MensHealth
  • News
  • Health
  • Fitness
  • Sex
  • Nutrition
  • Style
  • Weight Loss
  • Life
  • Podcasts
  • Subscribe
  • Motoring
  • Video
MensHealth
  • News
  • Health
  • Fitness
  • Sex
  • Nutrition
  • Style
  • Weight Loss
  • Life
  • Podcasts
  • Subscribe
  • Motoring
  • Video
Bjornsson Deadlifted 1,026 pounds On The Elephant Bar To Win 2020 Arnold Classic
Watch 0:10

Bjornsson Deadlifted 1,026 pounds On The Elephant Bar To Win 2020 Arnold Classic

{headline}

{headline}

Can Mindfulness Make You Selfish?

Can Mindfulness Make You Selfish?

Pro Skateboarding Rob Dyrdek On The $20,000 Meditation Dome That Changed His Life

Pro Skateboarding Rob Dyrdek On The $20,000 Meditation Dome That Changed His Life

Andy Lee Shares His Lockdown Fitness Journey

Andy Lee Shares His Lockdown Fitness Journey

Study Finds A Third Of Covid-19 Survivors Suffer ‘Brain Disease’

Study Finds A Third Of Covid-19 Survivors Suffer ‘Brain Disease’

{headline}

{headline}

We’re Launching A New Podcast and We Need Your Help

We’re Launching A New Podcast and We Need Your Help

KJ Apa on Climbing the Ranks and HIITing it Up: "Just Because it Completely F*cks Me Up”

KJ Apa on Climbing the Ranks and HIITing it Up: "Just Because it Completely F*cks Me Up”

The Stenmark Twins Are On A Mission To Improve Your Sleep

The Stenmark Twins Are On A Mission To Improve Your Sleep

{headline}

{headline}

The Big Health Issue For Guys In Their 20s, 30s and 40s

The Big Health Issue For Guys In Their 20s, 30s and 40s

The Confidence Gap Could Explain Why Men Think They Can Fight

The Confidence Gap Could Explain Why Men Think They Can Fight

When Life Gets In The Way, Here’s How Much Training You Need To Do Just To Maintain Fitness

When Life Gets In The Way, Here’s How Much Training You Need To Do Just To Maintain Fitness

Charlie Puth Has A Message For Any Body-Shamers Out There

Charlie Puth Has A Message For Any Body-Shamers Out There

A Ranking Of The Best Health And Fitness Wearables for 2021

A Ranking Of The Best Health And Fitness Wearables for 2021

Pollution Could Be Shrinking Your Penis

Pollution Could Be Shrinking Your Penis

Restrictions In Vic and NSW Are Set To Ease Over The Weekend

Restrictions In Vic and NSW Are Set To Ease Over The Weekend

  1. Home
  2. Health

The Common Supplement That Gives You Super Crazy Dreams

Buckle up, it’s going to be an interesting night - by Elizabeth Millard
  • 25 May 2017
The Common Supplement That Gives You Super Crazy Dreams

If there’s a particularly hard-working mineral, it’s got to be magnesium.

Not only does it soothe tired muscles—cue the Epsom salt baths—but it also improves how you digest fatty acids and proteins, contributes to heart health, and helps prevent bone loss as you age.

But one effect that could be pretty surprising, especially if you’re not expecting it? Magnesium supplements may also lead to some pretty crazy dreams. Read on to find out why.

HOW MAGNESIUM EFFECTS SLEEP

Magnesium is a natural sedative that helps your muscles relax, says Dr Leslie Korn, a behavioural medicine clinician specialising in integrative therapies.

That’s why people take magnesium supplements if they have trouble sleeping. In fact, older adults with insomnia who took 500 milligrams (mg) of magnesium daily for eight weeks slept better, dozed off faster, and were less likely to wake up too early compared to those who didn’t the mineral, a study from Iran found.

Magnesium reduces the levels of stress hormone cortisol in your body, says Korn. As your cortisol levels fall, your melatonin—the hormone that helps you sleep—surges to help you doze off quicker and stay asleep longer.

RELATED: What 7 Experts Do When They Can't Doze Off

WHY MAGNESIUM CAN MAKE YOU DREAM CRAZY

With your hormones sorted out and your muscles relaxed, that can help you ease into a deeper phase of sleep—the rapid eye movement (REM) sleep during which dreams occur.

While there hasn’t been any formal studies done on the vivid dream-magnesium connection, magnesium’s effect on deep sleep may be behind the anecdotal evidence in support of it, says Korn.

RELATED: 5 Scientific Reasons To Sleep Butt Naked

According to the National Institutes of Health, if we experience interrupted sleep, or skimp on non-REM sleep, our REM sleep may be affected. That obviously cuts into your dreamtime, but can also mess with your memory and learning, since REM sleep is vital for those functions, too.

When you get a nice, uninterrupted amount of REM sleep—about 90 to 120 minutes for one entire three-phase cycle, repeated several times per night—you get more time in the third phase, when the most dreaming occurs.

And, you remember those dreams more easily, since robust REM sleep is tied to memory functions. With more prolonged dream time and better recall, what you dream tends to be more vivid, according to Korn.

Being able to tap into more REM time, then, is a big boost—and for many people, magnesium can be the rocket that gets you there.

Mr Robot - Create, Discover and Share Awesome GIFs on Gfycat

HOW MUCH MAGNESIUM SHOULD YOU TAKE?

So if you’re struggling with sleep, taking a magnesium supplement might make sense. But how much works?

The recommended daily allowance of magnesium for guys aged 19 to 30 is 400 mg per day, and 420 mg for those 31 and up.

You can get magnesium from some foods—like dark leafy greens, nuts, seeds, beans, and whole grains—but it takes some focused eating to get to that 400 mg every day. For example, a cup of spinach is just 24 mg and a whole avocado has 58 mg.

RELATED: Why You Suck At Sleeping

That’s why supplementation can be handy, but be sure you choose the right kind, advises the University of Maryland Medical Centre. Magnesium in the citrate, lactate and gluconate forms is absorbed more completely than other forms.

CAN YOU TAKE TOO MUCH MAGNESIUM?

Like many supplements, more is not always better. It’s definitely possible to experience some nasty effects from taking too much.

Symptoms of toxicity include nausea, vomiting, facial flushing, urine retention, and lethargy. It can progress to muscle weakness, irregular heartbeat, and possible cardiac arrest.

But to overdose on magnesium, you’d have to be taking very high amounts—typically more than 5000 mg per day, Korn notes. Deficiency is a much more common problem than toxicity.

This article originally appeared on Men's Health

Subscribe Now-

Subscribe Now
Subscribe Now

Subscribe Now-

Subscribe Now
Subscribe Now

Recommended to you

Bjornsson Deadlifted 1,026 pounds On The Elephant Bar To Win 2020 Arnold Classic
Watch 0:10

Bjornsson Deadlifted 1,026 pounds On The Elephant Bar To Win 2020 Arnold Classic

{headline}

{headline}

Can Mindfulness Make You Selfish?

Can Mindfulness Make You Selfish?

Pro Skateboarding Rob Dyrdek On The $20,000 Meditation Dome That Changed His Life

Pro Skateboarding Rob Dyrdek On The $20,000 Meditation Dome That Changed His Life

Andy Lee Shares His Lockdown Fitness Journey

Andy Lee Shares His Lockdown Fitness Journey

Study Finds A Third Of Covid-19 Survivors Suffer ‘Brain Disease’

Study Finds A Third Of Covid-19 Survivors Suffer ‘Brain Disease’

{headline}

{headline}

We’re Launching A New Podcast and We Need Your Help

We’re Launching A New Podcast and We Need Your Help

KJ Apa on Climbing the Ranks and HIITing it Up: "Just Because it Completely F*cks Me Up”

KJ Apa on Climbing the Ranks and HIITing it Up: "Just Because it Completely F*cks Me Up”

The Stenmark Twins Are On A Mission To Improve Your Sleep

The Stenmark Twins Are On A Mission To Improve Your Sleep

{headline}

{headline}

The Big Health Issue For Guys In Their 20s, 30s and 40s

The Big Health Issue For Guys In Their 20s, 30s and 40s

The Confidence Gap Could Explain Why Men Think They Can Fight

The Confidence Gap Could Explain Why Men Think They Can Fight

When Life Gets In The Way, Here’s How Much Training You Need To Do Just To Maintain Fitness

When Life Gets In The Way, Here’s How Much Training You Need To Do Just To Maintain Fitness

Charlie Puth Has A Message For Any Body-Shamers Out There

Charlie Puth Has A Message For Any Body-Shamers Out There

A Ranking Of The Best Health And Fitness Wearables for 2021

A Ranking Of The Best Health And Fitness Wearables for 2021

Pollution Could Be Shrinking Your Penis

Pollution Could Be Shrinking Your Penis

Restrictions In Vic and NSW Are Set To Ease Over The Weekend

Restrictions In Vic and NSW Are Set To Ease Over The Weekend

MensHealth
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Subscribe to Digital
  • Terms
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Statement
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Subscribe to Digital
  • Terms
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Statement

Brands

  • Women's Health

Our Network

  • Paragon Media Pty Ltd
© 2021 Are Media PTY LTD
Get more from Men's Health

Magazine Subscription Offer

Subscribe Now-

Shop This Offer
Subscribe Now