How to Choose the Best Magnesium Supplement for You

Have you looked into magnesium supplements but felt overwhelmed by so many options? Wondering how to choose between magnesium citrate, glycinate, oxide, or the many other compounds you see on the labels? And then there's choosing between capsules, powders, bath flakes, and oils. 

Your body needs magnesium for hundreds of biochemical reactions—including those that help you deal with stress—but most people don't have enough magnesium for those reactions to run smoothly. Low magnesium levels are linked to increased stress, anxiety, poor sleep, muscle cramps, and a range of other health issues. 

Many of my clients have seen fast improvement in their sleep quality and stress resilience, reduced pain, and many other health benefits from supplementing with magnesium. 

In this post, I'll let you in on what I learned while researching my book Feed Your Calm: Anti-Anxiety Anti-Stress Diet and Supplement Tips for Stress Resilience, my personal experience with magnesium supplements, and the results my counseling clients have shared. Whether you're looking to improve your mental health or physical well-being, you'll find practical guidance on choosing the best magnesium supplement for your needs.

What's in This Article

This post should not be taken as medical advice. It is always advisable to consult with your personal medical professionals. 

What is Magnesium?

Magnesium (Mg) is an essential mineral that plays a vital role in over 600 biochemical reactions in the body. Magnesium is essential in 2 ways:

1. Your body needs it to function properly
2. You cannot create it in your body—you have to consume it

Magnesium supports muscle, nerve, and hormone function, heart health, bone strength, and energy production. It’s also crucial for stress management, relaxation, and sleep.

You need magnesium to deal with stress, and you burn through it with stress. 

Despite its importance, many people don’t get enough magnesium from their diet. Factors like processed foods, soil depletion, certain medical conditions, and stress can lead to low magnesium levels, which may contribute to anxiety, muscle cramps, fatigue, headaches, poor sleep, and many other problems. 

Magnesium is found naturally in foods like leafy greens, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and legumes, but some people may need supplements to meet their daily requirements.

In this post, I’ll explore different types of magnesium, how to choose the right supplement for your needs, dosage, and tips for getting the most out of your magnesium supplements.

For the benefits of magnesium, related research, and list of conditions that it can help with, check out this post:  Magnesium Supplement Benefits for Anxiety, Depression, and More

Magnesium Dosage Guide: How Much Do You Need Per Day?

There is no UL (Upper Limit) for magnesium.

The magnesium RDA (Recommended Daily Amount) in mg/day:

• Men 19–30 years old: 400
• Men over 30: 420
• Women 19–30 years old: 310
• Women over 30: 320

Supplementation dosage recommendations (mg/day) for men and women:

• PDR for Nutritional Supplements recommends 100–350
• Nutrition Essentials for Mental Health recommends 100–400

If you are using magnesium to help with sleep, it is best to take it before bed. 

2 Types of Magnesium Supplements: Oral vs. Transdermal

Magnesium can be taken in two ways:

1. orally (pills, capsules, gummies, or powders) or
2. transdermally through your skin (oils, gels, baths). 

There are some doubters about magnesium being absorbed through skin, but I know for sure that it works because I've experienced the results. 

I had chronic neck pain for a decade after a roll-over car accident. After I started using transdermal magnesium, I noticed my neck pain went away, which makes sense because magnesium is a muscle relaxer. For several years, if I slacked off on using magnesium oil or footbaths, my neck pain returned after about three days. When I started using them again, the neck pain went away within a few hours.

November 2024 Update: I now use Naturally Calm Magnesium Gummies for my daily magnesium intake. For more on this supplement, scroll down to the Oral Magnesium Supplements section. I continue to use the oil spray for acute muscle pain after a challenging workout since you can spray it exactly where you need it. 

Magnesium Overdose and Toxicity: Negative Side Effects to Know About

Magnesium is a muscle relaxant. If you take too much magnesium, it may relax your intestines and result in diarrhea.

An advantage of using transdermal magnesium sources is that you are going to get your blood level of magnesium up before it hits your intestines with its relaxing effect. With oral magnesium, it hits your intestines first—so your blood level might still be deficient even if you experience diarrhea. 

Oral magnesium can be more or less diarrhea-causing depending on what it is bound to. (More about this in a minute.) This is most prevalent with magnesium citrate powders used in a supplement drink. You can mitigate the impact by starting with low doses and working your way up to your limit. 

Also, while we're on the topic of intestinal impact, gummies seem more intestinal-friendly than pills or powders since much of the magnesium is absorbed into your bloodstream in your mouth. 

For a long time, I suggested that my anxiety clients who already tended toward loose stools avoid magnesium supplements. But I began getting feedback from clients saying that the diarrhea they had suffered for years went away when they started taking magnesium citrate powder drinks (which is the most likely to loosen stools). My assumption is that the magnesium had a calming effect on a cramping intestinal tract or that their diarrhea was anxiety-induced. Possibly, the magnesium calmed the anxiety and, in turn, calmed their intestines.

Magnesium Oil and Flakes: How to Use Transdermal Mg 

Transdermal magnesium involves sprays or lotions you apply to your skin, or flakes/salts added to a foot or body bath.

Because magnesium helps relax your body and your mind, soaking in a magnesium-enriched foot or body bath before bed can be a great way to wind down and improve your sleep. A full-body bath gives you more skin exposure, so it has the potential of increasing the amount you absorb, but it also requires more of your magnesium source than you need for a foot bath because of the greater water volume.

For even more relaxing effect, you can add lavender or other calming essential oils to your bath along with the magnesium flakes or salts.

There are two compounds of magnesium for transdermal use:

1. Magnesium sulfate
2. Magnesium chloride

1. Magnesium Sulfate: Epsom Salts

Magnesium sulfate is also known as Epsom salts. The name Epsom comes from the British town where it was first created in the 1600s by boiling down spring water. Epsom salts are quite inexpensive and easy to find in grocery stores, drug stores, and online. This is the salt used in most of the floatation tanks that have become popular for relaxing and relieving tension. It can be used in foot and body baths.

If you are using Epsom salts, try to find a brand that talks about its purity. (One example on Amazon is Ultra Epsom Premium Epsom Salt. ) You don’t want to be absorbing toxic stuff when you’re trying to do your body good.

Use about 2 cups of Epsom Salt in a 20-minute footbath. More in a full-body bath. (For more on foot bath how-to's see Relaxing DIY Foot Soak Recipe below.)

2. Magnesium Chloride Flakes and Oil

Dr. Mark Sircus, author of Transdermal Magnesium Therapy, prefers magnesium chloride over magnesium sulfate:

"Epsom Salts are wonderful for many applications and one can put hundreds of pounds of it in isolation chambers so you can float easily in them. . . . For some reason magnesium chloride is hugely more absorbable through transdermal means than magnesium sulfate (Epsom Salt)."

My personal experience is that I get way better results with magnesium chloride flakes than I do with Epsom Salt.

Magnesium chloride flakes can be used in foot or body baths. Because it seems to absorb better than Epsom Salt, you can use less: about 1 cup magnesium chloride flakes per footbath compared to twice as much for Epsom Salts. (For more on footbath how-to's see Relaxing DIY Foot Soak Recipe below.)

Magnesium chloride can also be applied to the skin as magnesium oil, gel, or lotion.

Magnesium oil is not really an oil. It is a water solution of magnesium chloride, but it feels slippery like an oil. You simply spray it on your body.

There is one catch: some of the solutions available can make you itchy until you build up your magnesium level, and they may leave a residue that you have to wipe off. Don’t apply it right after shaving, or you’ll definitely feel an itchy burn. I sprayed it on my abdomen, arms, and legs morning and night for several years without any residue problems. 

If you do become itchy after using magnesium oil, try diluting it half and half with water. Build your way toward higher concentrations. 

Like with Epsom salts, purity can be an issue with magnesium chloride. Dr. Sircus and others raise concerns about environmental contamination of sea and lake sources. The purest source appears to be a deep ancient mine in Northern Europe known as the Zechstein Seabed.

The Ancient Minerals brand of magnesium chloride uses the Zechstein mine as its source and is the brand recommended by Dr. Sircus and Dr. Carolyn Dean, author of The Magnesium Miracle. They have flakes, oils, and gels. 

Relaxing Magnesium DIY Foot Soak Recipe 

Here's a quick summary of how to make an easy stress-relieving foot bath. 

Doing your foot bath in the evening helps reduce stress and improve sleep.

Foot Soak Recipe:

1. Get out a container that is big enough to place your feet into. (You can use a large bowl or dishpan. I use a plastic dishpan that I purchased for foot soaks. Don't use  a foot spa for this purpose unless it can handle the magnesium salts or flakes.)
2. Put a couple of inches of warm water in the container so that your feet will be covered up to about your ankles. (The water doesn't have to be hot-hot. Make it hot enough so that it won't be annoying as it cools off, but not so hot that it is uncomfortable.)
3. Add either 1 cup of Magnesium chloride flakes or 2 cups of Epsom Salts. Stir it into the water with your hand so that it dissolves.
4. Optional: If you like, add a calming essential oil that has been mixed with a carrier oil to the water, or mix essential oil into the magnesium flakes or salts before adding to the water. (See the list of calming oils below.)
5. Soak your feet for 20 minutes or longer. (I put a towel down on the floor in front of my favorite chair, place a dishpan of the magnesium water on the towel, and watch TV while I soak. My soak usually ends up being more like 40 minutes just because by then I notice that the water has cooled off.)  

Calming Essential Oils:

• Lavender (L. angustifolia)alate
• Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus)
• Sweet orange (Citrus sinensis)
• Geranium (Pelargonium graveolens)
• Bergamot (Citrus bergamia)
• Ylang Ylang (Cananga odorata

For more info about essential oils, check out this post: 9 Best Essential Oils for Relieving Anxiety, Stress and Insomnia

Choosing the Right Oral Magnesium Supplement

Magnesium has to be bound with some other biochemical, such as aspartate, citrate, or glycinate.

Oral magnesium can be more or less absorbable and diarrhea-causing depending on what it is bound to. 

Some forms of oral magnesium are compounded with neurotransmitter-related elements that can rev you up or calm you down. 

Foods That Block Magnesium Absorption: What to Avoid with Mg Supplements

If you use oral magnesium, it is recommended that you avoid taking it at the same time as two categories of food:

1. High phytate (unsprouted whole grains, legumes, nuts, or seeds) 
2. High oxalate (spinach, Swiss chard, almonds, rhubarb, or beets) 

These antinutrients may grab mineral supplements—such as magnesium—before the mineral gets a chance to enter your bloodstream.

You don't have to avoid these foods altogether; just be mindful of what enters your gut around the same time as these supplements. 

3 Magnesium Supplements to Avoid (And Why)

Before talking about some oral magnesium compounds that you might try, I'll mention three that you should avoid. Check supplement ingredient lists carefully to make sure manufacturers aren't mixing these in with other magnesium compounds that may be named more prominently on bottles and in advertising.

Magnesium oxide is the cheapest form and widely used for supplements, but it is also the worst. It is poorly absorbed by your body, and it tends to cause diarrhea. 

Magnesium aspartate is more absorbable than the oxide form, but it is not good for people with anxiety or dealing with stress because aspartate is an excitatory amino acid.

Magnesium carbonate is less soluble and absorbable than the compounds listed below. 

Magnesium Citrate Supplements: My Top Pick 

My current favorite way to get magnesium is with Naturally Calm Magnesium Gummies. They are magnesium citrate, and although magnesium citrate can be overly laxative if taken as a powder drink, I don't find that is a problem with the gummies (probably since a lot of it gets absorbed into the bloodstream through your mouth.) 

I wouldn't normally think gummies are good supplements, but I love CALM Gummies for effectiveness and ease of use. It is readily available in stores and online. I use it daily in the evening and find that it works great for sleep and well-being. 

Naturally Calm also makes a powder version that you mix with water and drink. 

GUMMIES	POWDER

NOTE: Magnesium is a muscle relaxant. To minimize the diarrhea potential, when using the Naturally Calm powder -- start by taking it in the evening and follow the container's instructions for experimenting with small doses to find the level that works well for you.

9 Other Oral Magnesium Supplements: What to Consider

I have not had good personal experience with any magnesium pills or capsules. I've tried at least half a dozen formulations, but they all make me feel a little nauseous. 

Here are some magnesium formulations you might try in capsule or tablet form if you want to see how they work for you.  

Magnesium malate, taurate, lactate, succinate, fumarate, and gluconate are some middle-of-the-road oral magnesium supplements.

Magnesium L-threonate is a new kid on the block. Research on rats shows promising evidence that this form of magnesium has superior ability to enter the brain and improve learning and memory. Its ability to enter the brain might mean that it is particularly helpful for mental health as well. But, it is very expensive and may be more hype than extra benefit.

Magnesium glycinate has the advantage of including the calming neurotransmitter glycine. It is fairly well absorbed and less laxative than some other forms. (Watch out for supplements that say magnesium glycinate on the front but then reveal on the back that they have some other magnesium compounds, like oxide, as well. I got burnt on this myself.)

Magnesium bisglycinate is a slightly different glycine formulation that is promising. Thorne makes a powder version that can be used to make an evening drink to help with sleep. It is more expensive than Natural CALM powder but less likely to cause diarrhea. Many companies produce it in capsule form.

Who Should Avoid Magnesium Supplements? Key Health Considerations

In The Magnesium Miracle Dr. Carolyn Dean mentions “four contraindications to magnesium therapy: kidney failure, myasthenia gravis [a chronic autoimmune neuromuscular disease], excessively slow heart rate, and bowel obstruction.”

Anxiety Diet Book

Feed Your Calm: Anti-Anxiety Anti-Stress Diet and Supplement Tips for Stress Resilience

In Feed Your Calm, you'll learn: 

• What's happening in your body as you try to deal with stress
• How specific vitamins, minerals, fats, proteins, probiotics, and herbs help you deal with stress
• 5 types of foods that add to your stress and hurt your ability to be calm
• 12 anti-anxiety foods for stress resilience
• 10 anti-anxiety supplements for stress resilience 

"Anxiety is at epidemic levels today. In Feed Your Calm, Ann Silvers gives readers an approachable antidote to this epidemic."

--Dr. Megan DeBell, MD

NOTES:

No part of this post should be taken as medical advice. It is always advisable to consult with your personal doctors and medical professionals about your individual circumstances. Pregnant and nursing mothers and people on medications should take special care to check with their doctor regarding any potential counterindications for specific natural remedies.

I include product links for your convenience. I may receive a small commission on sales from these links, but it doesn't influence my suggestions or affect your cost.

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