How Much Magnesium Do You Really Need?
What if there was one super mineral that worked with the body's natural anti-stress mechanisms, improved your workout game at the gym, supported heart health, and helped give your skin a radiant glow?
That’s Magnesium. This essential mineral for holistic health usually takes a backseat to the alphabet vitamins (you know, A,B,C,D, etc.) and the most popular minerals, zinc and calcium, when we talk about nutrition. But it shouldn’t!
Magnesium has a huge impact on your physical and mental health. A magnesium deficiency can affect your muscles, your heart, your stress levels, and your mood. It’s also easy to become deficient in magnesium, which can really affect your quality of life. *
So, let’s find out: How much magnesium do you really need? Where can you get it? And how do you know if you’re not getting enough?
How Much Magnesium Do You Need Every Day?
Adults and children over 4 years old should get about 420 mg of magnesium per day [1]. Meeting these critical magnesium levels is not easy. In fact, about 75% of us are not getting enough [2].
This is because the average American doesn’t eat a lot of magnesium-rich food, such as leafy greens, nuts, whole grains, and dairy products.
Even those of us who munch salads and Greek yogurt daily can still be magnesium deficient. One yogurt serving has just 20 mg of magnesium and a salad might have just 10-20 mg. If you’re not actively trying to get your daily magnesium, you’re probably not getting enough.
How Do You Know If You Are Magnesium Deficient?
A magnesium deficiency can affect both your physical and mental health, causing stress, cramps, and even seizures. Here are the most common signs to look for:
- Muscle cramps and involuntary twitches
- Fatigue and weakness
- Loss of appetite
- Intensified stress and anxiety
- Nausea
A mild magnesium deficiency might make you feel like you’re just not yourself [3]. You may feel more anxious than normal or less able to handle stress. Or, you might get tired during the day despite sleeping at night. *
It can also make you feel less motivated to work out, maintain relationships, and put yourself out there in social situations. *
If you’re feeling low-energy or not quite like the “you” who you want to be, it might be time to try a magnesium supplement.
The Benefits of Magnesium
Every cell in your entire body requires magnesium to function. And your body needs magnesium to enact hundreds of chemical reactions, helping you move, sleep, think, and build essential proteins.
When you get enough magnesium, you may feel more confident both physically and mentally. *
Here are some additional benefits:
- Go harder at the gym and recover faster: Magnesium is used during exercise, and studies have found that getting more of it may improve your workout. It could also reduce recovery time and prevent muscle cramps [4]. *
- Improve your mood: Many studies have found that magnesium can put you in a better mood. Scientists believe this is because magnesium assists serotonin formation, reduces inflammation, and promotes neuroplasticity [5]. *
- Reduce inflammation: Inflammation is one of the primary causes of chronic diseases such as arthritis, heart disease, and cancer. Getting more magnesium may reduce inflammation and promote overall well-being [6]. *
- Boost confidence: Want to feel more in control of your life? Research has found that magnesium can prepare you to handle stress more effectively both mentally and physically [7, 8]. *
- Prevent headaches: Migraines are caused by inflammation, which is one reason that magnesium may help to stop them. Studies have found that supplementing with magnesium reduced pain from migraines even better than some medications [9]. *
- Empower your immune system: You need plenty of vitamin D for a healthy immune system. But vitamin D requires magnesium to be effective [10]. Boosting magnesium levels may supercharge vitamin D and strengthen your immune system. *
- Promote restful sleep: Magnesium and your body clock are directly connected. The mineral helps to regulate melatonin, the sleep hormone, and may help you relax and fall asleep faster [11]. *
- Revitalize skin: Magnesium can reduce inflammation, positively affect cortisol levels, and promote skin repair. It may be an important mineral for clear skin and long-term skin health, and it has been said to improve the effects of hormonal acne [12]. *
How to Boost Magnesium Levels
Feel like you’re not getting enough magnesium? Luckily, it’s easy to add more of this essential mineral to your diet. There are two ways to do it.
One way is to eat more magnesium-rich foods. You can get loads of magnesium by eating nuts, seeds, popcorn, avocados, and dark chocolate. Dark leafy greens are also high in magnesium, especially spinach.
You might have noticed that many magnesium-rich foods are high in fat and calories. For this reason, many prefer to take a magnesium supplement instead of slamming avocados, almonds, and chocolate every day.
The best way to supplement with magnesium is to take liposomal magnesium. This type of magnesium comes in a liquid form, so it’s easy to add a spoonful to a glass of water, juice, or smoothie. Liposomal nutrients, like magnesium, are much easier for your body to absorb, so you get more of the good stuff with each dose.
- https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Magnesium-HealthProfessional/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19621856/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5687845/#:~:text=In%20terms%20of%20clinical%20manifestations,dementia%2C%20malaise%2C%20and%20sensory%20disturbances
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5622706/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6034436/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21159786/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507250/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27933574/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25278139/
- https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/02/180226122548.htm
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12030424/
- https://www.elle.com/uk/beauty/skin/a28644116/magnesium-benefits/
