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Magnesium and mental wellness: 5 ways it could help
Written byMadalena Vieira Costa
Reviewed byMadalena Vieira Costa
Wondering if magnesium can improve your sleep quality? How about managing anxiety? We chat to a nutritionist about magnesium and what its connection to mental health could be
Summary
1Magnesium could help your resilience to stress
Research has found that magnesium can help reduce stress and anxiety by regulating your normal stress response and keeping cortisol levels...
2Magnesium might help to ease PMS
“It also plays an important role in the pathways that regulate the different hormones, like progesterone...”
3Magnesium could help you drift off to sleep
Sleep is one of the biggest influences on your mental wellbeing, and there’s evidence that magnesium could support...
Magnesium is one busy micromineral. We know a lot about how it helps us physiologically – for example, it has a role in the maintenance of bones, muscle function and contributes to a reduction of tiredness and fatigue – but that may not be the whole story. “It also contributes to normal psychological function,” says H&B nutritionist Madalena Vieira Costa.1
Magnesium plays an important role alongside the neurotransmitters that work in your brain which impact upon mood amongst other functions, for example magnesium levels are highly associated with the stress hormone cortisol.2
Here, she shares some interesting areas of research related to mental wellness, including issues such as depression, sleeplessness and pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS).
Ways that magnesium has been linked to mental wellness
On social media, you’ll hear claims that magnesium is a mood booster, muscle relaxer, stress reducer and sleep aid – but can it really work all these wonders? Let’s dig further into the research with a little help from Madalena.
1. Magnesium could help to boost your resilience to stress and anxiety
The association between magnesium and stress is well-known and studied. Research3 has found that magnesium can help reduce stress and anxiety by regulating your normal stress response and keeping cortisol levels in check.
“But, because we use magnesium as part of our stress response1 – especially when we spend long periods feeling stressed out – stress can also lead to lower magnesium levels and potential deficiency,” says Madalena.
Researchers suggest3 the role of magnesium in a stress response can end up in a vicious cycle – where stress can increase magnesium loss, and magnesium deficiency can increase your body’s susceptibility to stress.
But don’t stress too much! Madalena suggests, “Ensure you eat a magnesium-rich diet to keep levels consistently topped up.
A warming bath with added magnesium bath salts can have a calming effect, and a magnesium spray might help you switch off before bed.
2. Magnesium might help to ease premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
“This might be because magnesium is key to supporting how your nervous system works,” says Madalena. It also plays an important role in the pathways that regulate the different hormones, like progesterone, and their effect on the central nervous system.
3. There’s some evidence that people with depression have lower magnesium levels
Magnesium is essential for helping your cells function properly,4 including the formation of synapses in your brain – where nerve cells connect and communicate with each other.
The mineral also had a role in the regulation of key mood-stabilising hormones like serotonin and dopamine. It’s no surprise then that magnesium and depression might be linked, according to Madalena.
Research4 has shown that people with depression have lower magnesium levels. A 2017 clinical trial5 found that outpatients with mild-to-moderate depressive symptoms felt better after taking 250mg of magnesium for just two weeks.
However, more research is needed to prove magnesium’s effectiveness versus other treatments like medication or talking therapy – you should always talk to your GP or a support service if you’re experiencing low mood.
Magnesium deficiencies are fairly rare, but it’s reported that as many as half of us6 don’t manage to eat the recommended magnesium intake (300mg a day for men and 270mg a day for women).7 In addition, around 20% of us8 will show magnesium deficiency symptoms. According to a large meta-analysis,9 women are more prone to deficiency. This might be because they utilise more magnesium to help regulate hormonal rhythms.
“Not drinking enough water may be a cause of an imbalance, as we know magnesium is in some mineral and tap waters,” says Madalena.
One thing that’s totally out of our control is that the amount of minerals and nutrients in fruits and veg has decreased massively in the last 100 years – as much as 80-90% less magnesium10 in the US and UK.
4. Magnesium could help you drift off to sleep
Sleep is one of the biggest influences on your mental wellbeing, and there’s evidence that magnesium could support in this area.
“Magnesium’s helpfulness might depend on why you’re struggling to sleep,” explains Madalena. “It has a role in our nervous system and muscles, and contributes to a reduction in tiredness and fatigue, and so it might help you drift off easier by reducing the tension you’re holding in your body.”
“Magnesium is also associated with your melatonin levels11– the sleep-promoting hormone linked to deeper, better quality sleep.”
5. At the very least, a bath could help tense muscles unwind
There’s not a lot of research here, but according to Madalena, if you exercise a lot and want to avoid muscle aches – or simply to unwind – a bath could be worth trying.
One study12 found that participants' blood magnesium levels increased after soaking in a bath with magnesium salts for 12 minutes a day for a week. “A bath with magnesium salts may help with muscle relaxation, stress reduction, improved circulation and better sleep,” says Madalena.
But, because the warm water in a bath also plays a crucial role in all of this, it’s tough to know whether it’s the salts or the relaxing bath that has these soothing effects. It’s really a case of seeing what works for you. For more on magnesium, check out these myths.
If you’re struggling with your mental wellbeing, your first port of call should be to those who can support you, including your GP. You should also speak to your doctor before using magnesium products – including salts – during pregnancy.
The advice in this article is for information only and should not replace medical care. Please check with your GP or healthcare professional before trying any supplements, treatments or remedies. Food supplements must not be used as a substitute for a varied and balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle.
1. Cuciureanu MD, Vink R. Magnesium and stress [Internet]. Nih.gov. University of Adelaide Press; 2011. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507250/
2. Moabedi M, Aliakbari M, Erfanian S, Milajerdi A. Magnesium supplementation beneficially affects depression in adults with depressive disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. Frontiers in Psychiatry [Internet]. 2023;14:1333261. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38213402/
3. Pickering G, Mazur A, Trousselard M, Bienkowski P, Yaltsewa N, Amessou M, et al. Magnesium status and stress: The vicious circle concept revisited. Nutrients [Internet]. 2020 Nov 28;12(12):3672. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7761127/
4. Botturi A, Ciappolino V, Delvecchio G, Boscutti A, Viscardi B, Brambilla P. The Role and the Effect of Magnesium in Mental Disorders: A Systematic Review. Nutrients. 2020 Jun 3;12(6):1661.
5. Tarleton EK, Littenberg B, MacLean CD, Kennedy AG, Daley C. Role of magnesium supplementation in the treatment of depression: A randomized clinical trial. Song Y, editor. PLOS ONE. 2017 Jun 27;12(6):e0180067.
6. Costello RB, Elin RJ, Rosanoff A, Wallace TC, Guerrero-Romero F, Hruby A, et al. Perspective: The Case for an Evidence-Based Reference Interval for Serum Magnesium: The Time Has Come12345. Advances in Nutrition [Internet]. 2016 Nov 10;7(6):977–93. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5105038/
7. NHS. Vitamins and Minerals [Internet]. NHS. 2020. Available from: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/others/
8. Guillaume T, Krzesinski JM. [Management of serum magnesium abnormalities]. Revue Medicale De Liege [Internet]. 2003 [cited 2024 Jul 25];58(7-8):465–7. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14579608/
9. Orlova S, Dikke G, Pickering G, Yaltseva N, Konchits S, Starostin K, et al. Risk factors and comorbidities associated with magnesium deficiency in pregnant women and women with hormone-related conditions: analysis of a large real-world dataset. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth. 2021 Jan 22;21(1).
10. Workinger J, Doyle Robert, Bortz J. Challenges in the Diagnosis of Magnesium Status. Nutrients. 2018 Sep 1;10(9):1202.
11. Abbasi B, Kimiagar M, Sadeghniiat K, Shirazi MM, Hedayati M, Rashidkhani B. The effect of magnesium supplementation on primary insomnia in elderly: A double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial. Journal of research in medical sciences : the official journal of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences [Internet]. 2012;17(12):1161–9. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3703169/
12. Report on Absorption of magnesium sulfate (Epsom salts) across the skin [Internet]. Available from: https://www.epsomsaltcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/report_on_absorption_of_magnesium_sulfate.pdf
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