Magnesium Prior to Bed

i did a quick search but couldnt find anything useful…

i started taking magnesium (500 mg) about 30 mins before going to bed but i dont know if im just not responding to it or what. ive seen a lot of guys say something like 500mg will knock them out (STB comes to mind) but ive gone up to 1000mg and havent experienced any ‘knockout’ effects. should i up it to 1500mg maybe? or i could just have a shitty product. i have no idea…

any help is appreciated

be careful. too much magnesium will give you the shits unless you are taking a source that absorbs well, like magnesium aspertate. magnesium oxide and citrate dont absorb as well. although, if you have to choose between the two, id say use citrate.

beyond that, it wont “knock you out”. sleeping pills will.

There are magnesiums out there that contain 4 different types of magnesium so they are absorbed 4 different ways to maximise effects. One coach at one seminar i did, told a story of using up to 10000mg intravenously on an athlete and him zonking out straight away.

Make sure you’re not taking it with any source of calcium. Other than that, it works wonders for me.

BTW, I’m a pretty big guy and I only take 400 mg, so I’m pretty sure it’s not a dosage problem you’re having.

nope, no calcium, no other crap at all except the ‘binding agents’ i think you would call them.

i have the ‘naturemade’ brand. ingredients: Magnesium oxide, cellulose gel,croscarmellose sodium, and magnesium stearate.

always taken alone, on an empty stomach with water.

[quote]LankyMofo wrote:
BTW, I’m a pretty big guy and I only take 400 mg, so I’m pretty sure it’s not a dosage problem you’re having.[/quote]

hmmm i’m about 5’10", 200 lbs… when you said it works wonders, what direct results do you see?

Why shouldn’t it be taken with calcium?

Magnesium is not going to have sleeping effects for everyone. In addition, you may be already getting a sufficient amount through your diet.

[quote]MAF14 wrote:

[quote]LankyMofo wrote:
BTW, I’m a pretty big guy and I only take 400 mg, so I’m pretty sure it’s not a dosage problem you’re having.[/quote]

hmmm i’m about 5’10", 200 lbs… when you said it works wonders, what direct results do you see?[/quote]

Deeper sleep. I wouldn’t say it “knocks me out” because I can still stay up late if I want, but when I get to sleep it’s noticeably deeper and I feel more refreshed in the morning.

[quote]Ironbear wrote:
Why shouldn’t it be taken with calcium?[/quote]

I can’t explain the science behind it but for whatever reason magnesium just doesn’t work when taken with calcium. I stopped drinking night time shakes because I value deeper sleep greater than an extra 50 grams of protien.

[quote]MAF14 wrote:
nope, no calcium, no other crap at all except the ‘binding agents’ i think you would call them.

i have the ‘naturemade’ brand. ingredients: Magnesium oxide, cellulose gel,croscarmellose sodium, and magnesium stearate.

always taken alone, on an empty stomach with water.
[/quote]

I just bought this brand because it was on sale but I’m not done with my old bottle yet. If I remember I’ll give this a shot tonight and see if I still feel the same results and report back in the morning.

it cant be taken with calcium because they compete for absorption. be careful about fillers and binding agents. sometimes the filler is actually calcium but in small enough amounts that the companies dont actually have to include it as an ingredient. or so ive read.

Get a better type of magnesium, magnesium oxide is crap.

[quote]PB Andy wrote:
Magnesium is not going to have sleeping effects for everyone. In addition, you may be already getting a sufficient amount through your diet.[/quote]

i live in a residence hall (at college) and have to eat at the dining halls.

aka my diet flat out sucks right now… cant wait to get the hell outta here

[quote]LankyMofo wrote:

[quote]MAF14 wrote:
nope, no calcium, no other crap at all except the ‘binding agents’ i think you would call them.

i have the ‘naturemade’ brand. ingredients: Magnesium oxide, cellulose gel,croscarmellose sodium, and magnesium stearate.

always taken alone, on an empty stomach with water.
[/quote]

I just bought this brand because it was on sale but I’m not done with my old bottle yet. If I remember I’ll give this a shot tonight and see if I still feel the same results and report back in the morning. [/quote]

thanks i’d appreciate that. also it didnt occur to me until just now, ive been taking HR-X but my last dose (2 pills) is like 8 hours before bed. that could be (part of?) it…

Lanky, is the old bottle you’ve been using mainly magnesium oxide as well?

[quote]MAF14 wrote:

[quote]LankyMofo wrote:

[quote]MAF14 wrote:
nope, no calcium, no other crap at all except the ‘binding agents’ i think you would call them.

i have the ‘naturemade’ brand. ingredients: Magnesium oxide, cellulose gel,croscarmellose sodium, and magnesium stearate.

always taken alone, on an empty stomach with water.
[/quote]

I just bought this brand because it was on sale but I’m not done with my old bottle yet. If I remember I’ll give this a shot tonight and see if I still feel the same results and report back in the morning. [/quote]

thanks i’d appreciate that. also it didnt occur to me until just now, ive been taking HR-X but my last dose (2 pills) is like 8 hours before bed. that could be (part of?) it…

Lanky, is the old bottle you’ve been using mainly magnesium oxide as well?[/quote]

Yes, my old bottle is mag oxide. The brand of my new bottle is actually Finest Natural and it seemed to work just as well.

I don’t know what HR-X is, so I can’t comment on that.

Maybe you’re just a non responder, I’m not sure.

[quote]LankyMofo wrote:

[quote]MAF14 wrote:

[quote]LankyMofo wrote:

[quote]MAF14 wrote:
nope, no calcium, no other crap at all except the ‘binding agents’ i think you would call them.

i have the ‘naturemade’ brand. ingredients: Magnesium oxide, cellulose gel,croscarmellose sodium, and magnesium stearate.

always taken alone, on an empty stomach with water.
[/quote]

I just bought this brand because it was on sale but I’m not done with my old bottle yet. If I remember I’ll give this a shot tonight and see if I still feel the same results and report back in the morning. [/quote]

thanks i’d appreciate that. also it didnt occur to me until just now, ive been taking HR-X but my last dose (2 pills) is like 8 hours before bed. that could be (part of?) it…

Lanky, is the old bottle you’ve been using mainly magnesium oxide as well?[/quote]

Yes, my old bottle is mag oxide. The brand of my new bottle is actually Finest Natural and it seemed to work just as well.

I don’t know what HR-X is, so I can’t comment on that.

Maybe you’re just a non responder, I’m not sure. [/quote]

HR-X = HOT-ROX extreme

thanks for checking out the nature mades. i appreciate it.

[quote]LankyMofo wrote:
Deeper sleep. I wouldn’t say it “knocks me out” because I can still stay up late if I want, but when I get to sleep it’s noticeably deeper and I feel more refreshed in the morning.
[/quote]

Amen. I’ve had the same impact and I’ve seen the same thing reported on this forum. It’s not like somebody slipped me a roofie, I just fall asleep easier and deeper. I now routinely wake up at 5:30 or earlier feelin just fine. If you’re having trouble sleeping GABA helped me (100-1000mg in the evening before bed) or melatonin (1-5mg but look at the label, some have calcium or a sturdy dose of b6 which I already have via ZMA) Speaking of ZMA, I’ve found most formulations to be a good source of magnesium because it’s typically aspertate which I’ve read is a better form than oxide.

[quote]Ironbear wrote:
Why shouldn’t it be taken with calcium?[/quote]

This gets asked all the time in regards to ZMA. I’ve already tuned
out the details but Ca competes with either the Zn or Mg for absorption. (I think it’s Ca and Mg compete and Zn in high doses competes with Cu?) Any way the two aproaches I’ve seen advocated are:

  1. give zma 30-45 minutes on either side with no Ca or even any food.

  2. say “fuck it” and wash those buggers down with a milkshake and cottage cheese. Maybe they do compete but it’s not like it’s 100% one and 0 of the other.

I’ve done both and didn’t really notice a difference. I split the difference by just skipping my pre bedtime cottage cheese a couple nights a week. It’s not like your body runs out of most vitamins or minerals in 24 hours.

[quote]LankyMofo wrote:
Make sure you’re not taking it with any source of calcium. Other than that, it works wonders for me.[/quote]

Actually, I’ve always heard that Zinc and calcium compete, and calcium and magnesium assist each other in absorption.

In either case, it’s only cause for concern if you’re taking a few grams of calcium with your zinc

Does anyone know why magnesium changes the quality of some people’s sleep?