Magnesium Glycinate Benefits
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Magnesium is magnesium, no matter what the internet says. You can't get a better or worse version of the mineral itself. What makes the difference is what the magnesium is attached to, which affects how it travels through your digestive system, how easily it can be absorbed and how much your body can put to work.
Only an analogy can make this easier, frankly, so bear with me: think of magnesium as your tracked parcel. And the form (magnesium bisglycinate, citrate, oxide, L-threonate and the other eight or so) as the delivery service.
We chose a mix of glycinate because it's well absorbed and generally well tolerated. We combine it with a tiny bit of oxide to get 100% of your daily magnesium NRV into a manageable dose (less pills to swallow). More interestingly, glycine has a role in the body, too.
Magnesium is involved in more than 600 enzymatic reactions in the body (1), including those that help us rest and produce energy. How very yin and yang. This is why we call magnesium bisglycinate the multitasking mineral.
To get the most out of magnesium, it's wise to know a bit of intel so that you can apply it. Read on for a guide that will help you keep on top of your own magnesium. Especially if life is getting on top of you.
What is magnesium glycinate?
It is magnesium bound to an amino acid, which helps transport it through the digestion process and into the body because our tummies are quite the acidic rapid ride. Cool. What is magnesium again? Remember setting magnesium on fire in science? That was pure magnesium (Mg), which is a metal. The magnesium your body uses is a mineral found naturally in the Earth's crust, the sea, and plenty of foods. It’s also found throughout your body, especially in your muscles, bones, and brain.
In supplements, magnesium is always attached to something else, like glycinate, citrate, or oxide. Together they make up a compound. The amount of magnesium in that compound is called elemental magnesium.
So what’s the glycinate bit? Think of glycinate as the premium courier, compared with the not-to-be-named courier that leaves your parcel on the doorstep, in the rain. The delivery vehicle can affect how well magnesium is absorbed and how gentle it is on your digestive system. This can make a real difference to how much magnesium your body can put to work.
Advantages of magnesium glycinate compared to other forms
Ready & Rested uses a mix of bisglycinate and a tiny bit of oxide to fit 100% of the daily magnesium NRV (the daily reference value) without giving people loads of pills to swallow
The ‘bis’ in bisglycinate means each magnesium ion is bound to two molecules of the amino acid glycine. Magnesium bisglycinate and magnesium glycinate are two names for the same thing. The ‘bis’ means two (in Latin), and in biochemistry talk, this type of binding is called chelation. Chelation helps keep the compound stable as it passes through the digestive system, which makes it easier for the body to absorb, and for most people, gentler on the stomach than some other forms.
Different forms behave differently in the body and are used for different things.
Citrate is super absorbable, but it can have a laxative effect, which is why doctors use it to ‘clear you out’ a bit. Oxide can carry lots of elemental magnesium, but isn’t well absorbed on its own. That's partly why we combine it with bisglycinate in Ready & Rested. L-threonate has attracted attention because researchers are investigating its effects on the brain, but it provides relatively little elemental magnesium and is usually more expensive.
Glycine is a useful amino acid in its own right and plays a role in regulating the nervous system. More on the health benefits of magnesium glycinate in a moment.
Health benefits of magnesium glycinate
Magnesium is a multitasker. And what do multitaskers do? Get stuff done. Your body uses magnesium everywhere, which means the benefits of taking magnesium glycinate for your health can be surprisingly broad.
There are a good ten validated claims by the NHC (2) (that’s the National Health Claims Register), which is the UK's equivalent of the EFSA (3). The big ones are energy-yielding metabolism and normal psychological and nervous system function, all of which influence other systems in the body. There’s also emerging research suggesting magnesium might support bone, heart and gut health, blood sugar balance and, of course, sleep.
How magnesium supports all these separate areas of the body comes down to a web of interconnected mechanisms. The nervous system influences stress, which impacts relaxation and sleep. Energy production is the foundation of muscle function, recovery and performance. In most cases, magnesium is the vital collaborator, acting as the cofactor that helps enzymes and proteins do the jobs they’re meant to do, like in your bones.
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Stress & Nervous System Support
One of the most compelling outcomes of ensuring your magnesium is where it should be is its relationship with stress, which is directly related to the verified claim that magnesium supports nervous system and psychological function.
Researchers have shown how we use more magnesium during periods of stress (4), while low magnesium levels have been associated with conditions like anxiety. The mechanisms for how stress engages the nervous system are still being explored. Still, magnesium appears to play an important role in regulating the neurotransmitters (4) involved in the body’s stress response. Because the nervous system is also involved in relaxation and sleep, it helps to explain why these areas often get talked about a lot with magnesium.
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Sleep & Relaxation
Lots of magnesium brands claim that magnesium supports sleep. There is no validated health claim for sleep, and the research doesn’t consistently show that magnesium helps people fall asleep or stay asleep. Some smaller studies have reported improvements in subjective sleep quality, but without larger, more rigorous trials, the evidence (6) simply isn’t there (yet).
That said, many of our customers tell us they sleep better with Ready & Rested magnesium. Our founder included. You can read more in our guide to magnesium and sleep. Of course, this is just an observation, not proof.
One possible explanation isn’t the magnesium alone. It might be the glycine.
Glycine is an amino acid that acts as an inhibitory neurotransmitter (7) in the central nervous system (helping to quieten our stress response when it’s not needed). In animals, it can act on the hypothalamus to reduce core body temperature (7) (a big-deal brain-body signal for initiating sleep). Human studies show similar effects, with improved sleep quality (8) and even greater "liveliness and peppiness" (9) the next day.
So, are our customers experiencing a placebo effect? Maybe. Or perhaps they’re benefiting from a combination that researchers are only just beginning to understand. Magnesium supports the normal functioning of the nervous system, glycine has shown promising effects on sleep in its own right (10), and together they might just be the thing to put you to sleep.
We’re all watching this space, if we can stay awake long enough.
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Energy Production
Your body runs on ATP (adenosine triphosphate). It’s the molecule your cells use to store and transfer energy. ATP works much better when it is bound to magnesium (11), which helps the body use it. That’s why the NIHC and EFSA gave it the validated claim for energy-yielding metabolism. Dig a little deeper into the relationship between magnesium and energy.
We know how important magnesium is to our energy system because low magnesium is often found in people with symptoms of fatigue (12) and excessive daytime sleepiness (13), which tend to improve with increased magnesium. That's one of the reasons reducing tiredness and fatigue is an authorised health claim.
Magnesium is also really important for another part of the body’s energy system. Emerging research suggests magnesium may influence how effectively creatine supports strength (14) and performance. Creatine needs magnesium to help regenerate ATP, but that’s a whole other blog. You can read more about taking creatine and magnesium together if you like.
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Muscle Function
There’s a validated claim that magnesium supports muscle function (15). Its role in energy function is part of the reason why. Magnesium helps your muscles put ATP to good use (1), providing the energy they need to contract and relax. It also contributes to protein synthesis, which helps with recovery by repairing muscle tissue.
Magnesium supports the deep-down mechanistic (16) stuff: helping enzymes work, shifting energy and keeping muscles contracting and relaxing as they should. Researchers are also investigating whether magnesium can support muscle recovery after activity, although the evidence here is still developing.
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Bone Health
Magnesium contributes to the maintenance of normal bones. People with low magnesium levels have been shown to be more likely to experience bone fractures (17). It makes sense: a large proportion of the magnesium in your body is stored in your bones, where it forms part of the mineral structure and supports the cells involved in maintaining bone tissue.
Here's the kicker: without magnesium, your body can't properly use vitamin D (18). Together, they form an important support system for strong, healthy bones.
So those verified claims span tiredness and fatigue, electrolyte balance, energy-yielding metabolism, nervous system function, muscle function, protein synthesis, psychological function, bones, teeth and even cell division (we said it was broad). Your body might also benefit in ways that the scientists are still working to understand, including gut health, sleep, cardiovascular health and blood sugar regulation. The moment we know more, the moment we’ll update you.
Magnesium glycinate benefits for women
Most of us benefit from Magnesium. It supports muscles, bones, energy and the nervous system. Who doesn’t need it?
But when you add in hormones, menstruation, or the fireworks of peri and menopause, magnesium really starts to become essential. For women navigating that angry cocktail, supporting energy levels and the nervous system can feel less about performance and more about survival. More about keeping your head above water. Which is where magnesium can really help support the body.
Then there’s the obvious. Cramps of any sort, hormonal or inexplicable, banjo leg at night, is that you? Magnesium contributes to normal muscle function, which is one reason it often comes up in conversations about muscle cramps and menstrual discomfort. Research into magnesium and menstrual pain is still developing, so we can’t say it treats conditions like PCOS, endometriosis or adenomyosis. But it’s easy to see why it’s so often the nutritionist's go-to recommendation for clients to manage pain and discomfort.
Then there are the bones. Oestrogen helps protect bone, so when levels begin to decline during perimenopause and menopause, bone loss can accelerate. That increases the risk of fractures and conditions like osteoporosis as we age. Magnesium contributes to the maintenance of normal bones and also plays a role in vitamin D metabolism, making it another important nutrient during this stage of life.
Around 1 in 5 women aged 20–59 aren’t getting enough daily magnesium (19). In short, women really need magnesium.
Who could benefit from magnesium glycinate?
Anyone with a body could benefit from magnesium glycinate. Your body uses magnesium everywhere. It plays a part in hundreds of vital reactions, from energy production and muscle function to your nervous system and bone health. And it can take a fair bit of effort to keep your levels up with food alone.
So, if you've struggled with low energy or fatigue, sore muscles, jangly nerves, or you're thinking about protecting your bones as you age, supplementing magnesium is well worth considering. And if you’re interested in glycine too, and would like to reduce the chance of getting a funny tummy, magnesium glycinate is a very good idea.
Don’t lose sleep over it (literally). Your body will thank you for getting enough magnesium.
MAKING MAGNESIUM PART OF YOUR DAY
Hormones, life, and expectations are energy thieves. They’re hounds at the door of our precious time, leaving us a little short and less likely to find that spark that makes us want to ‘play’, go again, mess about and move our bodies. Which is a dreadful shame because moving usually makes us feel so much better. If you’re struggling to balance that get-up-and-go with needing to calm down and rest, magnesium glycinate is a well-absorbed form that’s gentle and might be naturally calming.
Food is always the first stop, and supplements should support rather than replace a healthy diet. But when you need a reliable option to keep your magnesium levels up, a glycinate form is a good daily option. We know a lovely brand that makes sure everything it produces is certified pure. Get yourself Ready & Rested.
FAQs
References
What happens when I take magnesium glycinate every day?
How quickly you notice a difference depends on why you're taking it and whether your magnesium intake was low to begin with. If you stick to our recommended dosage, magnesium is safe to use daily.
Some people feel a benefit within a few weeks, while for others it may take longer. Everyone absorbs and uses nutrients slightly differently, and factors such as your diet, lifestyle and existing magnesium status all play a part.
The most important thing is consistency. Magnesium works best when it's part of your daily routine.
What are the 7 signs your body needs magnesium?
Many of us aren’t getting enough magnesium from our diets without realising it (19), as the signs can easily be mistaken for the effects of stress and a busy lifestyle. Possible signs of low magnesium include unexplained fatigue, difficulty sleeping, muscle cramps, restless legs, muscle twitches or spasms, weakness, and tingling or numbness.
Is it better to take magnesium glycinate at night or day?
Ideally, we recommend spreading your dose throughout the day with meals for the best results. If you’re feeling low on energy, try taking magnesium first thing in the morning to help you feel ready to take on the day. For better sleep, take it in the evening to help encourage rest. Whatever your goal, consistency brings the most benefit, so make it work for you and turn it into a habit you can stick to.
Who shouldn't take magnesium glycinate?
If you're pregnant, breastfeeding or taking medication, check with your healthcare professional before taking any new supplement.
Magnesium is generally considered safe during pregnancy, while trying to conceive and while breastfeeding, but your individual needs may differ.
For children, one capsule is suitable from 4 years of age, although younger children may find the capsule difficult to swallow. We recommend up to two capsules per day for ages 9–14, and up to three capsules per day from age 14 onwards, unless advised otherwise by a healthcare professional.
Children under four shouldn’t take this product, as the dose is too high for their age. From four years onwards, the main consideration is whether they can comfortably swallow the capsule.
If you’re pregnant, breastfeeding, trying to conceive or taking medication, let your GP or healthcare professional know before starting any new supplement. This is especially important if you take blood pressure medication, as magnesium may lower blood pressure, or thyroid medication, which may need to be taken at a different time of day.
Magnesium is generally considered safe during pregnancy and breastfeeding, but your individual needs and any medication you take should always be considered.
See references
- Magnesium in Man: Implications for Health and Disease
- Great Britain Nutrition and Health Claims Register.
- Scientific Opinion on the substantiation of health claims related to magnesium.
- Magnesium Status and Stress: The Vicious Circle Concept Revisited.
- The association between dietary intake of magnesium and psychiatric disorders among Iranian adults: a cross-sectional study.
- The Role of Magnesium in Sleep Health: a Systematic Review of Available Literature.
- New Therapeutic Strategy for Amino Acid Medicine: Glycine Improves the Quality of Sleep.
- Glycine ingestion improves subjective sleep quality in human volunteers, correlating with polysomnographic changes.
- The effects of glycine on subjective daytime performance in partially sleep-restricted healthy volunteers.
- The effect of glycine administration on the characteristics of physiological systems in human adults: a systematic review.
- The interaction of magnesium with adenosine triphosphate.
- Red blood cell magnesium and chronic fatigue syndrome.
- . Hypomagnesemia Is Associated with Excessive Daytime Sleepiness, but Not Insomnia, in Older Adults.
- Creatine supplementation and exercise performance: review of the scientific evidence.
- Scientific Opinion on the substantiation of health claims related to magnesium and muscle function.
- Can Magnesium Enhance Exercise Performance?.
- Impact of serum magnesium and bone mineral density on systemic fractures in chronic hemodialysis patients
- Role of Magnesium in Vitamin D Activation and Function.
- Micronutrient Intakes of British Adults Across Mid-Life.