Magnesium in its multiple forms has been a staple in my diet and supplement routine since 2005 when I became a 100% raw food vegan from 2003 to 2010.

Shortly into my dietary transformation I learned about magnesium and just how important it is.

Since around 2005 I’ve taken multiple forms of magnesium in multiple ways. It’s a supplement everybody should consider taking as the health benefits of magnesium are endless.

It turns out that the first mineral we lose in our body due to stress is magnesium. Do you know anybody in this modern technological age we’re living in, that is not stressed out of their mind?

I want to get into the benefits of magnesium before discussing taking magnesium L-threonate for sleep.

Overall Health Benefits of Magnesium

Many health researchers and “influencers” incorrectly state that magnesium is used for 300 biological processes in the body.

Turns out they’re wrong by a factor of 10.

It turns out that magnesium is required for 3,751 of your 9,000 enzymes to function. The impact of that is incalculable.

That means 42% of your metabolic function requires one mineral, magnesium.

If you have insomnia, cancer, hypothyroidism, fatigue, candida, digestive issues, cardiovascular issues, diabetes, headaches or anything in between, you have low intracellular magnesium levels.

Since it’s required for so many biological functions to happen, it makes sense that we’re low in it.

And the fact that it’s the mineral necessary to deal with electron loss via oxidative stress make even more sense that we’re low in it.

Here are a few physiological processes that require magnesium

1. ATP Production, Low in energy?
2. Converting 7-dhydrocholesterol to the active for of vitamin D 1,25 which then through the VDR turns on or off 2,000 genetic expressions.
3. Converting inactive thyroid hormone T4 to the active form T3 in your liver
4. Chelating heavy metals which also hinder energy production
5. Opens “doors” (ferroportin – see below) to let excess iron out of the cells to get back to the bone marrow to make new red blood cells.
6. Proper muscle function and regrowth
7. DNA function
8. Protects against heart disease and stroke
9. Magnesium opens the door to the hippocampus where memory is stored
10. Required for the biological transmutation to form calcium in bones and teeth (magnesium + silica form calcium)
11. Necessary to mitigate oxidation and calcification in soft tissues of the body
12. Immunity
13. Blood sugar regulation. It improves glycemic control and insulin sensitivity.
14. Improves synaptic density of the neuronal cells in the brain
15. Regulates blood pressure
16. IV Push of magnesium can stop asthma
17. Reduces overall fatigue by helping electrons pass over the outer mitochondrial membrane to complex 4 of cytochrome c-oxidase where ATP (energy) gets made
18. and 3,733 other processes!

According to WikiPedia

Ferroportin is a transmembrane protein that transports iron from the inside of a cell to the outside of the cell. Ferroportin is the only known iron exporter.

Not all Magnesium Is Created Equal

• Magnesium L-Threonate – Ideal for brain injuries like concussions, PTSD, depression, neuro conditions, anxiety and sleep.
• Magnesium Chloride – a good all rounder, can be used transdermal on skin or baths, found in mineral drops.
• Magnesium Glycinate – has a calming effect so I take this before bed.
• Magnesium Malate – has a somewhat stimulating effect so it’s better in the morning for energy.
• Magnesium Oxide/Magnesium Hydroxide – good in small doses throughout the day, the hydroxide version is good for making magnesium bicarbonate.
• Magnesium Sulphate – take in very small oral doses but it’s ideal in bath.
• Magnesium Taurate and Orotate – Excellent for heart health.
• Magnesium bicarbonate (Mag Water) – one of the co-factors, improves absorption.

Not recommended:

• Citrate: (also listed as carbonate with citric acid) and ascorbate, both interference with copper metabolism via ceruloplasmin.
• Aspartate and glutamate: amino acids that have a less than desirable excitatory effect on your central nervous system.

5 Ways To Get More Magnesium

Transdermal

Transdermal magnesium is a really effective way to get magnesium into the cells and bypassing liver and colon. Many times I’ve seen people unable to take magnesium because it “gives me the runs” they say. If you take too much, it can deplete the body of minerals so getting it through the skin is preferred.

You can get it by rubbing it on your skin (I do this 2x per day) and taking magnesium baths (works great when you combine it with red lights in your bathroom). When it gets hot in the summer I don’t usually do magnesium baths since I’m getting it so many other ways. In the Fall and Winter when it gets colder, I love magnesium baths.

Diet

Getting magnesium through whole foods is ideal. Here are some foods high in magnesium. Try to eat one of these a day if possible. I like adding raw cacao to my morning coffee. 🙂

• Nuts:
  • Cashews
  • Brazil nuts
  • Almonds
• Seeds:
  • Sunflower seeds
  • Pumpkin seeds
  • Chia seeds
  • Flax seeds
  • Hemp seeds
• Dark Leafy Greens:
  • Mustard greens
  • Collard greens
  • Beet greens
  • Chard
  • Spinach
• Legumes:
  • Black beans
  • Lentils
  • Chickpeas
• Whole Grains:
  • Oats
  • Barley
  • Quinoa
• Fish:
  • Halibut
  • Salmon
  • Mackerel
• Other:
  • Dark chocolate
  • Unsweetened cocoa/cacao

Water

I like adding magnesium powder to my water that doesn’t contain magnesium citrate (alters copper metabolism). When I run out of that product I’ll use a teaspoon of ReMag in my water. Dr. Carolyn Dean (Author of  The Magnesium Miracle and the formulator of ReMag claims it helps get magnesium inside the cell).

The other way is to make magnesium bicarbonate with a soda maker machine. I do this every so often to switch things up. Generally I’ll take one half ounce two to three times per day.

Supplements

The main supplement I take is called MagATP. I take one capsule with lunch and another capsule with dinner.

IV or Injection

Concentrations of magnesium need to be 16x higher inside the cell than outside the cell. Sometimes when magnesium cannot get inside, you’ll get symptoms like restless leg syndrome or arrythmias, night sweats or muscle spasms etc. There’s something called the “magnesium pump” that forces magnesium inside the cell. If that’s not working, you’ll be deficient in magnesium.

One way to active the “magnesium pump” is to inject it. There are 2 main ways to inject magnesium. One is through an IV drip over the course of 30 to 45 minutes and the other is through needle injection using a syringe.

I’ve never done the latter but usually once or twice a year (mostly in Fall and Winter when it’s flu season) I’ll get a magnesium IV. You can find a doctor in your local area that does both by clicking here.

If you’re having trouble sleeping, there’s a very high chance you’re deficient in intracellular magnesium. A simple EXA test can figure that out and it can be done by most medical doctors. EXA stands for The Non-invasive Intracellular Mineral-Electrolyte Analysis and it’s a simple cheek swab.

Benefits of Magnesium L-Threonate For Sleep

When it comes to sleep nothing seems to work better for me than Magnesium L-threonate. The reason is because it has this pretty awesome ability to pass through the blood brain barrier. When I first learned about that I was skeptical. But after I tried taking magnesium L-threonate for my sleep issues, I was sold.

I will say though that it took me about 3 nights to notice the benefits. After 5 nights the benefits seemed to be more and more pronounced. After about 10 nights of taking it, it seemed to level off but I was noticing really big improvements particularly in falling asleep and disassociating my mind when slipping into sleep. I could turn my mind off much easier and fall asleep without ruminating on random thoughts in my mind.

Magnesium chelated to the amino acid l-threonate seems to regulate the homeostasis of neuronal activity. This is the opposite effect of eating excitotoxins like MSG.

As you know, I love reading studies and linking to them because many people doubt natural remedies for health conditions. There have been studies showing that magnesium l-threonate helped study  participants to fall asleep and remain asleep. People who suffer from insomnia really seem to like this particular form of magnesium.

One of the main reasons people have sleep disorders like insomnia is because they have a broken circadian rhythm and their disconnected from nature. As a result they’re living and working under blue lit conditions which has a negative effect on the suprachiasmatic nucleus.

The SCN is our master clock which is primarily influenced by light. This is why I’m such a stickler for watching the sunrise to set your circadian rhythm for the day. I never miss a day.

But on top having a broken circadian rhythm, people just can’t turn their mind off enough to let go and fall asleep.

This is where taking specific herbs for sleep and supplements for sleep can really help.

I like magnesium l-threonate as one of my top supplements for sleep. I’m very passionate about it, as you can probably tell.

You may now be wondering, can you take melatonin and magnesium together for sleep?

I do! And the answer is yes!

My Recommendation

There are lots of magnesium products and individual amino acids that magnesium could be chelated to. We almost have too many choices. I’ve tried many forms of Mg L-threonate and the one that works best for can be found here.

Conclusion

No matter what sleep issues you have, I would HIGHLY encourage you to start getting more magnesium into your diet and lifestyle.

Start with one thing. Start taking a good magnesium supplement with breakfast and lunch and then taking magnesium l threonate for sleep about 30 minutes before bed. Give it a week and see what happens.

Since I no longer have a broken circadian rhythm and live a lifestyle much more connected to nature I don’t have problems with sleep anymore. But because I know of all the overall health benefits of magnesium, I still make sure I get at least one form in each day. Most of the time I get multiple forms.

I’ve noticed a big difference in my own life. I’m sure if you start getting on the magnesium bandwagon you will too.

Questions:

1. Have you ever taken magnesium l threonate for sleep and did it work?
2. How long did you try it?
3. Have you ever made a conscious decision to get more Mg into your diet each day?
4. Did you ever get the “magnesium runs?” Lol

Comment below!