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Shoo Away Anxiety: The Benefits of Magnesium Glycinate

Magnesium is one of the most common minerals in the body and is used in hundreds of enzymatic reactions, but many adults don’t get enough from their diet alone. As little as 48 percent of American adults get the recommended amount each day, with figures similar around the world.

In this article, we explore the link between anxiety and the mineral, magnesium. We address questions like:

• How Does Magnesium Affect Anxiety?
• Which Magnesium is Best for Sleep and Anxiety?
• Is Magnesium Glycinate Good for Anxiety?
• How Much Magnesium for Anxiety and Sleep?
• When is the Best Time to Take Magnesium for Anxiety?

Magnesium has been found to be a potential treatment for anxiety due to its ability to reduce anxiety.

This includes:

• Mild anxiety
• Anxiety during PMS
• Postpartum anxiety
• General anxiety

How Does Magnesium Affect Anxiety?

Magnesium is thought to improve brain function by regulating neurotransmitters — the tiny chemicals that send messages throughout the brain and body. This, in turn, helps reduce stress and anxiety.

Magnesium also affects the hypothalamus portion of the brain, which helps to regulate the pituitary and adrenal glands, the ones responsible for our response to stress. It helps manage our cortisol levels, meaning lower levels of magnesium in our bodies can increase stress, or vice versa, high levels of physical or mental stress can lower magnesium.

Other than this, when we’re stressed, our muscles tend to tense, and magnesium is needed for muscle function and helps our muscle tissue relax. This means that if we have a magnesium deficiency, we’re likely to have more muscle tension and cramps.

Another way magnesium helps with anxiety is by improving our sleep quality. It does this by regulating the neurotransmitter, GABA, which is important for sleep, while its effects on muscle tension and regulating our nervous system also help with sleep. Anxiety is often connected to sleeping problems.

Which Magnesium is Best for Sleep and Anxiety?

If you’ve ever gone to buy magnesium, you would know just how many types of magnesium there are on the market, so it can be difficult to figure out which one is best.

Further Reading: Forms of Magnesium and their Benefits

For anxiety, though, there are a few different kinds to keep in mind:

• Magnesium glycinate: highly absorbable and has calming properties.
• Magnesium citrate: highly absorbable and has calming properties, but is a laxative.
• Magnesium malate: easily absorbable and used to treat fatigue symptoms. Toxic in high doses.
• Magnesium L-threonate: used as a nootropic as it increases magnesium in brain cells, which may help with anxiety. More research is needed.

Keep in mind that many studies on magnesium and anxiety use magnesium lactate and magnesium oxide, but these aren’t the most bioavailable or best forms of magnesium for the body.

Is Magnesium Glycinate Good for Anxiety?

As for what is the best magnesium for anxiety and depression, at Xandro Lab, we believe that magnesium glycinate is the answer.

Did you know that magnesium glycinate may have calming properties that can help people suffering from anxiety, depression and stress? A study found that people suffering from major depression recovered from depression in less than seven days of taking 125–300mg of magnesium glycinate. While this might not work for everyone, it goes to show how the quick absorption of magnesium glycinate into our small intestines can have a significant effect.

Magnesium Glycinate vs Magnesium Citrate

Magnesium citrate is bound with citric acid and is one of the more common magnesium supplements. It’s taken orally and is relatively inexpensive. Like magnesium glycinate, it’s one of the most bioavailable forms of magnesium, so it’s easily absorbed into your digestive tract.

Unlike magnesium glycinate, though, magnesium citrate has a natural laxative effect, so it’s often used to treat constipation, although this means it can give people stomach issues and diarrhoea. Both forms have calming properties and, due to their high bioavailability, are great for those with anxiety, depression, stress and insomnia.

How Much Magnesium for Anxiety and Sleep?

The recommended daily dosage of magnesium for women is 320mg and for men, 420mg. During pregnancy, it may increase to about 400mg per day.

One review found that magnesium has an anti-anxiety effect with dosages between 75 and 360mg of dietary magnesium supplements each day.

While high amounts of magnesium from food sources simply flush out of our system, it’s possible to gain too much magnesium from magnesium supplements. Try not to exceed 350mg of supplemental magnesium each day.

When looking for the best magnesium glycinate for anxiety for you,make sure to look at the back of the supplement you’re taking to learn how much magnesium is actually within.

For example, in Xandro Lab’s Magnesium Glycinate 500mg, there’s actually 100mg of magnesium, which means you’re within the safe limits of magnesium each day, plus absorbing more from the foods you eat, like nuts and seeds, legumes, dark green leafy vegetables, seafood and chocolate.

When is the Best Time to Take Magnesium for Anxiety?

Magnesium can be taken at any time of the day but speak with your doctor to determine the best time for you. Many people take magnesium at night to help with their sleep, while others take it with breakfast to reduce digestion side effects and keep them relaxed during the day. What’s most important is that you take it consistently every day to boost your magnesium levels.

In terms of magnesium glycinate and how long it takes to work, generally, many people will begin to feel a difference after taking magnesium supplements for one week, such as improved energy levels, reduced muscle cramps, reduced anxiety and improved sleep quality. As magnesium glycinate is highly absorbable, it means it takes faster than other magnesium forms to have an effect, and a bigger effect, on your body.

While some controlled trials are still needed to fully understand magnesium’s effect on anxiety, if you have an anxiety disorder, you might find magnesium a possible way to reduce your symptoms.

Speak with your doctor to determine if your magnesium levels are low, but just know, at this point in time, magnesium is not a replacement for anxiety treatments like antidepressants and psychotherapy.

Interested in the other exciting benefits of magnesium glycinate on your health? Learn everything you need to know before taking magnesium glycinate here, or learn about magnesium’s benefits on migraines!

If you’re still unsure whether magnesium glycinate is for you, why not check out the list of scientifically-backed research compiled on our website about its benefits?

If you think you want to experience the benefits yourself, why not try Xandro Lab’s Magnesium Glycinate 500mg via our 30-day refund guarantee?