The Exact Right Time to Take Your Magnesium Supplement

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If you’re like the majority of adults who want to get a better night of sleep, you’ve likely stumbled upon magnesium in late-night google searches. While the mineral may potentially help you relax (and therefore snooze!), it’s smart to learn what it really does in your body, and how to take it the right way.

Magnesium is essential for our bodies to function well. It helps our nerves and muscles perform at their peak and our immune system humming along healthfully. “Magnesium is important for energy production, glucose metabolism and how our DNA is actually synthesized in our body," says Dawn Jackson Blatner, R.D.N. “It supports neuron health, bone health and heart health. In fact, it's a cofactor for more than 300 different enzyme processes in the body.”

Magnesium is found in lots of healthy foods, including whole grains, nuts, beans, leafy veggies and seeds. “I tell people to eat spinach, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, edamame, potatoes, tuna, almonds, cashews, peanuts, avocados, yogurt, oatmeal and bananas,” says Blatner. However, 48% of Americans don’t ingest enough magnesium from their diets to meet the average requirements for their age and sex, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

If you’re a part of that group, you may want to talk to your doctor about adding the mineral to your daily supplement routine. Read on to find out how much magnesium you should take as well as the best time of day to take magnesium to maximize its health-boosting effects.

Magnesium-deficiency symptoms

The people who are most at risk of being truly deficient in magnesium are older adults, people with type 2 diabetes, those with GI diseases and people who are alcohol-dependent. According to the NIH, early signals that a person might be deficient in magnesium are a bit vague. You might experience any of these:

• Loss of appetite

• Lethargy

• A feeling of weakness

• Muscle cramps

• Muscle weakness

• Numbness or tingling

• Sleep issues

What is the best time to take magnesium?

“You can really take magnesium any time of day — preferably with a meal,” says Blatner. “Take it when you’re going to remember to consistently take it.” But in part, you may want to consider what type of magnesium supplement you’re taking:

Magnesium glycinate

Magnesium glycinate is a combination of magnesium and an amino acid called glycine. “Some people use magnesium glycinate to relax, so some decide to take it at night to help them fall asleep, but it is not necessary to wait until that time, because even if you consume it before, it will not make you sleep,” asserts Blatner.

Magnesium citrate

Magnesium citrate is a mix of magnesium and citric acid that can be helpful if you have occasional constipation. This type of magnesium can jumpstart your digestive tract and cause a bowel movement within 30 minutes to 6 hours so you may want to plan accordingly! It works by keeping water in your stool so it remains soft and is easier to pass, according to the NIH.

Magnesium oxide

Magnesium oxide is made from magnesium and oxygen ions. Some people use it as a laxative while others use it to ease heartburn or just to increase their magnesium intake, according to the NIH. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for guidance on how much you should take and if you’re not sure how it will affect your body, you may want to take it in the comfort of home the first few times.

Magnesium chloride

This one is exactly what it sounds like — magnesium combined with chloride. One small study done in 2017 showed that magnesium chloride helped ease mild to moderate symptoms of depression over a period of six weeks, but it didn’t specify if the supplement was more effective when taken at a certain time of day.

Benefits of magnesium

There's evidence that taking magnesium supplements could help with certain health conditions, though some studies were limited in scope:

• Diabetes: A small 2014 study on patients with type 2 diabetes showed that taking 300 mg of magnesium for three months helped them control their blood sugar.

• Migraines: Taking magnesium supplements could possibly help reduce the number of migraine headaches in people who suffer from them regularly, according to a 2018 study review.

• Insomnia: A 2021 meta-analysis published in BMC Complementary Medicines and Therapies found there is no evidence that magnesium is effective for insomnia. However, the study also said that since supplements tend to be low-cost and widely available, it's okay to take less than 1g three times a day if you want to see if it helps you sleep.

Dosage

According to the NIH, women should consume 310 to 320 mg of magnesium per day, and men should ingest 400 to 420 mg daily. Foods should always be your first focus when trying to up your intake of any nutrient. Fortunately, the foods that are good sources of magnesium are healthy, and if you end up getting too much of the mineral from these foods, your body will pee out any extra.

Magnesium Glycinate 200 mg

Magnesium Citrate 250 mg per serving

On the other hand, taking too much magnesium via supplements can pose a health risk so make sure you talk to your doctor beforehand. “The recommendation is not to exceed 350mg per day in supplement form — that’s considered the safe upper limit,” says Blatner. Keep in mind that some medications and dietary supplements, such as some antacids and laxatives, also contain magnesium, so don’t ignore that when figuring out how much to take.

Along those same lines, pay attention to how your body reacts after you ingest magnesium as some people find that any amount in supplement form can cause GI symptoms, including diarrhea and nausea.

Bottom line: When it comes to magnesium supplements, the time of day you take them matters less than taking them consistently. Think about what benefits of magnesium you're hoping to get from it (such as less constipation or more sleep) and see how your body responds when you take it at different times of day. "It's always a good idea to talk to an RD about how much to take, and which type is best for your situation," says Blatner.

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