Should I Take A Magnesium Supplement? Will It Help Me Sleep Or Prevent Muscle Cramps?

Magnesium supplements are everywhere - lined up on pharmacy shelves and promoted on wellness blogs and social media.

- Nial Wheate Wai-Jo Jocelin Chan

Maybe you have a friend or family member who swears a daily tablet will help everything, from better sleep to alleviating muscle cramps.

But do you really need one? Or it is just marketing hype?

Magnesium is an essential metal the body needs to make and operate more than 300 different enzymes.

These enzymes build protein, and regulate muscle and nerve function, help in the release of energy from our food, and help to maintain blood function. The body doesn't produce magnesium so we need to get it from external sources.

The government recommends a daily magnesium dose of 310-420 mg a day for adults and 30-410 mg for children, depending on age and sex.

This is easily met through a good diet. Foods rich in magnesium include nuts and seeds, whole grains, seafood, meat, legumes and green leafy vegetables.

You can even get some of your magnesium needs met through dark chocolate. It has 146 mg per 100 g of chocolate.

People at risk of experiencing magnesium deficiency include people with restricted diets, gastrointestinal problems such as Crohn's and coeliac diseases, type 2 diabetes, and alcohol dependence. Older adults are also more likely to be deficient.