If it seems like magnesium is suddenly everywhere, you’re not imagining it. Scroll through wellness content and you’ll find magnesium powders, nighttime drinks and supplements becoming part of people’s evening routines.
Sleep is driving much of the conversation. But magnesium didn’t suddenly become important because social media discovered it. Magnesium is an essential mineral your body needs every day. It plays a role in hundreds of processes throughout the body, including normal muscle and nerve function, energy production and bone health.
So, what do we actually know about magnesium for sleep? And where does calcium fit into the picture?
Why Is Magnesium Associated With Sleep and Relaxation?
There’s a good reason magnesium and relaxation are often mentioned together. Magnesium is involved in normal nerve and muscle function. It also helps move calcium and potassium across cell membranes, a process involved in nerve signaling and muscle contraction.
That makes magnesium important well beyond bedtime. Your body needs it throughout the day for functions ranging from energy production to healthy bones.
Still, the idea of adding magnesium to an evening routine has caught on. Many people enjoy a warm magnesium drink at night as part of the transition from a busy day to bedtime. And lately, that simple routine has become a wellness trend.
Does Magnesium Help You Sleep?
This is where it’s important to separate enthusiasm from evidence.
Research into magnesium for sleep is promising in some areas, but it is not conclusive. Some studies have found associations between magnesium and measures of sleep quality, while clinical trials have produced mixed results.
More recent research has continued to explore whether magnesium supplementation may help some people with poor sleep. The results are interesting, but more research is needed. For now, there isn’t enough strong evidence to say that magnesium supplements are an effective treatment for insomnia or other sleep disorders.
In other words, magnesium is an essential nutrient with important jobs in the body. But it shouldn’t be presented as a proven treatment for insomnia.
What Does Calcium Have to Do With Magnesium?
Here’s the part of the current magnesium conversation that gets less attention.
Magnesium doesn’t work in isolation. Calcium and magnesium are both essential minerals, and their functions intersect in several important ways. Magnesium helps regulate the movement of calcium across cell membranes, while both minerals play roles in normal muscle function, nerve signaling and maintaining healthy bones.
You may have heard that calcium and magnesium must always be taken together, or that they have to be consumed in one specific ratio. Current nutrition guidance doesn’t support such a simple rule.
A better way to think about it is that both minerals matter. Your body relies on a balance of nutrients, not one trendy mineral working by itself. And that’s something we’ve appreciated for a long time.
CalMax Was Into Magnesium Before Magnesium Was Cool
Long before magnesium drinks were filling social feeds, Dr. Newton’s Naturals was pairing calcium and magnesium in CalMax.
For many longtime customers, adding CalMax to a warm cup of tea in the evening became its own familiar ritual. Over the years, customers have told us they enjoy CalMax as part of their nighttime routine and appreciate magnesium’s role in normal muscle function.
Today, there are CalMax formulas designed for different routines and wellness needs. But the idea at the heart of the line remains refreshingly simple: provide essential minerals in an easy-to-enjoy beverage powder.
Don’t Forget Magnesium in Your Diet
Supplements aren’t the only way to get magnesium. In fact, food should be an important source.
Good sources of magnesium include:
- Leafy green vegetables, such as spinach
- Nuts and seeds
- Beans and other legumes
- Whole grains
- Fortified foods
- Milk, yogurt and some other dairy products
Adult women generally need 310 to 320 mg of magnesium per day, while adult men generally need 400 to 420 mg. Individual needs can vary with age and life stage.
The Bottom Line on Magnesium for Sleep
Magnesium may be having its moment, but its importance to the body is anything but new. The current interest in magnesium for sleep has brought welcome attention to an essential mineral involved in normal muscle and nerve function, energy production and bone health. Research into its effects on sleep continues, and there is still plenty to learn.
It’s also a good reminder to look beyond a single nutrient. Calcium, magnesium and other essential nutrients work as part of a much bigger picture of everyday wellness.
So if your evening routine includes slowing down, putting the day behind you and enjoying a warm cup of CalMax, you could say you’re right on trend. We just happen to think you were ahead of it.