Author: Magdalena Wszelaki, hormone nutritionist, certified herbalist, published cookbook author with Harper Collins
⏱ Estimated Read Time: 5–7 minutes
What you will learn from this article:
Why Magnesium is a Big Deal (Especially for Women Over 40)
Magnesium has been a top selling mineral in our store for years – for all the good reasons. It is a quiet multitasker. It helps regulate over 300 processes in the body — from calming your nervous system to balancing your blood sugar.
Yet almost half of Americans are deficient. And when magnesium runs low, your body lets you know.
Signs You May Be Deficient in Magnesium
- Muscle cramps, spasms, or restless legs
- Insomnia or waking up at 3 a.m.
- Constipation
- Migraines or hormonal headaches
- Anxiety, irritability, or depression
- Chronic fatigue or weakness
- Chocolate cravings (cacao is rich in magnesium)
- Feeling “wired but tired”
If you checked off more than one, you’re not alone — and magnesium could be part of the solution.
How Magnesium Helps Your Hormones Stay in Balance
Healthy magnesium levels make a huge difference for hormones. Here’s how:
- Thyroid: Improves thyroid hormone conversion (from T4 to T3) and this includes conversion of medications
- Estrogen: Helps clear excess estrogen (less PMS, less bloating, tender breasts, hot flashes)
- Cortisol & Adrenaline: Keeps the adrenal glands well supported
- Blood Sugar: Improves insulin sensitivity, reduces crashes and cravings
- Mood & Sleep: Boosts serotonin, GABA, and melatonin
- Reproductive Hormones: Supports testosterone and DHEA (the “youth hormone”)
This explains why women who restore magnesium often say they feel calmer, sleep better, and have fewer hormone-related symptoms.
The Best (and Worst) Forms of Magnesium
Here’s a breakdown of the most common types of magnesium — based on bioavailability, absorption, and what they actually do for your body.
1. Magnesium Glycinate – Best for Sleep, Stress & Hormonal Balance
- Bioavailability: High
- Absorption: High
- Best For: Sleep, PMS, cramps, mood, anxiety
- Unique Benefits: Gentle on digestion, excellent for relaxation
This is the form I recommend most often for women. It’s calming, easy on the gut, and helps regulate hormones by lowering cortisol and supporting estrogen clearance.
👉 Best pick if stress, poor sleep, or PMS rule your life.
2. Magnesium Malate – Best for Energy & Pain Relief
- Bioavailability: High
- Absorption: Good
- Best For: Chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, muscle pain
- Unique Benefits: Supports ATP (energy) production, binds toxins for detox
If you wake up exhausted no matter how much you sleep, this form helps recharge your cells. Just be mindful — it can be too stimulating at night.
👉 Best pick if fatigue and muscle aches are your biggest complaints.
3. Magnesium Taurate – Best for Heart & Blood Sugar Balance
- Bioavailability: Moderate
- Absorption: Good
- Best For: Circulation, cardiovascular health, blood sugar balance
- Unique Benefits: Calms cortisol, improves GABA, supports healthy blood pressure
Think of this as heart-healthy magnesium with stress-lowering benefits built in.
👉 Best pick if you’re concerned about heart health or want better blood sugar stability.
4. Magnesium Citrate – Best for Digestion & Constipation
- Bioavailability: Moderate
- Absorption: Moderate
- Best For: Digestion, regularity, travel constipation
- Unique Benefits: Natural laxative effect
This one doesn’t boost hormones as much as other forms, but it’s a lifesaver if constipation is an issue.
👉 Best pick if your bathroom schedule needs a reset.
5. Magnesium Oxide – The One to Skip
- Bioavailability: Low
- Absorption: Poor
- Best For: Laxative or antacid only
- Unique Benefits: Minimal
This is the cheap form you’ll see in cheaply made magnesium supplements. Your body barely absorbs it – so it won’t help with sleep, stress, or hormones.
👉 Best avoided.
Let’s Sum It Up
| Property/Benefit | Glycinate | Malate | Taurate | Citrate | Oxide |
| Bioavailability | High | High | Moderate | Moderate | Low |
| Absorption | High | Good | Good | Moderate | Poor |
| Sleep/Relaxation | Excellent | Indirect | Mild calming | Mild | Poor |
| Energy/Metabolism | Modest | Excellent | Indirect | Modest | Minimal |
| Blood sugar levels | Modest | Modest | Excellent | ||
| Unique Benefits | Stress, muscle, gentle GI | Muscle pain, energy, cramps | Heart health, BP, gentle GI | Constipation, digestion | Laxative, antacid |
How Much Magnesium Do You Really Need?
One of the most common questions I get is: “How much magnesium should I take?” The truth is, there isn’t a single “perfect” dose for everyone. Your needs depend on your stress levels, diet, gut health, and even how much caffeine or alcohol you consume (both deplete magnesium).
General Guidelines
- The RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) for women is around 310–320 mg per day. The reality is that the RDA doses are too low.
- Many functional practitioners find women often feel better with 400–800 mg daily, especially during times of stress, hormonal shifts, or poor sleep.
- For a person with a significant deficiency, try the “bowel tolerance” method.
The “Bowel Tolerance” Method
This method is a great way to find out how deficient you are and your gut will give you instant feedback if you’ve had too much. This is why practitioners often recommend the “bowel tolerance” method:
- Start with 200–300 mg per day of a gentle form like magnesium glycinate.
- Slowly increase by 100 – 200 mg every 1-2 days (or slower if sensitive)
- Continue until you notice looser stools — that’s your “tolerance” level.
- Simply back down slightly from that amount.
I’ve seen women who needed as much as 1,200 mg of magnesium per day for a month before they got loose stool (which means the body was then saturated in magnesium and it was time to lower the dose).
Things like stress, excessive alcohol and caffeine consumption can deplete us of magnesium.
A Few Pro Tips
- Split larger doses: your body absorbs magnesium better in smaller amounts throughout the day (e.g., morning + bedtime).
- Match the form to your goal: glycinate for sleep/stress, malate for energy, taurate for BP, etc.
- Be consistent: magnesium works best when taken daily.
Three Forms of Magnesium. One Bottle.
I used to find myself buying multiple bottles of magnesium — one for sleep, one for energy, another for cognitive health. Each form had unique benefits, but it felt like too many supplements that would end up being pretty expensive.
That’s why I created Triple Mag A.M. It delivers a triple punch of magnesium by combining glycinate, malate, and taurate – three of the most absorbable, effective forms — into a single, convenient formula.
And, we added vitamin B6 (in the highly absorbable P5P form) to improve the absorption of the magnesium contents.
This makes it a one-bottle solution for women navigating perimenopause and menopause, when magnesium needs are higher and symptoms like fatigue, anxiety, and sleep disturbances are common.
The Bottom Line
Magnesium isn’t one-size-fits-all. The best form depends on what your body needs most:
- For sleep, stress & PMS: Glycinate
- For fatigue & muscle pain: Malate
- For heart health & blood sugar: Taurate
- For constipation: Citrate
- Skip entirely: Oxide
If you’re struggling with hormone chaos, fatigue, or stress, adding the right form of magnesium may be the missing puzzle piece.