Magnesium benefits the health of your muscles, heart, and your sleep routine. Magnesium supplements are convenient to take, and can help to ensure an optimal intake of this essential mineral and electrolyte. Explore the benefits of magnesium, how to supplement, and what daily dosage you need.
Table of Contents:
- Magnesium Fact File
- 6 Benefits of Magnesium
- 6 Ways to Unlock the Benefits of Magnesium Supplements
- How Much Magnesium Do You Need to Experience Benefits?
- What Happens If You Take Too Much?
- 3 Signs of Magnesium Deficiency
- 9 Sources of Magnesium
- Can Magnesium Benefit You During the Menopause?
Magnesium Fact File
Magnesium is an essential mineral and electrolyte, which handles over 300 reactions in the body. This ranges from making proteins, to supporting your mood.
- It has a chemical symbol Mg, and is known as an alkaline metal.
- Magnesium supplements can help you maintain adequate nutrient levels, so you can reap the benefits of magnesium, ensuring you’re getting enough is straight-forward and convenient with our pill-free supplements.
- These magnesium benefits span across your body, from supporting energy production and normal heart rhythm.
- There is an optimal dosage required depending on your age, weight, or gender.
- The Royal Society of Chemistry states that magnesium was recognised as an element by Joseph Black at Edinburgh in 1755.
6 Benefits of Magnesium
Magnesium benefits range from aiding a peaceful night’s sleep to supporting your exercise recovery. These are important to maintaining a healthy routine, and ensuring you intake an adequate amount means you can experience the benefits of magnesium:
1. Helps you sleep
Magnesium supplements can help you sleep because the mineral regulates the receptors in your nervous system which control sleep. Magnesium can act as a natural sleep aid by contributing to melatonin regulation. Melatonin is a natural hormone produced in the pineal gland in your brain, which helps tell your brain when it is time to wind down for sleep by controlling the sleep-wake cycle.
Low levels of this mineral are often associated with poor sleep. Therefore, one of the benefits of magnesium is its use as a sleep supplement, to help you feel well rested.
2. Supports energy levels
Magnesium benefits your natural energy levels because of its role as an electrolyte. These minerals can support your hydration levels and the key nutrients your body needs. Magnesium benefits how active you feel because it is one of the nutrients responsible for converting glucose in our food into energy, by activating ATP. It can also help regulate blood sugar levels.
If you are unable to balance blood sugar levels, this can make you feel tired and sluggish, and you may feel the need to reach for energy supplements. Natural supplements which contain the nutrients which support your energy, like magnesium, can help to provide a boost, and may be an effective alternative to energy drinks.
3. Promotes exercise recovery
One of the key benefits of magnesium is its muscle relaxant properties. Magnesium can soothe muscle tension, which helps to support your athletic performance by making muscle recovery more efficient. You may include sport supplements in your exercise routine, making the most of magnesium benefits which help you recover post-workout.
4. Maintains heart health
Magnesium benefits your heart health. The heart is the essential muscle which pumps blood around your body, and it goes without saying you need to care for your heart. Magnesium works in tandem with calcium, another mineral which helps make muscles contract, to help support your heart. Thus, taking calcium and magnesium together can be good for your health.
5. Supports mood
Magnesium can benefit your mood due to its involvement with the “feel good hormone” serotonin. The mineral magnesium helps to raise the levels of this neurotransmitter, which in turn can help contribute to a lighter mindset.
6. Easy to supplement
There are multiple different forms of magnesium, depending on the other elements that it binds to. This means magnesium supplements can have different formulas, and some are easier to supplement than others.
Obtaining the benefits of magnesium is straight-forward and hassle-free through topical magnesium formulas, as well as magnesium drinks.
6 Ways to Unlock the Benefits of Magnesium Supplements
You can increase your intake by supplementing at recommended levels. This can be hassle-free. Improving your intake of this essential type of mineral for the body and reducing your risk of deficiency is easier than ever with BetterYou’s range of magnesium supplements:
- Magnesium drinks - Obtaining a sufficient amount of magnesium is straightforward with electrolyte drinks such as magnesium waters. With 180mg tri-blend of elemental magnesium in every can, you can enjoy hydration whilst supporting your body with the benefits of magnesium. Our magnesium drinks contain multiple forms: magnesium glycinate, magnesium citrate, and a mineral source from the Irish Sea.
- Magnesium sprays - The mineral oil used in our Magnesium Sprays is a pure concentration known as Zechstein magnesium. Magnesium sprays are a quick and effective way to help your nutrient levels. Designed to be taken on the move, they are an easy pill-free solution to supplementation.
- Magnesium lotions - BetterYou magnesium lotions are easy to use and can encourage optimal mineral levels. Use them before or after exercise to support bone and muscle health. Magnesium benefits skin health, because it plays a role in replenishing cells. Combined with skin-kind ingredients, the lotions help to moisturise and hydrate for a healthy looking glow.
- Magnesium flakes - Magnesium Bath Flakes are a concentrated natural form of the mineral: magnesium chloride. They are an effective way to enjoy the benefits of magnesium chloride in a bath. Expose and replenish your body with this essential mineral. When placed in warm water, the flakes dissolve, and the magnesium benefits the skin.
- Magnesium gel - BetterYou Magnesium Gel allows a targeted application to supplementation. The gel effectively provides the benefits of magnesium, ideal for use during or after exercise to aid muscle function and recovery.
- Magnesium body butter - Our BetterYou Magnesium Body Butter is a deeply rich, intensively moisturising body butter. It provides magnesium benefits to help you feel rested and relaxed while promoting muscle function.
How Much Magnesium Do You Need to Experience Benefits?
In order to see the benefits of magnesium, you need to ensure that you obtain a sufficient amount. The recommended daily dosage of magnesium you need is:
|
Age |
Adequate Magnesium Intake (mg/day) |
|
1 - 2 years |
170 |
|
3 - 9 years |
230 |
|
10 - 17 years (female) |
250 |
|
10 - 17 years (male) |
300 |
|
19 - 64 years (female) |
270 |
|
19 - 64 years (male) |
300 |
When supplementing, you should pay attention to nutrient reference value guidelines, and stay within the safe upper limit, to ensure you do not exceed what is healthy.
What Happens If You Take Too Much?
It is possible to take too much magnesium. One of the benefits of magnesium is that it is a natural muscle relaxant. However, this means taking large doses orally can have a laxative effect as it relaxes the muscles as it is processed through the digestive tract.
According to the NHS, having 400 mg or less, per day, from supplements is unlikely to cause any harm.
A benefit of topical magnesium supplements from BetterYou is they don’t have the same effect because they are absorbed transdermally, avoiding the digestive tract.
However, if you don’t obtain the required daily dosage of magnesium, you could experience detrimental side effects.
3 Signs of Magnesium Deficiency
If you aren’t obtaining a sufficient amount of this vital mineral, then you won’t be experiencing the benefits of magnesium. It’s important to spot the signs of magnesium deficiency by catching symptoms early and identifying if you are lacking. The signs can be easy to mistake for other health conditions. Some common signs of magnesium deficiency include:
- Poor sleep - The body needs magnesium to maintain a state of rest, and magnesium deficiency can lead to restless muscles that keep you awake at night. One of the benefits of magnesium is helping brain receptors to switch off before you go to sleep. Without enough, you might not achieve quality sleep. Some people may turn to natural sleep aids to encourage a full night’s rest.
- Fatigue - Low magnesium levels may lead to feeling fatigued and tired. One magnesium benefit is its work alongside calcium. Both regulate muscle movement, and not getting enough can result in a build-up of lactic acid. This leaves the body open to muscle tiredness and soreness. Although tiredness is a sign of many different health issues, it could mean you need more magnesium.
- Heart palpitations - These symptoms are mild in most cases. Magnesium deficiency can cause pauses between heartbeats and the feeling of an irregular heartbeat. Magnesium benefits your nerves, so not getting enough could lead to nerve damage. A sense of tingling in the hands, feet, and face could also be a sign of magnesium deficiency.
You should seek medical advice from your GP or other health professional if you think you have the signs of a vitamin or mineral deficiency. They may arrange a blood test to identify whether you have low mineral levels or a deficiency. Always consult medical advice before taking supplements.
9 Sources of Magnesium
The benefits of magnesium are also available through your diet, when you include certain food and drink sources. You can help to improve your intake and see magnesium benefits by supplementing alongside a magnesium-rich diet.
See the benefits of magnesium by sourcing magnesium-rich food and drink, such as:
- Electrolyte drinks
- Spinach and other dark green, leafy vegetables
- Nuts (e.g. peanuts, almonds and cashews)
- Beans (e.g. black, kidney and edamame beans)
- Avocados
- Whole grain bread
- Brown rice
- Potatoes
- Soy milk
Including these magnesium sources in your diet and using supplements can help you acquire the benefits of magnesium. Mineral supplements can help you support your body’s need for this essential mineral. They also help you avoid the health concerns which come alongside deficiency.
Can Magnesium Benefit You During the Menopause?
You may benefit from magnesium during the menopause, due to the way the mineral supports your muscles and sleep. During the menopause, the body goes through many changes due to fluctuating hormones, which could lead to poor sleep and aching muscles.
Menopause supplements offer the vital nutrients your body needs to help combat menopause symptoms and support your health as your body changes.
Taking magnesium for menopause relief can help encourage restful sleep, whilst joint pain is a common menopause symptom, therefore the benefits of magnesium may help to offer a soothing remedy.
Supplementing with BetterYou
Take control of your health today with our vitamin oral sprays to support your lifestyle. At BetterYou, we’re committed to our sustainability project, meaning we work with tree planting projects and use plant-based plastics in our packaging. Try our vitamin D supplements to boost your immunity, and our at-home health checks to get a clear picture of your nutrient levels.
