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Magnesium fixed my insomnia and muscle cramps. Here's my story: I have seen many doctors, including sleep specialists, regarding insomnia. They all pointed to

Magnesium fixed my insomnia and muscle cramps. Here's my story: I have seen many doctors, including sleep specialists, regarding insomnia. They all pointed to one source as the reason for the sleep issues: stress. And they all wanted to put me on prescription sleeping pills. I said no to that. Sleeping pills are addictive and you have to take them for the rest of your life. As a software developer, I am used to finding and fixing the underlying problem as opposed to the quickfixes these doctors were offering me. After much research I figured out the underlying problem, and the fix for it. The underlying problem is magnesium deficiency. As a software developer I am using my brain more intensely than most people. This is the stress the doctors are talking about. Stress depletes magnesium. The cells in our body depend on two essential minerals for normal function: Calcium and magnesium. Cells go into ON state when calcium goes in, and OFF state when calcium goes out. Calcium doesn't go out on its own: magnesium has to go in and displace the calcium. When you are low on magnesium, cells can't go into OFF state. When that happens your muscles become stiff and you need massages, and your brain can't turn off and you can't sleep. The solution is magnesium supplements. This fixed my muscle stiffness issues and my sleep issues. A special compound of magnesium called magnesium l-threonate is especially helpful for sleep because it can penetrate what is known as the "blood brain barrier".

azinman2 2y ago
Did blood tests ever show low magnesium?
- breadwinner 2y ago
  Blood tests are not reliable for magnesium levels.
andrekandre 2y ago
> your muscles become stiff and you need massages, and your brain can't turn off and you can't sleep. omg, this is exactly me right now... any good points of research for this (books etc)?
- breadwinner 2y ago
  It is very hard to find good info on this. I had to piece it together from multiple sources. But here's GPT-4 has to say on this topic: Magnesium plays a crucial role in the relaxation of muscles at a cellular level. Magnesium ions are necessary for the proper functioning of the muscle cell's contractile machinery. The muscle contraction and relaxation process is regulated by the movement of calcium ions into and out of the muscle cell. When a nerve impulse reaches a muscle cell, it triggers the release of calcium ions from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (a type of intracellular membrane) into the cytosol (the fluid inside the cell). This causes the muscle filaments (actin and myosin) to bind together, resulting in muscle contraction. To relax the muscle, the calcium ions need to be pumped back into the sarcoplasmic reticulum. This process is facilitated by the protein called Calcium-ATPase. Magnesium ions are necessary to activate this protein and pump the calcium ions back into the sarcoplasmic reticulum. Additionally, magnesium ions also inhibit the release of calcium ions from the sarcoplasmic reticulum into the cytosol, helping to prevent muscle contraction. Therefore, adequate levels of magnesium are required to maintain normal muscle function and prevent muscle cramping and spasms. If magnesium levels are too low, muscles can become overactive, leading to cramps and spasms.
adrian_b 2y ago
> Magnesium fixed my insomnia and muscle cramps. I never had insomnia, but sometimes I had nocturnal leg cramps, when sleeping after intense physical exercises. For unrelated reasons, I have begun taking a magnesium supplement. Since then, I have never had again any cramp.
moltar 2y ago
Can you recommend any specific formulations or brands?
- breadwinner 2y ago
  Magnesium Lysinate Glycinate, and Magnesium Taurate seem to work well for me. Brands: Doctor's Best and Double Wood.
mackross 2y ago
Exact same thing happened to me
r0fl 2y ago
The underlying problem is magnesium deficiency. How did you come to that conclusion? Blood work? Something else?
- breadwinner 2y ago
  A breakthrough came when I saw a naturopathic doctor for my stiff muscles and she advised me to take Epsom salt baths. That seemed to help. I investigated more and found out that the ingredient in Epsom salt that helped me is magnesium. Then I found out that you can actually get magnesium pills and tried that. That worked remarkably well. But the big surprise was that I slept better the night I tried the magnesium pill! That's when I realized that magnesium is good for insomnia as well! I then worked backwards to understand the role played by magnesium.
JackMorgan 2y ago
Well I've been having so much muscle soreness and difficulty sleeping the last couple months, when I've also been 23/1 fasting. My back felt like I was having a constant tension headache. I'd wake up uncomfortable. I just went and got some magnesium glysinate and after taking 66% daily amount I fell asleep taking a nap and woke up without a headache! All my upper back, shoulder, and neck stiffness just melted away! Thanks for writing this!
- breadwinner 2y ago
  Awesome! The weird part is that doctors don't know about using magnesium for fixing muscle soreness or sleep issues. No doctor has ever recommended it to me. But no doctor has advised against it either, when I mention I am taking magnesium for this purpose.

azinman2 2y ago

Did blood tests ever show low magnesium?

breadwinner 2y ago
Blood tests are not reliable for magnesium levels.

andrekandre 2y ago

> your muscles become stiff and you need massages, and your brain can't turn off and you can't sleep. omg, this is exactly me right now... any good points of research for this (books etc)?

breadwinner 2y ago
It is very hard to find good info on this. I had to piece it together from multiple sources. But here's GPT-4 has to say on this topic: Magnesium plays a crucial role in the relaxation of muscles at a cellular level. Magnesium ions are necessary for the proper functioning of the muscle cell's contractile machinery. The muscle contraction and relaxation process is regulated by the movement of calcium ions into and out of the muscle cell. When a nerve impulse reaches a muscle cell, it triggers the release of calcium ions from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (a type of intracellular membrane) into the cytosol (the fluid inside the cell). This causes the muscle filaments (actin and myosin) to bind together, resulting in muscle contraction. To relax the muscle, the calcium ions need to be pumped back into the sarcoplasmic reticulum. This process is facilitated by the protein called Calcium-ATPase. Magnesium ions are necessary to activate this protein and pump the calcium ions back into the sarcoplasmic reticulum. Additionally, magnesium ions also inhibit the release of calcium ions from the sarcoplasmic reticulum into the cytosol, helping to prevent muscle contraction. Therefore, adequate levels of magnesium are required to maintain normal muscle function and prevent muscle cramping and spasms. If magnesium levels are too low, muscles can become overactive, leading to cramps and spasms.

adrian_b 2y ago

> Magnesium fixed my insomnia and muscle cramps. I never had insomnia, but sometimes I had nocturnal leg cramps, when sleeping after intense physical exercises. For unrelated reasons, I have begun taking a magnesium supplement. Since then, I have never had again any cramp.

moltar 2y ago

Can you recommend any specific formulations or brands?

breadwinner 2y ago
Magnesium Lysinate Glycinate, and Magnesium Taurate seem to work well for me. Brands: Doctor's Best and Double Wood.

mackross 2y ago

Exact same thing happened to me

r0fl 2y ago

The underlying problem is magnesium deficiency. How did you come to that conclusion? Blood work? Something else?

breadwinner 2y ago
A breakthrough came when I saw a naturopathic doctor for my stiff muscles and she advised me to take Epsom salt baths. That seemed to help. I investigated more and found out that the ingredient in Epsom salt that helped me is magnesium. Then I found out that you can actually get magnesium pills and tried that. That worked remarkably well. But the big surprise was that I slept better the night I tried the magnesium pill! That's when I realized that magnesium is good for insomnia as well! I then worked backwards to understand the role played by magnesium.

JackMorgan 2y ago

Well I've been having so much muscle soreness and difficulty sleeping the last couple months, when I've also been 23/1 fasting. My back felt like I was having a constant tension headache. I'd wake up uncomfortable. I just went and got some magnesium glysinate and after taking 66% daily amount I fell asleep taking a nap and woke up without a headache! All my upper back, shoulder, and neck stiffness just melted away! Thanks for writing this!

breadwinner 2y ago
Awesome! The weird part is that doctors don't know about using magnesium for fixing muscle soreness or sleep issues. No doctor has ever recommended it to me. But no doctor has advised against it either, when I mention I am taking magnesium for this purpose.