There are many benefits of magnesium supplements, from helping you get a restful night, to supporting muscle recovery after exertion. Ensuring you have optimal levels of this essential nutrient is vital in order to experience magnesium benefits.
Table of Contents:
- What is Magnesium?
- 6 Benefits of Magnesium
- How Much Magnesium to See Benefits?
- 5 Ways to Increase Your Magnesium Intake with Supplements
- 3 Signs of Magnesium Deficiency
- 9 Foods to Source the Benefits of Magnesium
What is Magnesium?
Magnesium handles over 300 reactions in the body, like making proteins and supporting mood. This mineral is required for energy production and normal heart rhythm. Magnesium supplements can help you maintain adequate nutrient levels, so you can reap the benefits of magnesium.
BetterYou’s magnesium comes in a form called topical magnesium, made to apply to the skin rather than ingest. This form of pill-free supplements makes obtaining this essential mineral hassle-free, and makes avoiding deficiency and attaining magnesium benefits more achievable.
6 Benefits of Magnesium
The benefits of magnesium range from aiding a peaceful night’s sleep to supporting your exercise routine. This essential nutrient turns food into energy, forms new proteins, and regulates the nervous system. The benefits of magnesium include:
1. Helps you sleep
Magnesium supplements can help you sleep because the mineral regulates melatonin levels. Melatonin is a hormone which magnesium contributes to, alerting your brain that you need to wind down for sleep.
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 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. Taking supplements containing magnesium, like energy supplements, can help you get an extra boost of energy when your levels are feeling low.
3. Promotes exercise recovery
Another of the benefits of magnesium is that it is a natural muscle relaxant. The mineral moves sugar into your muscles and removes lactic acid. This means it can help support your athletic performance and increase how long you can workout for. Because of this, magnesium helps to relieve muscle tension after exercise, meaning faster recovery. When used as sports supplements, this mineral could see you reaching new heights or getting to the gym more often!
4. Maintains heart health
Magnesium benefits your heart too. As the essential muscle which pumps blood and oxygen around your body, you need to care for it in the best way. Magnesium helps muscles relax, and together with calcium (which makes muscles contract) it supports a regular heartbeat. Thus, taking calcium and magnesium together can be good for your health.
5. Improves mood
Another of the benefits of magnesium is its role with serotonin. Serotonin is known as the brain's “feel good hormone”. The mineral regulates hormones such as serotonin and melatonin. These hormones in turn contribute to balancing your mood. Which means another magnesium benefit includes helping to support those experiencing the stages of the menopause.
6. Easy to supplement
One of the benefits of magnesium that make it easier to obtain is how effortless it is to supplement. Some nutrients are available as Oral Sprays, whereas you can apply magnesium directly to the skin in the form of topical magnesium supplements. This makes supplementing magnesium easy and hassle-free.
How Much Magnesium to See Benefits?
In order to see the benefits of magnesium, you need to ensure that you obtain a sufficient amount. According to the NIH, the dosage of magnesium you need is:
- 400mg per day for men (aged 19–30 years)
- 310mg per day for women (aged 19–30 years)
- 420mg per day for men (aged 31+ years)
- 320mg per day for women (aged 31+ years)
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 I Take Too Much?
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 NIH, having 350 mg or less, per day, from supplements is unlikely to cause any harm.
A benefit of magnesium supplements from BetterYou is they don’t have the same effect because they don't pass through the digestive system.
5 Ways to Increase Your Magnesium Intake with Supplements
You can increase your intake by supplementing at recommended levels. This can be hassle-free. Improving your intake of this type of mineral and reducing your risk of deficiency is easier than ever with BetterYou’s range of transdermal magnesium supplements:
- Magnesium sprays - The mineral oil used in our Magnesium Sprays is a concentration of magnesium chloride. 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 vital 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 moisturize 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 moisturizing body butter. It provides magnesium benefits to help you feel rested and relaxed while promoting muscle function.
Our supplements use a concentration of magnesium chloride sourced from Zechstein magnesium - this is a pure form of the mineral, which can be more effective at providing the benefits of magnesium when compared to other forms such as Epsom salts.
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. Spotting the signs of magnesium deficiency is important to catch early symptoms and identify 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 go to sleep easily. 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.
8 Food Sources for Magnesium Benefits
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 by supplementing alongside a magnesium-rich diet.
See the benefits of magnesium by sourcing magnesium-rich foods, such as:
- 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 reap 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.
Why Supplement with BetterYou?
Take control of your health today with our magnesium supplements to aid natural sleep, vitamin D supplements to boost your immunity.
