We Asked a Doctor How to Choose the Right Magnesium Supplement

People take magnesium supplements for everything from better sleep to relieving constipation. To avoid taking the “wrong” type of magnesium for your health needs, we asked our chief medical officer, Sohaib Imtiaz, MD, how to choose the best type for better sleep.

Q: I want to take magnesium supplements for better sleep, but I’m overwhelmed by all the options. What type should I buy?

First of all, you should select one of the well-absorbed forms, which includes magnesium citrate and glycinate. Magnesium glycinate is ideal for sleep and relaxation. Magnesium citrate is good for constipation.

Both are well absorbed by the body and increase your magnesium levels. Magnesium must be bound to something to be absorbed. So you can’t just consume magnesium: it must be accompanied by something like citrate or glycinate.

These two also don’t have the side effects that some others tend to have.

Magnesium threonate is all the rage right now. People are excited about this product because they believe it crosses the blood-brain barrier, which could mean it’s good for brain health and cognition.

7 Tips for Taking a Magnesium Supplement

There are a few other things to keep in mind when taking magnesium supplements:

1. Supplements vary in their composition and quality. The effects may take a few months to be felt. So if you don’t see any effect at this point, you may need to take more or change supplement brands.
2. There is a daily limit: Do not exceed the threshold of 350 milligrams, as this could be dangerous or cause side effects like diarrhea.
3. You can take them with other supplements: Magnesium is sometimes combined with different supplements. Taking it with your other supplements is okay because magnesium does not interact with them.
4. It may interact with certain medications: If you are taking antibiotics, diuretics, or bisphosphonates, discuss taking magnesium with your doctor.
5. There is no need to slowly increase your dose: You can start taking magnesium supplements daily.
6. Take it in the evening and with a meal. The body absorbs and stores it better at night, and taking it with a meal also makes it easier to absorb.
7. You can get magnesium through food: If you prefer not to take supplements, leafy green vegetables, dark chocolate, bananas, whole grains, and nuts are all good sources.