There are times when anxiety is useful, motivating you to get started on a long put-off task or steering you away from danger, for example. But if you’re constantly feeling on edge, taking shallow breaths without even realizing it, or so stressed that you’re unable to do things you love, it’s a problem. To effectively treat your anxiety, you have to get to the root causes of it, including considering how your diet may be contributing.
Case in point: A 2018 study published in the British Journal of Nutrition found that adults with a magnesium deficiency had higher levels of anxiety than those who got enough magnesium. If you do a relatively good job of eating a wide range of nutrient-rich foods, you likely get enough magnesium. But if you cycle through the same handful of meals or know your diet isn’t exactly the healthiest, there’s a good possibility you’re lacking it. Roughly half the U.S. population is deficient in magnesium, according to a 2018 study in Nutrients.
While upping your magnesium intake isn’t the magic bullet to living an anxiety-free life, it can certainly help. Here, medical experts and dietitians give their best tips on using magnesium to calm anxiety.
The connection between magnesium and anxiety
“Magnesium is a mineral involved in hundreds of important biochemical reactions in the body, many of which directly affect the nervous system,” says registered dietitian Sonya Angelone, PhD, RDN. She explains that one reason why getting enough magnesium is key to managing anxiety is because it helps regulate neurotransmitters and support the body’s stress response. “Magnesium helps regulate GABA, the primary calming neurotransmitter in the brain,” Angelone says.
Angelone explains that when the body has enough magnesium, the nervous system can more efficiently shift from a fight-or-flight state into a calmer state. “In other words, magnesium can help prevent the brain from revving too high and getting pushed into overdrive,” she says.
William Chu, PMHNP-BC, a psychiatric nurse specializing in nutritional psychiatry, says this too. “Magnesium acts as one of the brain’s natural calming agents. It helps regulate the nervous system by supporting GABA, the brain’s primary calming neurotransmitter, and by dampening the stress response that keeps the body stuck in fight-or-flight,” he says.
Besides preventing the body from jumping into an anxious state too easily, Dr. Chu says that low magnesium leads to higher cortisol, a.k.a. the stress hormone. “Having a magnesium deficiency enhances our susceptibility to stress,” adds Uma Naidoo, MD, a nutritional psychiatrist and author of Calm Your Mind With Food. The major lesson boils down to this: When faced with a stressful situation, the body is primed to jump into an anxious state if your magnesium levels are low. But if you get enough magnesium, you could encounter the same situation and feel calmer.
How to use magnesium to calm anxiety
Knowing that magnesium can help you be resilient in anxiety-inducing situations can make you want to go all-in on magnesium supplements and consume as much as you can, but that’s not how it works. Dr. Naidoo emphasizes that consuming more than the recommended daily amount of magnesium (which is between 400 and 420 milligrams a day), won’t give you extra protection from anxiety.
When it comes to using magnesium to manage anxiety, you have two options: upping your intake of magnesium-rich foods or taking a supplement. All the experts we talked to advocate for aiming to get enough magnesium intake through food first. But if you are deficient (which you can find out by having your healthcare provider take some bloodwork), a magnesium supplement can be helpful.
Keeping track of your magnesium intake can be tedious, so instead of mentally logging every gram, registered dietitian Andy De Santis, RD, says the best way to get enough is by eating a wide range of nutrient-rich foods.
Beans, lentils, avocado, nuts, seeds, whole grains, leafy greens, white potatoes, fish, and dark chocolate are all good sources of magnesium, De Santis says. Other unlikely foods high in magnesium include pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, and tart cherries. If you’re a smoothie-drinker, De Santis recommends adding chia seeds or flax seeds to your smoothie as an easy way to up your intake of the nutrient.
De Santis says that the major reason why so many people in the U.S. are deficient in magnesium is because they aren’t eating enough plant-based foods that have it. It’s why so many people are also not getting enough fiber and iron. Eating more plant-based foods won’t just help you get enough magnesium; it will help you reach your other nutrient goals too.
“Many people who start eating more foods with magnesium also notice improved energy, sleep and mood,” Chu says, giving some extra motivation for upping your intake.
Chu says that for his patients with anxiety, integrating a magnesium supplement into their routine often makes a huge difference. But again, that’s for those with an actual deficiency. If you do want to take a magnesium supplement, shopping for one can be confusing. There are all sorts of different types (magnesium glycinate, citrate, malate…) and they come in a range of different forms, such as capsules, powders, and even topical products, like lotion and oil.
In general, all of the experts say that consuming magnesium capsules or powders is more effective than using topical products with magnesium—although self-massaging with magnesium-containing lotion or oil may help with muscle soreness.
They’re also all in agreement about the best form of magnesium to take: magnesium glycinate. “This is the best form that’s shown in studies and it also crosses the blood-brain barrier very efficiently,” Dr. Naidoo says, referring to the tightly locked layer of cells that protect the brain from harmful toxins while supplying it with beneficial nutrients.
In terms of the best time to take a magnesium supplement, Angelone says that taking it in the morning can be helpful if you tend to experience anxiety during the day, while taking it at night can be beneficial if anxious thoughts prevent you from falling asleep. Dealing with both? Chu says you can take a magnesium supplement in the morning and at night (it’s actually what he recommends). Just make sure you’re not overdoing it dose-wise.
“A lot of people wake up with anxious thoughts, so taking a magnesium supplement can be helpful,” Dr. Naidoo says, adding that she also recommends drinking a full glass of water first thing in the morning, a simple, yet important habit that many people don’t do. “You’re already waking up dehydrated, and staying well hydrated can help with anxiety,” she says.
When it comes to managing anxiety, getting enough magnesium is a part of treatment that’s often overlooked. Up your intake of plant food and consider a supplement, if you need it. That way, you’ll be ready to face life’s inevitable stressors from a healthier, more peaceful mindset.