Magnesium for Stress & Anxiety: What You Need to Know

Ever feel like you're one email away from screaming into the void or ugly crying in your car? Yeah… same.

But do you want to know something awesome? Mother Nature gave us a secret weapon, and it’s called magnesium. Let’s dive into why this underappreciated mineral might just be your new BFF when it comes to reducing your stress levels.

Magnesium: The Chill Pill Your Body Actually Needs

Magnesium is kind of like your body's behind-the-scenes miracle worker. It’s involved in over 300 biochemical reactions, including the ones that keep your mood steady, your muscles relaxed, and your nervous system feeling as cool as a cucumber.

It plays a major role in regulating cortisol (one of your main stress hormones) and supports GABA production — an inhibitory neurotransmitter (which is a fancy way of saying it helps you to stress less).

How Magnesium Gets Depleted (Spoiler: Sugar, Stress & Life)

Here’s the frustrating part: magnesium is one of the first minerals to take a nosedive when your body is under stress. And guess what else drains it?

• Sugar

• Caffeine

• Alcohol

• Chronic stress

• Certain medications like birth control pills, antacids, and diuretics

  
  

Basically, if you’ve got a pulse in 2025, there’s a good chance you’re running low.

Why Our Food Isn't Cutting It Anymore

Although you can get magnesium from certain foods, even if you're eating your greens like a magnesium-hungry hippo, modern soil just isn’t what it used to be, which means that just like us, our food is often a little deficient in magnesium too.

The good news? By combining magnesium rich foods with supplement forms of magnesium, we're able to get more than enough magnesium to see a major difference in our stress levels.

How Much Magnesium Do You Actually Need?

Let’s break it down:

• Women: Around 310–320 mg/day

• Men: Around 400–420 mg/day

• Upper limit (from supplements): 600-900 mg/day, depending on the source (this doesn't include food sources).

  
  

Heads up: some people may need more depending on their lifestyle and health conditions, but always talk to your healthcare provider before upping your dose like you're chasing a chill trophy.

If you're taking magnesium in a supplement form for the first time, I recommend taking it in the evening (at least 1 hour before you plan on going to bed). Some people are more sensitive to magnesium than others, and so taking it during the day could relax them so much that they want to take a nap.

This is obviously a great thing if you struggle to fall asleep, but it's not ideal if you've got things to do. If you try taking it and you don't feel tired within an hour or so, then you should be good to take it at any time.

*Special note: some people notice that if they take magnesium right before going to bed that they dream more (I'm one of these people). So, if you take magnesium right before going to bed and you notice that you dream a lot more than you usually do, I'd try taking the magnesium at least an hour or two before heading to bed instead.

Top Food Sources of Magnesium

Some of the top magnesium-rich foods include:

• Dark leafy greens (spinach, Swiss chard, kale)

• Pumpkin seeds

• Almonds & cashews

• Avocados

• Dark chocolate (look for low or no sugar)

• Black beans

• Tofu & edamame

• Bananas

My Top Magnesium Forms (Because Not All Supplements Are Created Equal)

Let’s talk about the different forms of magnesium. If you want to experience less stress and anxiety, and you also want better sleep, these are the MVPs:

1. Magnesium Bisglycinate – Highly absorbable, gentle on the stomach, and amazing for calming the nervous system. Like a weighted blanket for your brain.

2. Magnesium Citrate – Great for digestion and also helps ease stress. But fair warning: it can have a mild laxative effect… so maybe don’t take it before a first date 😅

3. Magnesium Glycinate – Similar to bisglycinate, great for anxiety and sleep, super absorbable, and non-irritating.

   
   

Bonus mention: Magnesium Threonate – This one’s fancy. It can cross the blood-brain barrier and directly support cognitive function and mood. Ideal if you feel like your brain is in a foggy stress-swamp. That said, most people will still feel a difference using the other forms too, so don’t stress (literally) if threonate isn’t in your budget right now.

My Top Brand Picks (That I’ve Actually Tried)

I’m all about quality and results — and these are the magnesium brands I genuinely love and have seen a difference from:

• Natural Factors Magnesium Bisglycinate – Super effective and gentle. I’ve noticed big shifts in how I feel with this one.

• Trophic Liquid Magnesium – Tastes great, works fast, and is easy to absorb.

• Genestra Liquid Magnesium – High quality and also tastes surprisingly delicious (not always the case with liquid minerals, trust me).

  
  

These are all third-party tested and made by companies I trust. There are so many great ones out there though, so don't feel like you have to stick to these ones to see results.

Final Takeaways

Magnesium is basically the mineral equivalent of that friend who always knows just what to say to calm you down. If you're constantly overwhelmed, wired, or exhausted, adding magnesium-rich foods or a supplement might be the tiny-but-mighty shift that your body needs.

If you'd like to bring in some other nervous system supportive foods and supplements into your routine, grab a copy of my Stress Less Grocery List (a little freebie I created to help you start supporting your nervous system).

If you have any questions about any of the information that's in this post, please don't hesitate to reach out to me - I'm always excited and so down to talk about all things nutrition!

Looking forward to continuing to support you on your journey and sending you the biggest hugs ever,

Lau

Disclaimer

This blog is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Please consult your healthcare provider before making changes to your supplement routine. I love magnesium, but I’m not your doctor (unless your doctor also sends you memes about nervous system health).