10 Types of Magnesium Supplements for Better Sleep Health

Do you take any sleep supplements? Odds are, you’re probably familiar with melatonin— the most popular and well-known sleep supplement on the market. But that’s not the only supplement out there that can help you get a restful night’s sleep.

Magnesium is another great natural supplement that doesn’t come with the unpleasant side effects that many over-the-counter sleep aids may have. Not only is magnesium good for your sleep, but it’s great for your overall health too!

There are a lot of different types of magnesium supplements out there— but selecting the best one for your unique needs doesn’t need to be a challenge. Let’s take a look at 10 different types of magnesium supplements, and the ways that they can benefit your body.

What is Magnesium?

Magnesium is an essential mineral for a healthy life. While beneficial for a good night’s sleep, magnesium isn’t produced by your body like melatonin— the “sleep hormone—” is. Rather, magnesium is a nutrient you get from your diet, or from a dietary supplement.

Magnesium is behind as many as 300 different enzyme reactions in your body— so it’s important to make sure you get enough each day! Magnesium deficiency can cause a number of health problems, including:

• Muscle cramps or twitching
• Fatigue
• High blood pressure
• Mental health disorders
• Insomnia

Magnesium is also vital for a healthy immune system, healthy blood pressure, and blood sugar regulation. It’s also crucial for healthy muscle and nerve function.

Magnesium is the main ingredient in many treatments for digestive problems. We’ll look into some of these later.

How Does Magnesium Help Sleep?

Magnesium helps prepare you for a good night’s sleep by calming your central nervous system and relaxing your muscles. It does this by helping your brain produce neurotransmitters that reduce stress and encourage sleep. With a calm body and mind, it’s much easier to get the healthy sleep you need each night. 

Magnesium also helps your brain regulate its melatonin production, which is important for a functioning sleep-wake cycle and healthy circadian rhythm.

Magnesium isn’t just helpful for restful sleep— it can also help treat nighttime disorders that may be preventing you from falling asleep on time. In fact, a magnesium supplement can be especially effective in treating restless legs syndrome. Magnesium can even help treat insomnia if it’s been caused by magnesium deficiency.

To learn more about how magnesium can help you sleep better, check out my article on the topic after you finish this one!

10 Types of Magnesium Supplements

Remember— magnesium isn’t only beneficial for your sleep. There are a lot of different types of magnesium supplements out there, each with their own unique properties and health benefits. Here are 10 different kinds of magnesium supplements you can find online or at your local grocery store.

1. Magnesium Glycinate

Also known as magnesium bisglycinate, this supplement is formed from elemental magnesium and glycine, an amino acid vital for protein construction.

Magnesium glycinate is often used in sleep supplements to help you get better rest. This supplement may also have calming properties, and may be effective in treating mental health disorders or insomnia. However, more research is needed to understand its full effectiveness though.

2. Magnesium Sulfate

You may know this better as Epsom salt or magnesium salt. Magnesium sulfate can be taken orally with water as a treatment for constipation, but it’s most often used for its calming properties rather than a laxative.

Mixing Epsom salt in a warm bath can help relieve sore muscles, relieve stress, and help you prepare for a rejuvenating night’s sleep. Epsom salt baths can also help reduce pain or swelling in the body.

3. Magnesium Citrate

Magnesium citrate is one of the most common formulas out there and is easily available wherever supplements are sold. This form of magnesium is bound with citric acid, which is naturally found in citrus fruit and gives them their familiar tart flavor.

Magnesium citrate is most often used to treat magnesium deficiency, and is often used to treat constipation in higher doses.

4. Magnesium Chloride

Magnesium chloride is an excellent supplement for a few different issues. Like magnesium citrate, it’s helpful in treating magnesium deficiency and constipation, but it’s also an effective heartburn treatment.

5. Magnesium Orotate

Unlike many magnesium supplements, magnesium orotate does not have a laxative effect on your body. As the name suggests, this supplement contains orotic acid, which helps your body produce genetic material like DNA.

This supplement may be especially beneficial for your heart health also. This is because orotic acid can protect your heart from further stress and help reduce the severity of heart disease such as chronic myocardial dysfunction.

6. Magnesium Taurate

This supplement contains the amino acid taurine, which can help maintain your heart health and regulate your blood sugar and blood pressure.

Animal studies have found encouraging results in reducing high blood pressure, but more human research is needed to see if magnesium taurate is as beneficial in people.

7. Magnesium Oxide

Magnesium oxide is the main ingredient in milk of magnesia, a well-known medication for constipation. And while it’s effective in treating digestive symptoms like constipation, indigestion, and even heartburn, it’s ineffective in treating magnesium deficiency because it isn’t absorbed well by your digestive tract.

8. Magnesium Malate

Magnesium supplement includes malic acid, which, like citric acid has a tart flavor and naturally occurs in many fruits. Magnesium malate is easily absorbed into your digestive tract, which makes it effective in restoring low magnesium levels.

This supplement is also considered a more gentle alternative for constipation than other magnesium supplements, and is also used sometimes to treat symptoms of chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia.

9. Magnesium Lactate

Magnesium lactate is a dietary supplement created by combining magnesium with lactic acid. It’s easily absorbed by your digestive system, and is especially helpful for those who require larger doses of magnesium each day. It’s also a great alternative if you can’t tolerate other magnesium supplements.

10. Magnesium Threonate

Also known as magnesium L-threonate, this supplement is often used for its potential mental benefits, rather than helping with digestion. Magnesium threonate may help treat disorders like depression and age-related memory loss— however, more research is needed to determine its efficacy.

How Much Magnesium Should I Take?

If you’re just starting a magnesium supplement, you should always start with the lowest recommended dose. You can gradually increase your dose as needed too.

However, as a general rule of thumb, I recommend 150 to 350 mg of magnesium daily. How much you need can also depend on your individual magnesium levels also— your doctor can help you determine your ideal dosage.

Side Effects of Magnesium

Magnesium has minimal side effects if you take appropriately sized dosages. However, just like any supplement, side effects may arise if you take large or excessive dosages. Side effects you should be aware of include:

• Muscle cramps
• Nausea
• Diarrhea
• Irregular heartbeat following extremely high doses
• Interactions with certain medications, such as muscle relaxants, calcium channel blockers, and antibiotics

Usually, any excess magnesium in your body is excreted through your kidneys and urine. However, consuming excessive amounts of magnesium can put you at risk of magnesium toxicity. This is a dangerous condition that can have potentially fatal complications, including cardiac arrest and hypotension— low blood pressure.

What’s the Best Magnesium Supplement?

Honestly, that all depends on you and your sleep needs. However, I personally recommend magnesium supplements from Jigsaw Health. Their line of magnesium products— which include many of the formulas above— are designed to be as high quality and effective as possible. Their supplements can not only help you get a good night’s sleep, but they can also help boost your energy, support healthy brain function, and soothe sore muscles.

If you prefer a combination supplement that includes magnesium and melatonin— or not— I recommend Sleep Doctor PM. It will give you the best of many supplements for a night of quality sleep.

Why You Should Choose a Natural Sleep Aid

When it comes to sleep aids, it can be hard to know what to choose. However, a natural sleep aid is really the best way to go.

Prescription and over-the-counter sleep aids can be habit-forming, and may have unpleasant or even dangerous side effects. Some of these can include sleepwalking, cooking, and even driving while you’re asleep! On top of that, many sleep aids can cause insomnia. This is because you can develop a dependency on these sleep aids, which gets worse as you develop a tolerance to them. As a result, you need to take more to be able to get the sleep you need.

However, you won’t have these potential issues with natural sleep aids like magnesium or melatonin. Magnesium is non-habit-forming and is safe to use for as long as you need. This is why I use it in my special Sleep Doctor PM formula. Whether you struggle to fall asleep at night or wake up during the night, my unique formula can help you get to sleep quickly. And you won’t experience any grogginess or sluggishness in the morning like you would with other sleep aids.

Melatonin isn’t the only natural sleep aid out there— magnesium is another great option. And not only can it help you get a good night’s sleep, but it’s great for your overall health too.

Sweet Dreams,

Michael J. Breus, PhD, FAASM

The Sleep Doctor

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