Which Form Of Magnesium Is Best For Sleep?

Opinion by Jake Crossman

Recently, magnesium has exploded onto the holistic health scene as an incredible alternative and solution to a variety of different health-related issues, primarily sleep. However, with so many different kinds of magnesium, this has a lot of people asking – which form of magnesium is best for sleep? Magnesium has amazing properties that will help you feel better, look better, and perform at a higher level all starting with the quality of your sleep. 

Magnesium is important, as it is responsible for over 300 different enzyme reactions in your body. This blog will cover the different kinds of magnesium you can consume, what magnesium is, and how magnesium works to help your body. Most people are living magnesium-deficient lives and don’t even know it, so why not fix that deficiency with a simple solution; consume more magnesium. 

Which Form Of Magnesium Is Best For Sleep: Different Kinds Of Magnesium 

Up to 50% of the world’s population has a magnesium deficiency. These are startling numbers when looking at what taking a simple dose of magnesium is actually able to do for you. If you suffer from fatigue, anxiety, depression, or a weakened immune system, these can all be signs of magnesium deficiency.  Think of a magnesium deficiency in your body like a jigsaw puzzle – you complete the entire puzzle but you are missing a couple of pieces; now obviously you can still see what the picture is supposed to be but it’s not 100% there. This is your body when suffering from magnesium deficiency. It will still operate, but not to its full extent. 

Over 11 different forms of magnesium can be taken as a supplement. All of these 11 forms have different qualities and attributes to them that allows your body to experience their health benefits.  

Magnesium Citrate is one of the most common forms of magnesium. This type of magnesium is bonded with the acid citrate that can be found in a lot of fruits and preservatives. Magnesium citrate should be taken to increase magnesium levels in the body to maintain a state of homeostasis. It can also be used in very high doses to treat constipation due to the laxative nature of the combination. 

Another very common form of magnesium is magnesium sulfate, more commonly known as Epsom salt. This is what you put in your bath water to soak in and have a nice relaxing bath. Magnesium sulfate soothes and relaxes sore muscles and aids in stress relief. Magnesium sulfate is also sometimes used in body lotions and oils for the same purpose. However, there is not enough evidence to support how effective it is at dissolving into your pores (Healthline). With this being said, taking an Epsom salt bath is a very beneficial way to relax your body after a stressful day. 

Although these are both good types of magnesium to take they aren’t specifically used to target sleep and anxiety; this is where magnesium glycinate comes into play. 

Magnesium glycinate is a form of magnesium that is combined with the amino acid glycine. Glycine is found in protein-rich foods such as meats and dairy and is used to treat insomnia-related disorders as a standalone amino acid. When combining it with magnesium you are getting the effects of both magnesium and glycine which can be extremely beneficial to your overall health. 

One of the reasons that magnesium glycinate is so important is not only for sleep but also for vitamin D conversion. Magnesium plays a very important role in converting vitamin D to aid your body in fighting bone-related health issues. 

“Magnesium is required for conversion of vitamin D into its active form which, in turn, supports calcium absorption and metabolism, as well as normal parathyroid hormone function [38]. Vitamin D sufficiency may then increase absorption of calcium and Mg by as much as 300% (NCBI).” 

Let’s take a look at how magnesium can aid in your sleep health and how having the correct amount of magnesium glycinate in your body can aid in a variety of different ways.

Which Form Of Magnesium Is Best For Sleep: How It Works 

The most recent National Library of Medicine findings state that over 50% of adults struggle with insomnia or sleepless nights. As people get older sleep patterns do start to change – things like your circadian rhythm or REM sleep might shift as you get older, but that does not mean that you should be having restless nights. 

Magnesium Glycinate specifically, is able to help those suffering from insomnia. As stated previously magnesium is responsible for over 300 different enzyme reactions in your body. Not getting enough magnesium could be extremely detrimental to your overall health as those enzyme reactions would be lacking a key component. Of those 300 reactions, the neural function and sleep behavior are influenced by a magnesium deficiency. This can be easily rectified by taking magnesium glycinate supplements as outlined below. 

“Therefore, magnesium as a natural antagonist of NMDA and agonist of GABA seems to play a critical role in sleep regulation (NCBI).”

NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) and GABA (γ-Aminobutyric) receptors are crucial in how well our bodies recover and our sleep behavior. As magnesium directly interacts with these receptors in enzyme reactions it is important to see that getting the proper amount of magnesium whether that be through a diet or taking supplements is key. 

In a study done with 46 people they were split into two blind groups – one group had a placebo magnesium capsule and the other group had the real thing. At the end of the study, every single person that was taking magnesium showed improved signs of sleep and a better mood than those who were taking the placebo. This evidence points to the importance that magnesium has on our sleep. 

Which Form Of Magnesium Is Best For Sleep: Final Thoughts 

If you were going to ask me which form of magnesium is best for sleep; while there are a ton of different magnesium supplements out on the market, in my opinion, the only magnesium that someone would need to take is magnesium glycinate. The research behind it indicates that not only does it help with sleep but with generalized anxiety disorder, depression, and BPD. Why would you not want to take something that your body is already struggling to produce that will make your life easier? 

Try taking some magnesium glycinate before bed for two weeks and if at the end of the two weeks nothing changed then so be it, but I can almost guarantee that you will sleep better, feel better and look better. So give it a shot! 

Works Cited 

Hill, Ansley. “10 Interesting Types of Magnesium (and What to Use Each for).” Healthline, Healthline Media, 12 July 2022, https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/magnesium-types#9.-Magnesium-glycinate. 

Abbasi, Behnood, et al. “The Effect of Magnesium Supplementation on Primary Insomnia in Elderly: A Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial.” Journal of Research in Medical Sciences : the Official Journal of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Medknow Publications & Media Pvt Ltd, Dec. 2012, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3703169/.