Magnesium Glycinate

Magnesium Glycinate: Your Key to Restful Sleep and Reduced Stress

For some of us, finding restful sleep and reducing stress can feel like an impossible quest. However, there may be a simple solution right at your fingertips – magnesium glycinate. This important supplement has been gaining momentum on social media as a game-changer for those looking to improve their quality of sleep and to better manage their stress levels.

Unlike some other forms of magnesium, magnesium glycinate is highly bioavailable, meaning your body can absorb and utilise it more efficiently. This makes it an ideal choice for those seeking natural remedies for sleep disorders and stress-related ailments. Magnesium has a well-documented number of key roles in the body - over 300 at the last count. However, one of magnesium's lesser-known abilities lies in its role in regulating key neurotransmitters such as GABA. Magnesium glycinate does this particular role particularly well. By increasing levels of GABA in the brain, magnesium glycinate can help to calm the mind, allowing for a more restful sleep and a reduction in stress.

Magnesium Glycinate or Bisglycinate?

Magnesium bisglycinate and magnesium glycinate both refer to the same supplement. Magnesium bisglycinate is the correct chemical name but many people simply use the term magnesium glycinate. 

Magnesium glycinate is formed when magnesium is combined with the amino acid glycine. This creates a bioavailable form of magnesium that is generally well-tolerated and is less likely to cause gastrointestinal side effects than other forms of magnesium such as magnesium oxide.

Although there is limited research available to fully understand the varied functions magnesium performs in the body, we do know that magnesium bisglycinate is often considered more effective for its higher absorbability rate which is why it is so effective at treating magnesium deficiencies.

Magnesium rich foods

In addition to supplementation, you can incorporate natural food sources of magnesium into your diet. Leafy green vegetables, avocados, nuts and seeds, whole grains, legumes, and dark chocolate are all rich, natural sources of magnesium. Adding Epsom Salts or Magnesium Flakes to your bath can help too (1). By including these foods in your diet, you can naturally support your magnesium levels and overall health.

Keep in mind too that alcohol and caffeine intake may increase magnesium loss from the body (2). Additionally, fizzy drinks contain phosphoric acid which may deplete magnesium too. Coconut water is a mineral-rich alternative - it contains magnesium and additional electrolytes to keep you hydrated.

References

1. In vitro transdermal delivery of magnesium, Charles Heard, Cardiff University (25 Oct 2011)

2. Gröber U. Magnesium and Drugs. Int J Mol Sci. 2019 Apr 28;20(9):2094. doi: 10.3390/ijms20092094. PMID: 31035385; PMCID: PMC6539869.