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Writer's pictureNatalia. Integrative and Functional Medicine Nutritionist

Magnesium & Stress: Do you know why magnesium is the original chill pill?

Physical and mental stress can seriously deplete your magnesium levels, and low magnesium levels intensify the stress response, which in turn makes us loose even more magnesium, and so on... This is why we can get stuck in a vicious cycle of feeling stressed while loosing magnesium! Luckily for us this is easily reversible


If you find yourself irritable, stressed or downright depressed, this critical mineral may help. Studies suggest adequate magnesium intake can calm stress, improve mood and enhance sleep.


I want to tell you about how this deficiency might be making us more stressed and what we can do about it.


Magnesium works in a surprising number of ways to induce relaxation, calm anxiety, and keep your brain healthy:


✅ Magnesium increases GABA, the relaxing neurotransmitter that slows brain activity.


✅ Magnesium reduces production of stress hormones and acts as a filter to prevent them from entering the brain.


✅ Magnesium reduces inflammation and helps your brain to create new cells and neural connections so it is able to heal itself


✅ Magnesium can help depression, it raises levels of the mood-boosting neurotransmitter serotonin, and clinical studies have found it provides significant relief from general depression.


Magnesium has a BIG IMPACT on your physical and mental well being. It can help you to feel mentally relaxed and more resilient to stress. One little change of increasing your magnesium levels can help you feel less anxious and more in control of your life.


Boost your magnesium levels by upping your intake of foods like almonds, leafy greens, beans, whole grains, milk, and soy, and try taking a good quality magnesium supplement.


Quality is important here! Inexpensive supplements don't work, they absorb poorly or the amount is insignificant compared to the recommended 310-400 mg per day for adults. Stay away from magnesium oxide and magnesium sulfate which have a laxative effect and won't increase your magnesium levels at all. Magnesium sulfate has a long list of side effects, it is good for a hot bath but not for intake.




Magnesium is a fantastic way to address stress and anxiety, it is a vital nutrient that is missing from our diets. Eating magnesium rich foods is important but honestly, EVERYBODY could benefit from magnesium supplementation. I wouldn't recommend it to you if I wasn't already doing it myself!


Not sure how to get more magnesium into your diet or which kind of supplement is best for you?

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