The weather has been kind of stormy here lately which always makes it harder for me to sleep.  Over the past few years I have found that I sleep much better and feel happier overall if I take a dose of magnesium before I go to bed.  I usually alternate between 2 or 3 tablets of Marilyn Farms Mag Calm and 1 scoop of Marilyn Farms Essential Calm in a small glass of water.  Either choice provides about 300 mg of magnesium in a very absorbable form (chelate, glycinate, and citrate are the best – avoid magnesium carbonate and oxide if possible).  This dosage puts me right to sleep and I wake up feeling pretty good (though I would feel better if my early bird husband would sleep a little later so I could enjoy my rest without feeling guilty).

The best way to figure out what dosage of magnesium works for you is to start with a small dose (about 100 mg) and gradually work your way up over the course of a few days.  You’ll know you’ve had enough magnesium when you start to have loose stool.  When that happens, just reduce your dosage back to whatever you were taking the day before you had loose stool (for example, if 400 mg gives you diarrhea, go back to 300 mg) and take that for maintenance.  Needs for magnesium will vary based on stress and activity levels as well as how much you’re getting in your diet. 

For more info on magnesium as well as a list of foods that contain magnesium, see this website:

http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/minerals/magnesium/
NOTE: This blog is not intended to replace the advice of a qualified healthcare practitioner.  If you are being treated for impaired kidney function, you should not use magnesium supplements without the consent of your physician.

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