There it is again. It feels like there's a weight on your chest and you keep catching yourself holding your breath. Your muscles are tense and ready for action as though a tiger is hiding around the corner waiting to pounce on you.
It's hard to relax and sleep is illusive. You feel like you're on edge all the time.
These are just a few of the common symptoms of anxiety.
I can say from experience that it's an awful feeling, but having dealt with it on and off for years I have some tips for coping with anxiety, from ways to reduce your overall stress level to various supplements that can help you feel better, including taking magnesium glycinate for anxiety.
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Contents
Disclaimers:
1) Some of the links below are affiliate links. You won’t pay any more for the item but I will get a small commission that I then use to offset some of the hosting costs for this site. Your support is very much appreciated!
2) The content provided here is for informational purposes only and should not be used in place of the advice of a healthcare professional. While my wife and I have been taking magnesium supplements every day for years, I can't say how they might affect you. Always consult a doctor if you have health concerns: don't try to self-diagnose!
What is Anxiety?
Anxiety is the result of your natural fight-or-flight response being activated when it shouldn't be.
Just like the threat of the tiger in the example above, our bodies are designed to react as fast as possible to perceived threats in order to increase our chances of survival:
- Adrenaline is released in order to increase strength and speed
- Blood pressure, breathing rate, and heart rate are increased to pump more oxygen to muscles
- Our brains start to limit higher thinking and focus solely on how to survive the threat
These are all great responses to have if you are living on the plains of Africa where there are a number of natural predators, but this reaction is totally counterproductive if you are sitting in a cubicle trying to complete a big project under a deadline.
In short, our bodies tend to respond to non-life-threatening stressors as though we are in mortal peril.
Symptoms of Anxiety
Anxiety can cause a wide range of symptoms, and everyone is affected differently.
However, if you think of it in terms of our fight-or-flight response it is pretty easy to see the relationship between the common symptoms:
- Increased heart rate
- Increased breathing rate
- Tense muscles
Together these can cause other symptoms:
- Heart palpitations and/or chest pain
- Hyperventilation (overbreathing)
- Muscle twitches or trembling
- Fatigue
- Headaches
- Dizziness
... and the list goes on.
Causes of Anxiety
Again, by thinking of anxiety in terms of our fight-or-flight response you can see that any form of stress can trigger a reaction:
- Stress from your job
- Health concerns
- Family worries
- Financial stress
As I found out the hard way, health concerns in particular can cause anxiety: worrying about an existing health issue can cause anxiety, which can cause other symptoms, which can cause you to worry even more about your health, and then it turns into a negative feedback cycle where you start to feel worse and worse because of anxiety even though the underlying condition has not changed.
I went through this exact cycle when I was dizzy from magnesium deficiency.
Any stressor can trigger anxiety though. If you're worried about mortgage payments, or your boss is driving you nuts at work, or you're going through a rough patch in a relationship, it's easy to become overwhelmed to the point where you start to feel anxious all the time.
Beyond life stress there are medical causes for anxiety as well. Some medications are prone to causing anxiety and there are also certain medical conditions that can trigger it.
Our brains depend on a healthy balance of a number of different chemicals and if any of them go astray it can cause a wide range of symptoms from anxiety to depression to aggressive behavior.
How to Deal with Anxiety
What is the key to dealing with anxiety? Answer: reduce your stress levels.
Now I know what you're thinking: "Duh! Stress causes anxiety so I should reduce my stress. That doesn't help at all. If I could reduce my stress don't you think I wouldn't have anxiety in the first place??"
Well, yes and no.
I strongly believe that we do have some control over the stressors in our life, and that there are things we can do to either remove them from our lives entirely or at least mitigate their affect on our well-being.
In short, you have more control over your stress than you may think.
Keep reading: I do address magnesium for anxiety but I want to set the stage first.
However, if you would rather see which magnesium helped my anxiety the most, click here to see it on Amazon.
Find Your Key Stressors
So what can you do? First you need to sit down and figure out what stresses you the most.
I'm a big fan of the 80/20 principle, which says that roughly 80% of an effect is the result of 20% of the causes.
In other words, if you have 10 stressors in your life, 80% of your anxiety is the result of only 2 of your stressors (20%).
So make a list of your stressors and order them from top to bottom by how much stress they cause you, and according to the 80/20 principle the top 2 or 3 will be causing most of your anxiety.
This means you only need to focus on a couple stressors to see real results.
Once you know where to start, the second step is to work on reducing their affect on your life.
Eliminate What You Can
In some cases you can remove a stressor from your life entirely. It may mean dropping an activity (or even a person) from your life that you care about, but it is critical that you also take into account your own well-being.
Is it really worth continuing with something if it is causing you anxiety to the point of being detrimental to your health? Be honest with yourself about this, because it is an important question to ask.
As an example, let's say you like to volunteer in your community, and that you are involved in three different local organizations. Two give you a sense of satisfaction that you are helping people but the third sucks up a lot of your time and is filled with people that are extremely difficult to work with.
While the third organization itself may provide value to the community, you might be better off dropping it. It would save you a lot of stress, and your improved mood and energy level could be put towards the other two organizations.
Or to take it a step further, maybe there's a person in your life that you've known a very long time. You enjoy their company and care about them, but they have come to rely on you for a lot of things they should be taking care of for themselves. It could be a friend that constantly asks to borrow money but doesn't repay it, or a family member that relies too heavily on you to handle chores around the house.
I'm not suggesting you toss your parent, spouse, or child into the street because they are needy, but if any relationship is taxing you to the point of causing you health problems then you owe it to yourself to re-evaluate the state of that relationship.
You don't get hero points for grinding yourself into the ground for someone else if there's a different way to handle the situation where you won't feel anxious all the time but the other person is still taken care of.
Reduce The Effects Of What Remains
The Elephant and the Rider
This is great if you're able to change the situation, but what if you have a stressor that you can't remove from your life?
The key here is to remember that you still have some control. In this case you can control how you react to the stressor.
This is so important I'm going to repeat it: You can control how you react to any source of stress in your life.
I've recently read two really good books on the topic of managing our gut-level reactions to events going on around us. Click on a book title to read more about it on Amazon (affiliate links):
- Amazon: The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt
- Amazon: Your Brain at Work by David Rock
In "The Happiness Hypothesis", Haidt describes how our minds operate using the analogy of an elephant and its rider. Our emotional mind is the elephant, and our rational mind (and willpower) is the rider.
The elephant is big. The rider is not.
Is the rider ever completely in control of the elephant? Not really.
However, the rider can do a lot to guide the elephant, especially when the rider recognizes that the elephant can't actually be controlled outright.
This is where "Your Brain at Work" comes in. Rock provides a number of tips and techniques based on real science that can be used to detect when the elephant is going off course as well has how to guide it back to where the rider wants it to be.
While Rock doesn't use the elephant and rider analogy itself his strategies line up with it perfectly.
Rock also talks about the idea of Mindfulness. This simply means that your brain is able to control where its attention is focused. You can choose to think about work, or family, or food, or anything else you want.
You can even choose to think about what you're thinking about (metacognition) or you can choose to think about nothing at all and just enjoy the moment (meditation).
These last two focus points are the important ones when dealing with anxiety.
Guiding The Elephant
With metacognition you're simply paying more attention to your inner thoughts and feelings.
The more you do this the more you'll start to notice how various situations impact the elephant, and the more you can learn to detect these patterns then the better you'll be at guiding the elephant back onto the path that you want.
As an example, let's say there's a family member that can really push your buttons. Over time you use your mindfulness to better notice the subtleties of how this person impacts you emotionally.
You begin realize that your first emotion is anger, or guilt, or a feeling of inadequacy. Then you start to get better at noticing when the emotion is just beginning to stir.
Rock says that when you get to this point you can start to redirect those feelings to something more positive. When you first notice the initial negative emotion starting, immediately change your focus to a happy memory with this person. This is how you guide the elephant back to where you want it to be.
As you continue to do this over time your default reaction to them pushing your buttons will change. Instead of that initial negative emotion you will be training the elephant to feel something different.
And the more you can practice this mindfulness in various situations, the better you will get, and the easier it will be.
With this you can work on reducing the effect of your biggest stressors.
Stopping The Elephant
As I mentioned previously, you can also use mindfulness to think about nothing at all, to instead just enjoy the moment you are in.
This is what meditation is all about: instead of letting your mind race through all the things you need to get done and all the things you are most worried about, you can take a couple moments any time during your day to just stop the elephant from moving at all.
Just relax, slow your breathing (I like the 7-11 technique for this), and try to gently clear your mind.
If a thought drifts in, notice it then let it go. Focus only on the current moment: what you see, hear, or smell right now.
Try to do this for a couple minutes.
Whenever I notice that I'm feeling anxious I will use this technique. If I can just stop thinking for a short bit and focus on the physical world around me, an incredible sense of calm washes over me almost every time.
The key is that I first have to notice my anxiety and then I have to get myself to take the few moments required to let things go. But the feeling of calm is well worth it.
It's as if the elephant stops to snack on some grass for a bit, letting the rider focus on the incredible view instead of the elephant and the path.
A Matter Of Perspective
Stopping the elephant for a few moments is just one way to keep everything in your life in perspective.
It's easy to become overwhelmed by a single stressor to the exclusion of everything else, so it is critical to be able to take a step back and recognize that there is more to your life than just this one thing.
For me, the number one source of anxiety is my job, so I try to keep a healthy perspective on where my work fits within my life.
I think this quote from Brian Dyson (former CEO of Coca-Cola) says it best:
Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them – work, family, health, friends and spirit – and you’re keeping all of these in the air.
You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back.
But the other four balls – family, health, friends and spirit – are made of glass. If you drop one of these they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered. They will never be the same.
You must understand that and strive for balance in your life.
Former CEO of Coca-Cola
I also find myself worrying about things that are actually very unlikely:
- Flying makes me nervous even though it is safer than traveling by car.
- If my finger twitches a bit on its own I will worry that it is the first sign of a severe neurological disorder when in fact it is far, far more likely that it is just stress or fatigue.
In these cases I think it is important to apply a little probability to gain perspective. Simply remembering that flying is the safest mode of travel does help me feel better when I'm sitting on an airplane.
Preventing Anxiety By Taking Care of Yourself
Just as your mind can manifest the symptoms of stress within your body, taking care of your body can reduce the stress experienced by your mind.
One of the primary examples of your body affecting your mind is how you really are what you eat. In particular there are two strong stimulants that are known to increase anxiety:
- Caffeine: that morning cup of coffee can wake you up but it can also leave you feeling jittery and anxious
- Sugar: snacking on a donut or a soda can make you feel overly wired ... until you crash a while later
If you're struggling with anxiety, you're probably better off avoiding both for a while.
Another way your body can help your mind relax is through exercise. It releases endorphins that can increase your sense of well-being, and it reduces the impact that stress has on your body.
I also find myself feeling more optimistic about even my biggest stressors after a good workout.
Lastly, sleep has a big impact on your anxiety levels. Being overtired can make small stressors seem overwhelming.
Everything seems more manageable when I'm fully rested.
Magnesium Glycinate For Anxiety
My last tip (and probably the reason you came here in the first place) is that magnesium has a strong link to anxiety levels.
Magnesium is a natural relaxer. It soothes our muscles and calms our minds.
And not having enough magnesium can cause our bodies to create an incredibly strong feeling of anxiety.
Some recent studies show how magnesium may impact anxiety and depression:
During my experience with magnesium deficiency I found this out the hard way. I would dwell on things to an extent I never had before and my breathing became so fast I would come close to passing out.
I had trouble falling asleep and I would wake up with terrible nightmares. All I could think about was how everything seemed to be going wrong.
As an example of just how strong my anxiety was, a TV set that I had recently paid a lot of money for died and I spent days dwelling on how big a mistake it was and how I was going to get it replaced.
All I had to do was call the manufacturer and I couldn't even do that because I was convinced they wouldn't help me. I would sit for hours and worry about making the call.
It was just a TV, and it completely paralyzed me. It was such an awful feeling of helplessness that thinking about it now still brings back vivid, unpleasant memories.
But that all changed when my neurologist recommended magnesium. He suggested it primarily for the dizziness and headaches I was also experiencing, but my anxiety was almost completely eliminated when I started the magnesium.
Once I started taking magnesium glycinate it was like night and day. I felt like my old self again and things that had once paralyzed me were now a piece of cake.
I even took care of that stupid TV with no problem.
The only anxiety I experience now is the typical kind that comes from the external stressors I mentioned above, and the tactics I've listed here are the ones that have helped me cope with those.
But magnesium made the biggest impact by far, and I continue to take it every day because it simply makes me feel more calm.
I personally prefer magnesium glycinate. I tried many different kinds of magnesium while recovering but only glycinate impacted my anxiety levels.
You're Not Alone
When it seems like everything is crashing down around you, remember that you are not alone. We all face stress and anxiety at some point in our lives.
Sometimes you can handle it yourself, and sometimes only someone else can see the source of your anxiety and point you in the right direction.
In my case I just don't know if I would have found magnesium without my neurologist.
So try my suggestions above, but also consider talking to someone else as well. Start with a friend or a loved one and see if they can help you see your anxiety from a different perspective.
As always, you are strongly encouraged to consult with your physician or other qualified medical professional to help determine your own optimal level of magnesium, and to see whether magnesium supplementation is right for you.
Seeing a doctor doesn't automatically mean they are going to put you on medication.
Mine didn't.
If you have experience with anxiety, or taking magnesium for anxiety, please leave a comment below and let us know how you are doing and if anything has helped you.
I went to the doctor about a year and a half ago he diagnosed me with anxiety and panic disorder, agoraphobia, PTSD, severe depression and ged, now I’ve been healthy through out my life always felt a little depression and loneliness throughout my childhood but I was and still is very confused by what the doctor told me over all this time I have quit my job because of the stress, probably was a big mistake but I just could’nt take it anymore i was on a number of medication none worked so I just didn’t take anything I’ve tried some herbal tea over the months and can honestly say I feel a little better but still not myself I’ve never been a person who had panic attacks and if so they where so small I didn’t take note well one day I walked down the street from my house to the store and almost lost full control I had a huge panic attack and have not been back outside since roughly about 6 months ago everytime I get the thought of going outside I panic I don’t get a full blown attack but I get so pancky i have to go lay down, I want so bad to have a success story like yours, do you think it’s possible I’m willing to try magnesium at this point I’m willing to try everything
Yes! Try magnesium glycinate as soon as possible. And if you are able to. .. go get an iv vitamin and mineral drip that includes magnesium and other vital nutrients. Check your vitamin d too. And get vitamin b12 shots. And eliminate all processed food even if organic. Hope you find what works. Trust me, there is hope.
I ‘m new to having anxiety and with the breathing problems reading all the posts I want to try magnesium I get the panic/anxiety when I get short of breath I’m on Ativan I’ve only taken twice .I been having anxiety for almost a month and a half I’m a older lady 64 yrs and this scares me.i was in a car accident on Dec 1 and had a compression fracture had kyphoplasty done . I went to the ER for shortness of breath and the Drs there diagnosed me PTDS,and put me on Effexor,and propanolol,and Valium ,took myself off Valium . never took the other meds I read the side effects scared me so I didn’t take them.just the Ativan lowest dose.i was just wondering if my shortness of breath is a symptom of anxiety I have it every day,I had all the tests done and everything is good.would like some advice , Thank you
Gloria, sounds like what you are experiencing is definitely related to anxiety I grew through the same issues I am trying magnesium Glycinate now .. just started crying to try to take 500 mg a day my goal is to eventually get off the anti-Anxiety medication. I think it’s worth a try I also have muscle aches and it
Should help that also .. anxiety can cause so many other symptoms so reducing it in any way will help
Don
Definitely take magnesium glycinate
I recently started weening off of my anxiety medication and it was a rough start. I was dizzy, my body hurt like the flu and I was having trouble controlling the anxiety. INSOMNIA!!!!! Then I read about magnesium and B12. I started taking on a daily basis and I feel so much better. I wondering now if that was the reason for the panic attacks all along!
what magnesium are you taking how much and how much b12
Just here to add to the mix ….
Mag helps my anxiety and makes an unmanageable life feel manageable. I highly recommend it and don’t be shy using higher doses of mag glycinate multiple times a day as long as you’re not having bad GI problems. Obviously talk to your doctor but I’ve had ravaging anxiety problems for years and I just wish I’d found this sooner.
Our brain is a big old biochemical workshop, and it’s cool to know we have these tools out there for us to balance our nervous systems …. it’s just about finding them and proper implementation.
Also, well written article from someone with good input and didn’t push the product she represents too hard.
Good luck to all my fellow anxiety champions.
Pat
Magnesium thins the blood, correct? I have anxiety, but I’m concerned that magnesium will thin the blood and cause another horrible nosebleed. Has anyone developed nosebleeds while taking mag? I also have an autoimmune disease as well as liver disease. Many doctors have no answer to nutritional questions. Thank you
I’m taking magnesium 500 mg and feeling great.I’ve been struggling with anxiety for years . getting flushed heart palpitations. After 1 week feel really good ive also quit usingt tobacco and started taking care of myself more but magnesium i think really calms me down its amazing.
what doses are you taking
Hello, I am so excited to read that Magnesium Glycinate can help with depression and anxiety. I take Synthroid daily first thing each morning for my under active thyroid and was wondering if you knew if I should wait a couple of hours after taking my Synthroid before taking the magnesium?
I was going to try the “Pure Encapsulations” brand because I heard it was great. Do you know the recommendation for daily mg?
Thanks for any information.
I am takingoing antI depressants can I take magmesiumbrella supplements at the same time
I take Mag Glycinate from Metagenics. It is more expensive, but superior quality.
Just FYI, I started taking medication for a hypothyroidism and I had to stop taking it after about 3 days. My anxiety was worse than ever!! Once I stopped, I was back to “normal.” I am very sensitive to medication, so I’m sure it does not have the same effect on everyone.
I just purchased magnesium glycinate by Pure Encapsulations. It’s my go-to brand, outside of Solgar which my grandparents are fond of. I think Pure is the best for no-fillers and no worry. Supposedly, their supplements are pharmaceutical grade, according to my family doc. My nuerologist recommended 400mg/day, so I take 4 of these, @ 120mg each for a total of 480mg. And my physical therapist specializing in vestibular recommended the magesium too. As it tends to have a calming effect, I would recommend taking 2 at lunch and 2 at dinner, that way no interaction with the Synthroid. Good luck in your search and hope this helps!
Hi there, my problems started out with dizziness (very similar to you) and nausea which is turn lead to severe anxiety thinking I had some undiagnosed neurological condition. Despite having my tests all come back clear my anxiety developed to the point where it became a panic disorder and I found myself unable to control my flight or fight response even in a place as safe as a doctor’s office or a hairdresser. I’ve just started on a magnesium chelate supplement and I find it’s actually helping. I was just wondering whether it’s safe to take two magnesium glycinate in the morning and two magnesium chelate at night or whether they’ll have an adverse reaction together? Thank you so much.
OK,
Labdoor has done the extensive lab testing on Magnesiums and has it’s list of the TOP 10 BEST MAGNESIUM SUPPLEMENTS.
Yep, Doctors Best Magnesium Glycinate/Lysinate hit # 3 and was checked for dangerous levels of Lead, Cadmium, Mercury and others. Tests were conclusive, that brand was 100% it said it was, which is good.
# 1 was Life Extension Magnesium Caps 500mg It was also tested for dangerous heavy metals and contaminants and passed with flying colors. It is a capsule which contains 5 different Magnesiums, and is Chelated using the Albion Labs TRAACS PROTOCOL as is Doctors Best. The difference between the two, Dr’s Best Magnesium only uses Magnesium Chelated bound to Glyinate and Lysinate.
The # 1 rated Magnesium from Life Extension uses a variety of Magnesiums as well as Magnesium Glycinate/Lysinate Chelate.
Hope this helps, I will leave the link below.
https://labdoor.com/rankings/magnesium/
Hi.
Is it ok to take different forms of magnesium at the same time? I hear malate is good for energy which is something I struggle with but need the anxiety reducing effects also.
Thanks
My doctor (family medicine) recommended that I begin taking 400mg of magnesium glycinate daily for anxiety instead of my continuing to take Lorazapam 1mg. as needed. Well, I went to the Vitamin Shop that same day and bought some and began taking it nightly at bedtime. That was about a year ago, and I am now off Lorazapam and my panic attacks have ceased after 15 years. I have found several websites that sell 400mg of magnesium glycinate at a reduced price. If I am under unusual stress, I take 400mg 2xday, then resume taking it 1xday. My doctor also recommended that I take valerian root for sleeping issues, as needed. I take the valerian root only on occasion, as I prefer to fall asleep on my own. One thing about taking valerian root is it makes it difficult for me to remember my dreams which I am accustomed to doing. It feels wonderful to be off prescription drugs. In addition, I also exercise regularly which leaves me feeling more relaxed.
I hope you, too, get good results from magnesium glycinate.
This is awesome to hear! I too suffer from depression and anxiety. Been on Xanax and Klonopin PRN and tried several SSRI’s with no help. Right now going through a horrible depression state and order some Magnesium. Hope to have the same results as you! Low Mag makes sense to me because when I go through these rough times I rarely eat and when I am eating it’s not well.
Anxiety and Panic Disorder blindsided me a few months ago. I was put on Xanax and propranolol which is a nightmare for me because I am very sensitive to drugs of any kind and being on them actually increased my anxiety and panic attacks. I started using magnesium, probiotics and ashwahganda on top of meditation and mild exercise and have felt so much better. I am going to biweekly therapy and talking, figuring out my life which will hopefully lead to full freedom and healthy mind, I’m not there yet. Just wanted to share that drugs and anxiety are very controversial and studies are basically 50/50 on their effectiveness. Give the magnesium a shot, it’s safe, inexpensive and readily available!
Is it safe to take magnesium without your doctor advising you to? My anxiety is terrible and I’m on antidepressants that have obviously stopped working. My son also has it and he doesn’t like taking antidepressants. Need advice!!
You should also check your and your’s son vitamin b12 level if its below 300 then it might also cause anxiety
By the way my doc prescribed me antidepressants but I’ve refused to take ’em and instead bought myself bottle of GABA works wonders
Wish you best of health
I have been struggling with scary anxiety for almost 2 years. It seemed to come out of nowhere and made me not want to leave the house because I was afraid of having another panic attack in my car. I refused to take an anti-depressant because, I’m not depressed. I finally stumbled on to this website and I’m so glad I did! I started taking Mg just a couple of months ago and I can’t believe the difference. I have tried Natural Calm (Mg citrate) as well as chelated Mg bisglycinate. I take up to 800mg of Mg per day and I have no side effects other than feeling better. Thank you for posting your story. This has made a huge impact on the way I feel everyday.
How long did it take before you noticed an improvement on your anxiety?
Hi I bought magnesium glycinate for my anxiety (Solaraybrand) but I am wondering what dosage i should start off with? Does it depend on my weight? If i overdose are there complications?
Thanks!
I started with 100mg several times a day just to see how my body responded. The RDA is 400mg. Good luck!
I suffered off and on for over three years with morning panic attacks. My chest would tighten up and a wave of nausea would come over me in the morning. I was very reluctant to take any prescription but in April I finally hit my wits end after I was getting these attacks on a daily basis. I couldn’t get an appointment for another week with my GP so I turned to the Internet. Good or bad I ended up buying magnesium citrate. I took 500 mg at bedtime and the next morning I woke up with no issues. It’s been two months and I have not had an attack I am also not irritable anymore during the day which I recognize now was a secondary side effect. I feel so good and I can’t believe I suffered for so long.
I suffered off and on for over three years with morning panic attacks. My chest would tighten up and a wave of nausea would come over me in the morning. I was very reluctant to take any prescription but in April I finally hit my wits end after I was getting these attacks on a daily basis. I couldn’t get an appointment for another week with my GP so I turned to the Internet. Good or bad I ended up buying magnesium oxide. I took 500 mg at bedtime and the next morning I woke up with no issues. It’s been two months and I have not had an attack I am also not irritable anymore during the day which I recognize now was a secondary side effect. I feel so good and I can’t believe I suffered for so long.
Hello!
I am going to try Magnesium Glycinate for anxiety and insomnia. I took one pill the other day in the morning just to make sure I didn’t have some weird reaction. It did make me tired. Does anyone else have that issue and if so does it eventually go away?
I have had bad luck with many other types of Magnesium, including nightmares (weird I know)
I see some people take it in the morning and at night so curious.
Thank you
i am talking 2 capsules of Magnesium glycinate (400mg) in morning and 2 capsules before sleep. so i am taking 1600mg Magnesium glycinate daily . is it overdose or i can increase the dose further more? thanks Steve
very late to the party here…but when did you take the mag? in the morning or before bed? with food or without? i’ve heard all ways…just curious about your experience. i am under a great deal of stress so that’s why i’m taking it…
Hi Rollie. The short answer is that I take magnesium both in the morning and before bed :)
I take two Glycinate in the morning (200mg) and two Malate before bed (roughly 283mg). In the morning I end up taking it with breakfast but before bed it’s usually a couple hours after I’ve eaten.
Personally I haven’t noticed a difference between an empty stomach and a full one when I take my magnesium, but then again everyone is different.
I hope this helps!
I take magnesium citrate. What’s the difference between citrate & glycinate???
Thank you.
Hi Rita. There are a ton of different types of magnesium supplements out there. For the most part the biggest difference is what the magnesium is mixed/bonded with (in general we can’t consume raw magnesium and expect to absorb it).
Magnesium Citrate uses citric acid while Glycinate uses glycine (an amino acid).
What the magnesium is bonded to will impact absorption, and sometimes it can provide benefits beyond the magnesium itself.
I hope that helps!
I’m taking Magnesium glycinate for 5 months and I feel great now. My anxiety is Much better and insomnia is Gone. I have told other people around me and it as changed there lifes.
did you take the magnesium in the morning or at night?
Hi Marie, can you please tell me exactly how much magnesium you take and how often? I just bought some magnesium glycinate and I’m not sure how to go about it. Thanks in advance!
Need to try magnesium. I have sleeping problems also elevated Bp and can’t stand the meds.for that. Can’t tolerate it makes me sick so will try mag.
I have this ‘hat on head’ sedation for the last four months. It feels like a tight band around my head and also as if someone has put a sheet on my head. Could Thisbe anxiety. I have not been keeping well lately. Would magnesium help this.
Thanks for your research into magnesium. I have been suffering from severe depression and anxiety for the last 2 years (4th episode) – impossible to live with. So I tried (almost) everything with little or no relief.
Then I did some research on the internet – I wasn’t aware that there are so many different magnesium compounds. Without knowing your site, it made sense to me that magnesium glycinate would be worth a try. Before that I tried magnesiumoxide, citrates etc… and didn’t really work. For the last 2 days I have been taking glycinate (from Pure Encapsulations) and it already calmed me down. (In Germany this magnesium product is hard to find…)
I’ll have to see how it works the next days as I am flying to Shanghai for work – which made me anxious and even more depressed like hell months before the trip.
Keep up your work – it givespeople like me hope that my problem can be solved without heavy drugs. I hope that I can solve it now. Thank you, Steve
I want to take magnesium glycinate for my heavy anxiety. I was told magnesium is not good if you have appendicitis as it would cause your appendix to rupture. Is this true???
Hi David. I’ve never seen anything that says magnesium is bad for appendicitis but if you have any concerns about it at all I would definitely suggest talking to a doctor before trying it.
Magnesium has done wonders for my anxiety but I think you’re better off asking first. Better safe than sorry!