it also comes in gummy form). He actually likes putting the powder in and mixing it up. I call it medicine, and though he hates basically ALL medicine, he will actually take this one. It helps he stay more regular, and go more easily when he needs.

So there you have it, my rant on magnesium. I may have a crush on magnesium. I may geek out when I talk about it as well. But I simply feel like it is such a powerhouse of help for our bodies, that I cannot stop singing its praises. I’m thankful to have found it through my journey, and to have easy access to multiple forms. Find what works for you mama, and take a stand for your health.

4 of My Favorite Supplements for Mamas

1. Collagen
2. Magnesium
3. Quality Probiotic
4. Maca Root

Do you take magnesium?

DISCLAIMER: Simply Holly Jo and its materials are not intended to treat, diagnose, cure or prevent any disease. All material on Simply Holly Jo is provided for educational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified healthcare provider for any questions you have regarding a medical condition, and before undertaking any diet, exercise or other health-related programs.