Magnesium Glycinate: Benefits, Uses & Dosage for Anxiety

Magnesium is vital to your body, yet studies show that many people have a magnesium deficiency and they are not aware of it. Your age and gender are the primary determinants of your recommended dietary allowance for magnesium, but 310 mg to 420 mg per day is a healthy range for many individuals. However, it would be best to confirm this on a recommended dietary allowance chart or consult your healthcare provider.

Magnesium plays a vital role in several diverse biochemical reactions. A good magnesium intake can help prevent migraines, improve bone health, reduce the risk of getting type two diabetes, stroke, and cardiovascular diseases. It could also help in lowering blood pressure.

Magnesium Glycinate is one of the supplements that is used to boost the level of magnesium in individuals who have a magnesium deficiency. This is because it is easily absorbed and tolerated by your body. Discussed is everything you need to know about magnesium, its benefits, uses, and dosage for anxiety.

What is Magnesium Glycinate?

Most individuals are aware that magnesium is a mineral and they need it but may not be aware of just how essential magnesium is for their bodies. A considerable percentage of the population does not take the recommended amount of magnesium, which puts them at risk of having a magnesium deficiency.

Naturally, everyone’s body contains magnesium. However, you need to supplement it in your diet for the proper amount needed in your body. For instance, magnesium is present in food like fish, wheat, nuts, legumes, fruits seeds, seaweed, unrefined grains, and dark leafy green vegetables.

Unprocessed foods are the best source of magnesium. Unfortunately, a lot of food these days is processed or grown in soils that do not contain vital nutrients, so some products may lack magnesium and other crucial minerals.

Luckily, there are plenty of magnesium supplements you can take to boost the magnesium level in your body.

Magnesium supplements are available in different forms, such as capsules, drinkable powder, magnesium cream, magnesium oil, Epsom salts, and capsules. These are all safe to take and pretty easy to add to your diet or daily routine.

Benefits of Magnesium Glycinate

Magnesium glycinate has several benefits, especially for individuals with anxiety. Some of the benefits of magnesium glycinate include:

Less Unpleasant Side Effects

Most forms of magnesium have very unpleasant side effects. Magnesium glycinate unlike other forms is more gentle on your stomach.

Help you Sleep Better

One of the symptoms of magnesium deficiency is insomnia, so some individuals take magnesium because it helps them sleep.

People with an anxiety disorder often experience fatigue and are more likely to struggle with sleep because they experience muscle weakness due to magnesium deficiency.

There are two ways that magnesium helps individuals sleep faster. It can ease stress and induce muscle relaxation, which will help put you to sleep.

It also promotes a healthy circadian rhythm, which helps your body get into a natural sleep cycle, meaning you will wake up feeling well-rested.

Makes you Happier

Taking magnesium helps increase the GABA levels in your brain, which makes you happier while it also helps with your anxiety.

GABA is a brain neurotransmitter that balances your mood and calms your mind. Therefore, when your GABA levels are low, you will begin to experience depression and anxiety symptoms.

Luckily, an increase in the intake of magnesium can help fix this.

Helps with Migraines

Another result of magnesium deficiency is headaches and migraines.

Taking a magnesium glycinate supplement can help by providing individuals with nutritional support for headaches and migraines. Essentially, this means that when your magnesium levels are boosted, you will not experience headaches and migraines as often.

Promotes Bone Health

Usually, many individuals take calcium to promote their bone health, but magnesium is just as vital.

Magnesium also helps in forming your bones, meaning a sufficient magnesium intake will help you have healthier and stronger bones.

Reduces Internal Inflammation

Magnesium can help reduce high levels of internal inflammation since they often cause depression and anxiety. Inflammation can be caused by a range of things, such as poor feeding habits and chronic stress. Therefore, when you take magnesium, you can lower your inflammation, which positively impacts your anxiety.

Controls Blood Sugar Levels

Controlling your blood sugar level and ensuring that it stays at the expected level is not the easiest thing. However, magnesium can help you do this. As stated earlier, magnesium can help prevent you from getting type 2 diabetes, so taking magnesium supplements or food rich in magnesium can make a significant difference.

Basically, magnesium aids in breaking down sugar, meaning that insulin resistance will be decreased.

Reduces Cortisol Levels

Cortisol is the stress hormone in your body, and magnesium can help in decreasing it. Low cortisol levels make sense since it is a normal body reaction and it is also a defense mechanism. However, when there is a high level of cortisol in your body, it will get into your brain and contribute to anxiety. But when you take magnesium, it not only helps you calm down but also prevents cortisol from getting into your brain, meaning that it will prevent you from experiencing anxiety.

Helps Improve your Memory

According to studies, magnesium glycinate can help improve your memory and also reduce daytime sleepiness.

Reduces Tension Caused by Depression and Anxiety

Often, magnesium deficiency causes one to have tense muscles, and many individuals who have anxiety have tense muscles.

However, taking magnesium can help relax tense muscles, which in turn helps manage your anxiety. It can also help reduce those muscles twitches you may be experiencing as a result of magnesium deficiency.

Magnesium glycinate can also be used to reduce pain, amplify exercise performance, reduce PMS symptoms, maintain normal heart rhythms, and so much more. Magnesium supplements can also help improve specific conditions such as chronic fatigue syndrome, and fibromyalgia.

Magnesium Glycinate Dosage

If you have a magnesium deficiency, a healthcare provider may recommend a supplement to help boost your magnesium levels. However, you do not necessarily need a prescription, and if you have anxiety, you can get magnesium glycinate to help calm you. Magnesium glycinate is available in powder, liquid, and capsules, and even magnesium gummies, so you will pick what best suits you.

As with most supplements, you do not need to have a prescription to purchase magnesium glycinate. There are several brands you can select from too. It would be best to take your supplements with food since this will help reduce your stomach upset.

However, you should speak with your healthcare provider to advise you if the magnesium glycinate can interact with your anxiety medication. Below is the recommended daily dosage for magnesium

• children between the age of one to three years should take 65 mg
• children aged between four to eight should take 110 mg
• everyone aged above eight years should take 350 mg

The Side Effects of Taking Magnesium Glycinate

There are several health benefits associated with taking magnesium. However, there are also some disadvantages of taking magnesium. Some of the most common side effects of magnesium supplements include digestive upset, cramping, and diarrhea. It is worth stating that magnesium glycinate does not cause digestive upset even when you take it in high doses and has relatively fewer side effects than the other supplements.

While magnesium glycinate is generally safe for adults, it would help if you consult your healthcare provider first before taking the supplement. They will advise you on the appropriate dosage based on your needs. Below are a few precautions you should take before you start taking magnesium glycinate.

• Suppose you are on anxiety medication, antibiotics, or any other medication for that matter. In that case, it will help to consult your healthcare provider to find out whether they may interact with your medication or not.
• If you have a kidney problem or a heart problem, consult with your healthcare provider before taking magnesium supplements.
• Purchase your supplements from a reputable source since the FDA does not review the efficacy or safety of supplements.
• Ensure that you check the amount of elemental magnesium contained in the supplement before buying it.

Effects of Excessive Magnesium in Your Body

There are multiple downsides to having magnesium deficiency, but what about people who have excessive magnesium? Well, for starters, it is rare to find an individual who has excessive magnesium since your kidneys naturally get rid of the excess.

If you are healthy and are not deficient in magnesium but would still like to take the supplements for their several health benefits, you can monitor your intake. You can also monitor your intake of the different magnesium-rich foods you take. All the same, some symptoms of excessive magnesium in your body include:

• cardiac arrest in severe cases
• muscle weakness
• irregular heartbeat
• facial flushing
• vomiting
• nausea
• low blood pressure

Magnesium Citrate Vs. Magnesium Glycinate for Anxiety

Another source of magnesium that is commonly recommended is magnesium citrate. However, it is worth mentioning that magnesium citrate has a mild laxative effect, making it a better choice for when you have constipation.

If you would like a supplement that can help with your anxiety, then the right choice is magnesium glycinate, and as discussed, it has a lesser chance of causing diarrhea than other types of magnesium. Since it also has a high absorbency rate, many experts often choose it for treating magnesium deficiency. Besides, it also has a calming effect which is suitable for individuals dealing with anxiety.

Usually, your specific needs will dictate what type of magnesium you need. Generally, magnesium glycinate and magnesium citrate would be excellent choices to use as a supplement if you are deficient in magnesium. But if you are specifically looking for something to help with your anxiety, magnesium glycinate is your best bet.

Who Should Not Take Magnesium Supplements

Although it is not common, individuals can have magnesium overdose, known as hypermagnesemia. This is rare in healthy individuals but more common in individuals who have kidney disease. That is why it is necessary to consult your healthcare provider if you have kidney disease before you start taking magnesium supplements.

Naturally, the kidneys usually get rid of excess magnesium and regulate the magnesium balance in your body, hence why it is almost impossible for healthy individuals to have hypermagnesemia. There are serious side effects to overdosing on magnesium like coma, slow breathing, and in some severe cases, death.

Can You Take Too Much Magnesium?

It is worth mentioning that such an overdose can only happen when an individual takes thousands of magnesium milligrams daily. While it is unlikely that one may die from taking double or triple the dosage of the recommended intake, you still need to be extra careful about your daily magnesium dosage. It would be best to refer to the recommended daily allowance of magnesium.

Magnesium is the main ingredient in several laxatives and some prescription drugs. You may not overdose from magnesium supplements or foods rich in it, but you may experience severe hypermagnesemia from taking laxatives that have magnesium for an extended period. This is more likely to happen to individuals who have a renal problem. Since they do not have fully functional kidneys, it is hard for them to clear the excess magnesium from their bodies. It would be best to talk to your healthcare provider before getting any supplements if you have an existing medical condition or are taking any medication.

If you are on anxiety medication, there is a chance that magnesium supplements could interact with your anxiety medication. Therefore, consulting your physician will help you know whether the supplements are right for you, if you can take the medication together, or if you should take them several hours apart from each other.

In Conclusion

Magnesium is a vital mineral that provides your body with several benefits and ensures that it functions well. It helps your nervous system, bones, and muscular system. It would help if you checked the required daily allowance to confirm that you are taking a sufficient amount of magnesium.

You can get the daily recommended amount of magnesium from your everyday diet. All you need to include is food that is rich in magnesium, such as nuts, seeds, lentils, beans, fish, and different kinds of dark green leafy vegetables as often as possible. This is an excellent and efficient way of boosting your magnesium intake.

If you have a magnesium deficiency, you can always take magnesium Glycinate. Remember that magnesium Glycinate is also great for individuals who are dealing with anxiety. Therefore, get some supplements from a reputable source to help with your anxiety. It would help if you consult your healthcare physician about the dosage and if the magnesium glycinate will react with your medication or not.