How much magnesium is needed for anxiety? Nowadays, anxiety has become a significant topic of discussion because of the stigma around anxiety and mental health for a long time. Many people are looking for healthy and natural ways to combat anxiety. Magnesium is one of the remedies. This article will look at how magnesium can help anxiety and how much magnesium you need to combat anxiety-related disorders.
Holistic Approaches
Magnesium is a mineral and is undoubtedly considered part of a holistic approach to health and wellness. For people dealing with anxiety symptoms, like the side effects of prescription medications, it may seem too intense to manage them. Nutritional and herbal supplements can help support a healthy lifestyle from the inside out. Magnesium supplements, for example, can create a line of defense within your body against generalized anxiety disorder. When you choose to reach for holistic approaches, you create an environment where positive lifestyle changes can occur. Many people want a chance to make significant changes to their daily routine to improve their lives.
What to Know About Magnesium Supplements?
Before you embark on your journey with this mineral, it is essential to understand the various forms of magnesium supplements and what they do to align your magnesium intake with your health and wellness goals, especially in combating anxiety.
Magnesium Citrate
Magnesium citrate can help prevent and alleviate a magnesium deficiency and acts as a gentle and natural form of laxative. Since this form is easily absorbed into the body, the effects tend to be quicker. It is essential not to take too much magnesium in this form to prevent issues such as diarrhea and an upset stomach.
Magnesium Oxide
Magnesium oxide is commonly believed to be interchangeable with magnesium hydroxide. In terms of what you can expect, magnesium oxide primarily works with the water in your body to neutralize stomach acids.
Magnesium Glycinate
Magnesium glycinate is the primary form associated with anxiety relief and sleep hygiene. It is known to have little to no relevance to digestion issues or work as a natural laxative like some other forms of magnesium. This is what you should reach for in terms of finding calm, peace, and balance to be more relaxed while awake and promote a sound and restful sleep at night when you are not.
Magnesium Lactate
This type of magnesium can help when you do not have enough magnesium in your blood. Many people commonly use this as a food additive to fortify the foods and beverages they take daily.
Magnesium Chloride
This is most commonly used to provide comfort from or relieve heartburn or mild indigestion. It is almost exclusively taken in pill form.
Magnesium Sulfate
Have you ever heard people talk about Epsom salt? This type of magnesium is precisely the same thing. This magnesium is ingested or soaked in to help you with things like:
- Digestion
- Sore muscles
- Detoxification
- Stress relief
Ways a Magnesium Deficiency Affects Mental Health
There is no doubt that a magnesium deficiency induces anxiety. So, increasing magnesium intake is worth considering for those prone to or suffering from anxiety.
1. Stress
Suppose you have ever felt physical, mental, or emotional stress and cannot tell why you feel that way. Probably, the chemicals in your brain and body were to blame. When your hormones and other chemicals in your body fluctuate, along with the various vitamins and minerals, stress can occur. Taking magnesium supplements can be a preventive way to combat stress. By being aware that taking magnesium supplements as a part of your daily routine can get in front of the first occurrence of anxiety symptoms, you can prevent any bouts of stress that may arise due to a magnesium deficiency.
2. Sleep Patterns
Your sleep patterns are directly related to your mental health. When your body and mind do not get adequate rest consistently, they lose the ability to function properly. A magnesium supplement can help promote better sleep patterns, regardless of what life throws at you. This mineral property will automatically soothe your mind, so you are inclined to lay your head on your pillow and prepare yourself for another day you can enjoy.
3. Body Aches
When your body is in pain, it can easily and quickly creep into your mental space. Think about a time you have had body aches or muscle soreness to the point that you could not even sit at your desk without being in pain and the agony it can cause for your mind. Allowing the addition of magnesium to do its job in supporting your muscle recovery and body detoxification gives you an increased chance to curb any anxieties that stem from the times when your body needs a break.
How Much Magnesium For Anxiety: Recommended Dosage
In terms of effective anxiety management, it is crucial to know how many magnesium supplements you must take to avoid getting overzealous and hitting magnesium toxicity.
Magnesium Supplements for Anxiety and Stress
Everyone is different, so the dose of magnesium supplements that every person needs may vary from other people they meet in their research. A general range to stick to is within 75mg-360mg per day. It is also important to remember that we also get magnesium from the foods we eat every day, so the supplement you consume does not have to hit the maximum milligrams that a person can take.
In terms of managing anxiety, you should lower your dose initially. Since the entire point is to calm your mind, taking too much magnesium may cause undesirable physical reactions that may mentally make you quit taking magnesium supplements to manage your anxiety. While a low magnesium intake might not lead you to see results as quickly as you would prefer, it is better than having to do damage control.
Magnesium-Rich Foods
If you are not yet comfortable heading straight to magnesium supplements, consider finding ways to consume foods with high magnesium content as a natural alternative.
Nuts
Some nuts have healthy fats beneficial to your health, such as:
- Almonds
- Cashews
Leafy Greens
The health benefits of these food sources include, but also go far beyond, increasing magnesium intake, such as:
- Spinach
- Kale
Whole Grains
Cancel the stigma of carbohydrates and embrace the healing properties of whole grains foods, such as:
- Quinoa
- Brown rice
Beans
Some beans rich in magnesium can also be incredible sources of plant-based protein, such as:
- Edamame
- Black beans
When you use food as medicine, you minimize your anxiety levels while also doing your body a favor by giving it a healthy fuel to perform its daily tasks and even at its peak. In addition, many other benefits come from paying better attention to your diet, such as improvements to your skin complexion, regulating high blood pressure, and higher energy levels.
What to Expect from Taking Magnesium?
Since your body can quickly absorb magnesium, its effects can also quickly happen. It is one of the things you can expect from taking magnesium. You can also expect to experience some of the side effects mentioned in this article if you take too much magnesium.
In general, however, and specifically in terms of anxiety, you can expect the change in mindset to be so unnoticeable that you will notice it. That may sound like an oxymoron, but it means that you will likely see a level of mental lightness that is pleasurable but not severe. You may notice that some things that triggered your anxiety in the past do not make you feel uncomfortable or irritated anymore. Even the dreadful feeling of going to sleep every night may no longer be part of your evening experience because you know that you are doing what you can to get a good rest at night.
Conclusion
Anxiety is incredibly personal, and what triggers one may not trigger it all. Due to the nature of subjective anxiety, making adjustments in your routine, such as daily magnesium support, can help you regardless of where your triggers lay on the spectrum. Determining the proper dose for yourself is one important thing you must consider when taking magnesium. There are recommended ranges and guidelines that you can look into, but remember that the most important thing is how you feel and react to the amounts of magnesium you take.
You can determine the dose and supplement type that best suits your needs through trial and error. You can also research supplements that include a combination of various forms or even a multivitamin that is rich in magnesium. The stage where you dedicate time and energy to learning should not be limited. Allow yourself to explore all the possibilities at this point since the commitment and risk levels are nearly non-existent at all.
It can be very empowering to know that you have options, which can also help you feel less anxious. Sometimes options cause our minds to kick into overdrive and shut down. But now that you have a baseline knowledge of how much magnesium for anxiety you must take and what each form of magnesium can offer you, you can now better gauge where to begin your journey.
