Magnesium.. What's The Deal?
- Dec 14, 2025
- 3 min read
Redefining Success Starts With Magnesium (Yes, Really)
Approximately 78%+ of people are magnesium deficient.
By the time high performers realize they’re running on fumes, they’ve usually already done a lot of inner work.
They’ve read the books. They’ve worked on mindset. They’ve tried to optimize routines, habits, and productivity.
And yet… something still feels off.
That’s often the moment I remind clients of something fundamental in functional medicine:
Your mindset can’t outpace your minerals forever.
One of the most overlooked — and misunderstood — pieces of sustainable performance is magnesium.
Not just whether you take it, but which type, why, and how it fits into your nervous system and stress physiology.
Why Magnesium Matters for High Performers
Magnesium is involved in over 300 enzymatic reactions in the body. It plays a direct role in:
Nervous system regulation
Stress response and cortisol balance
Sleep quality and muscle recovery
Mood stability and emotional resilience
Energy production (ATP)
Blood sugar regulation
In modern life — especially for leaders, parents, and high-achieving professionals — magnesium is depleted rapidly due to:
Chronic stress
High caffeine intake
Intense mental output
Poor sleep
Processed food
Excess exercise without recovery
So when people say, “I’ve done the mindset work but still feel wired, foggy, or exhausted,” magnesium is often one of the first places I look.
The Big Mistake: Thinking All Magnesium Is the Same
One of the most common errors I see is someone saying:
“I tried magnesium — it didn’t work.”
In reality, they usually tried the wrong form for their body.
Magnesium isn’t one supplement — it’s a family of compounds, each with different effects on the nervous system, gut, muscles, and brain.
Here are the three most commonly used (and most misunderstood) types.
Magnesium Citrate: The “Movement & Release” Form
Best for:
Constipation
Sluggish digestion
Acute stress tension
How it works: Magnesium citrate pulls water into the intestines, which makes it effective for bowel regularity.
Common mistake: Using citrate for sleep or anxiety support.
Because citrate is more stimulating to the gut, it can actually disrupt sleep or cause cramping in sensitive individuals.
Think of it like: A short-term tool — not a daily nervous system support supplement.
Magnesium Glycinate: The Nervous System Calmer
Best for:
Anxiety
Stress resilience
Muscle tension
Sleep support
How it works: Magnesium is bound to glycine, an amino acid that supports calming neurotransmitters in the brain.
This form is gentle, well-absorbed, and ideal for people who feel:
Tired but wired
Overstimulated
Emotionally reactive
Tense or restless
Common mistake: Under-dosing or expecting instant results.
Magnesium glycinate works best when taken consistently, especially in people with long-standing stress patterns.
Magnesium Threonate: The Brain & Focus Form
Best for:
Brain fog
Mental fatigue
Cognitive overload
High-level decision makers
How it works:This form crosses the blood-brain barrier, making it especially useful for mental clarity, focus, and neurological support.
Common mistake:Using threonate for muscle cramps or sleep alone.
While it supports the brain beautifully, it doesn’t always address full-body magnesium depletion by itself.
Think of it like:A performance-enhancing tool for the brain — not a total-body solution.
Why Magnesium Needs Context (Not Guesswork)
Here’s the part that often gets missed:
Magnesium doesn’t work in isolation.
Its effectiveness depends on:
Your stress stage (high alert vs burnout)
Your calcium-to-magnesium ratio
Your sodium and potassium balance
Your adrenal and nervous system state
This is why, in my practice, I often use Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA) to guide supplementation.
Two people can both be “low magnesium” — but need very different protocols based on how their body is compensating.
Join our Minerals Method Program to discover how minerals and electrolyte deficiencies could be what's keeping you back from the daily energy, life zest, and joys of decision clarity we all deserve.
A Real-Life Insight From Practice
I once worked with a client who had done years of mindset work — journaling, therapy, leadership coaching — yet still felt foggy and disconnected.
Her labs showed:
Low bioavailable magnesium
B12 depletion
A nervous system stuck in chronic stress mode
Once we addressed the physiology, everything shifted:
Energy improved
Focus sharpened
Decision-making felt aligned again
Sometimes your next level isn’t blocked by mindset alone.
Sometimes it’s blocked by minerals.
Magnesium Supplements We Often Use If Imbalanced Is Present
Final Thought: Redefining What “Winning” Looks Like
Sustainable success isn’t about pushing harder.
It’s about alignment — between your goals, your values, and your biology.
Magnesium isn’t a magic fix. But when used intentionally, it can become a powerful ally in nervous system regulation, emotional resilience, and long-term performance.
And that’s a version of success that doesn’t require burnout to course-correct.
If you would like a Printable PDF of reading labels and what to look out for in your Magnisum choices, click the button below to download!
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