Today again we’re answering a common question about supplementing: when to take magnesium.
“When is the best time to take magnesium? Is it morning, lunchtime, dinner, or at night?”
People often ask if it’s safe to take Natural Calm magnesium daily (yes!), and at what time we’d recommend they take it.
We’ve answered these questions briefly in the FAQ section of the site, but here we’ll go into more detail.
The short answer is that there’s no one right time for everyone. The right timing for you depends on your lifestyle and what makes you feel best.
In this post, we’ll cover the best times to take magnesium based on your needs.
Many people know that magnesium is a great supplement for sleep and relaxation. That’s why it’s called “the original chill pill” (even if you don’t take your magnesium in pill format).
So, it’s common for Natural Calm users to take one dose of our magnesium powder a bit before bed while unwinding.
However, magnesium is not a sedative. It won’t make you sleepy unless it’s time for you to sleep. You can take magnesium at any time of day and even more than once a day.
Let’s talk about how to pick a time that’s right for you.
If you take it before bed, we recommend about half an hour before you’d like to sleep, so it can take effect.
For adults and kids, magnesium is a natural relaxant. It helps to relax your muscles, and nerves while facilitating the release of melatonin — the sleep hormone. People who have Restless Leg Syndrome rely on Natural Calm before bed to relieve their condition.
Natural Calm magnesium can become a soothing nighttime ritual. It’s a hot drink that helps you wind down, and if you need extra sleep support with your magnesium, try Calm Sleep.
Just switch on the kettle before you get cozy. Then, turn off your devices, dim the lights and let the relaxation begin!
Magnesium isn’t just a bedtime supplement.
Many people are surprised to discover that magnesium can be taken earlier in the day to help with energy production. While it’s not a stimulant and won’t prevent you from sleeping, your body needs magnesium to produce energy. Getting enough magnesium will help you feel steady, calm energy.
Magnesium is also important for anyone who works out because you do sweat magnesium and other electrolytes during exercise. Taking magnesium before or after a workout could be a great option to help you perform at your best and recovery quickly.
What if you drink coffee or use other types of caffeine? Can you take magnesium at the same time?
Dr. Carolyn Dean, MD, ND, and author of The Magnesium Miracle notes that caffeine depletes magnesium. And because coffee is a diuretic, taking it at the same time you take Natural Calm may reduce the magnesium your body absorbs.
However, many of us at Natural Calm are coffee drinkers, too, and we like ours in the morning. So, we take our magnesium after we’ve finished our coffee for the day and restore any magnesium we’ve lost.
If you’re a coffee drinker, try taking your magnesium in the late morning or anytime in the afternoon.
Should you take magnesium with food, or apart from mealtimes and snacks?
Taking magnesium with or without food is a personal choice. Combining your magnesium with a meal should have no effect on the absorption of the supplement if you don’t already have digestive issues.
What sorts of digestive issues? Well, if you have bloating, constipation, gas, or acid reflux, you may not be digesting your food quickly enough, so that it stays in your GI system too long and ferments.
Some types of magnesium will further slow down your digestion. If your magnesium supplement is very alkaline without an “acid” to counter the alkalinity, it may interfere with your digestion. Your body needs a certain amount of acidity to properly digest food.
If you know you have digestive issues, try a magnesium supplement that includes an “acid”, like magnesium citrate. Natural Calm, for example, is magnesium citrate and the citric acid in the formula can make the magnesium more absorbable.
Customers often tell us that Natural Calm helps with their digestion, especially if they have GI issues. The citric acid in the magnesium citrate can aid in digestion even if you have low stomach acid (hydrochloric acid), or acid reflux. Read more about how Natural Calm works for digestion here.
Can you take magnesium at the same time as other medications or supplements? Is there a best time to take magnesium so that it doesn’t interact?
Interactions between supplements and medications are fairly common, and magnesium is no different.
You should avoid taking magnesium supplements with some medications (antibiotics in particular) and with iron supplements.
“Magnesium inhibits the absorption of iron, tetracycline, ciprofloxacin, vancomycin, isoniazid, chlorpromazine, trimethoprim, nitrofurantoin, and sodium fluoride. Take these medications two to three hours before or after magnesium supplements.”
Dr. Carolyn Dean, The Magnesium Miracle, p. 37
Also, note that high levels of zinc (142 mg/day) in supplement form might reduce magnesium absorption. If you’re taking zinc at this extremely high dose, take it several hours before or after your Natural Calm.
Some people are content to take magnesium once a day, and that’s completely fine. However, there is a case for taking magnesium more than once a day.
Taking magnesium in smaller, more frequent doses may be more natural. Think of it this way: If magnesium were still plentiful in our foods, we’d naturally get moderate amounts of magnesium several times a day. Arguably, our bodies evolved to absorb magnesium this way.
It may make sense for you to take moderate doses of a magnesium supplement throughout the day, especially if you’re not getting a lot of magnesium from your diet. Splitting your magnesium dose throughout the day gives your body time to absorb the magnesium.
Not everyone has the time or can remember to take magnesium multiple times a day, in micro-doses. However, if you’re interested in optimizing your magnesium levels all day, it’s worth a try.
Many people dissolve their Natural Calm magnesium in a large bottle of water and drink it gradually, starting in the morning. When you sip your magnesium like this, you get a steady dose.
Another question we get is when to take magnesium for regular bowel movements.
When it comes to regularity, the best time to take magnesium may depend on your digestion.
If you take too much magnesium at one time, you may experience diarrhea. This is a normal side effect, and nothing to worry about. Your body is simply getting rid of the excess magnesium in a safe way and letting you know that you should take a smaller dose at one time.
Many people who experience constipation enjoy the fact that Natural Calm magnesium keeps them regular, naturally.
You can adjust your regularity and when you have to go to the bathroom by increasing or decreasing your dose at any one given time. For example, if you prefer to eliminate your bowels in the morning, take magnesium before bed at night.
Whether you take Natural Calm in the morning, afternoon, evening, or all day long, what matters is keeping up the routine.
Your body excretes magnesium every day. It’s important to replace this essential mineral daily to prevent symptoms of low magnesium, including stress, tension, pain, insomnia, heart issues, osteoporosis, and more.
So, not only is it safe to take magnesium every day, you should be taking it daily. Natural Calm is 100% safe to take daily.
Luckily, taking Natural Calm magnesium is easy — and delicious! You’ll enjoy the ritual because the natural fruit flavours taste great.
Questions about Natural Calm? Drop us a line. We love to hear from you!
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