The Health Hunt: Real Healing Journeys, Everyday Wellness & Expert Tips

Ep 11 - The Magnesium Mistake Almost Everyone Is Making

• Sandi Magder and Daniel Schuman • Episode 11

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Magnesium might just be the most underrated mineral in your health routine...but only if you’re using the right kind.

In this episode, we break down the confusing world of magnesium supplements in a simple, human, and slightly hilarious way. If you’ve ever stood in the supplement aisle or stared at your computer screen wondering why there are fifteen different kinds, this one’s for you.

We cover what each major form of magnesium does, who it may help, and common mistakes people make (including the kind that has you sprinting to the bathroom 🚽).

You’ll hear us talk about:

✨ Why magnesium impacts sleep, stress, energy, mood, and digestion
✨ Magnesium glycinate vs magnesium citrate: and when to use each
✨ Forms that support brain health, energy, and muscle recovery
✨ The “budget” version most people should probably avoid
✨ Topical magnesium, baths, sprays… and a few funny mishaps
✨ How much magnesium most adults actually need
✨ Why supplement quality matters more than marketing labels

Our goal: help you stop guessing and start choosing intentionally.

You’re not broken, you just may be using the wrong type of magnesium and you may not be getting enough.

As always, nothing here is medical advice. Talk to your practitioner, start slow, and listen to your body.

📝 Quick Cheat Sheet From the Episode

• Magnesium Glycinate - “The Chill Pill” (Sleep + Nervous System)
• Magnesium Citrate - “The Smooth Operator” (Digestion)
• Magnesium Threonate — "The Brain One" (Brain + Memory Support)
• Magnesium Malate - "The Energizer" (Energy + Muscle Soreness)
• Magnesium Oxide - "The Budget Option" (Use With Caution)
• Magnesium Chloride - "The Skin Soaker"  (Sprays + Topical for Relaxation)
• Magnesium Taurate - “The Heart Helper” (Cardiovascular Support)
• Magnesium Sulfate (Epsom Salt) - “Grandma Approved” (Muscle soreness and detoxification via baths)

💊 About Supplement Quality

Not all supplements are created equal, some are poorly absorbed or full of fillers. That’s why we share practitioner-grade options through our Fullscript store so you can shop safely and intentionally. Follow this link, which gives listeners up to 25% off all orders: https://us.fullscript.com/welcome/thehealthhunt

❤️ Stay Connected

If this episode helped you understand magnesium better, tell us! We love hearing your questions, wins, and hilarious supplement mishaps. You can email us at info@thehealthhunt.com

👉 Follow the show
👉 Leave a rating or review
👉 Share this with someone who’s confused in the supplement aisle

We read every message, and it truly makes our day.

May your sleep, stress, and… bathroom schedule find their happy place. 💤😌

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All views, opinions, and commentary expressed on The Health Hunt Podcast are solely those of the hosts. They are shared in a personal capacity and do not represent the views, policies, or positions of any current or former employer, including any organizations with which the hosts may be professionally affiliated.

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Welcome + Why Magnesium Matters

SPEAKER_00

Hello friends. Welcome back to the Health Hunt. A human, humble, and humorous exploration of how to level up your health. I'm Sandy, joined by my co-host Dan. And if you're here with us close to when this episode is being released, happy New Year! And welcome to 2026. I mean that sounds like the future, but I just looked outside my window and I don't see any flying cars, which is a little disappointing. But I'll get over it. We hope you enjoyed a safe and happy holiday season and that you've emerged on the other side with at least an ounce of your sanity left. But if you didn't, no judgment, and you're in the right place. So if you're a regular listener, or if you're brand new here, you know, or you'll learn that this is a show where we usually break down complex wellness topics and make them digestible, actionable, and actually useful for everyday life.

SPEAKER_01

However, change it up today. We're going to take a quick departure from root-cause detective work to spotlight a single mineral that is criminally underrated. I'm talking like Oscar-worthy, but somehow still stuck doing the off-Broadway stuff. We are talking about, surprise, surprise, magnesium, the multitasking mineral your body is basically begging you for. And yes, if you've been following our sleep series, you already know that Healthhunt is a ride or die fan of magnesium glycinate before bed. But today we're zooming out and looking at all the forms of magnesium you see in supplement aisles because the options are starting to feel like a cast list of a Marvel movie. And yes, Avengers Infinity Wars, I am looking at you. Huge cast.

SPEAKER_00

Shout out to everyone who's excited about a magnesium glycinate t-shirt. But first, a quick disclaimer: the Health Hunt Podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only. We're absolutely not medical professionals, and nothing shared should be considered medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making changes to your health. Now let's talk magnesium.

What Magnesium Actually Does in the Body

SPEAKER_01

So why magnesium matters? I didn't know this um until I did some research, but magnesium is involved in over 300 biochemical reactions in your body. Three hundred. If magnesium were a person at work, it would be the employee doing their job, their co-worker's job, IT support, HR conflict mediation, and they would be fixing the printer jam.

SPEAKER_00

So that's interesting. I can relate. I think I was magnesium in a prior work life. I clearly just didn't have the vocabulary to explain it, but now I do.

SPEAKER_01

So at a very high level, magnesium helps with sleep, stress regulation, muscle relaxation, nerve function, blood sugar balance, heart rhythm, energy production.

SPEAKER_00

Okay, so basically like all the things, or at least most of the things.

SPEAKER_01

It kind of does everything. And most people are not getting enough. I have read the best estimates, and people are only getting like 50% of what they actually need in their normal diet, which explains a lot, honestly.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, and that's kind of alarming because if I was 50% at anything that I did, I would dig myself a hole and crawl into it, or pay someone to dig that hole, then ask for their help getting into it. But this is not a show about my jacked up joints or perfectionist issues. So back to magnesium.

SPEAKER_01

The only thing 50% reminds me of is um basically my gray point average or testing in in um high school, middle school, everything was like around 50%, which put me in the, I think it was the F range. Um 50% a little PTSD on that number for sure.

SPEAKER_00

That's giving me all, I feel sweaty. That's giving me all the anxiety. Anyway, let's let's move on from that because that requires a therapist.

SPEAKER_01

So back to magnesium. There are many types of magnesium. And so I want to explain to you um high level what they do and how to use them. So,

Magnesium Glycinate — “The Chill Pill” (Sleep + Nervous System)

SPEAKER_01

first off is magnesium glycinate. Surprise, surprise, this is the chill pill.

SPEAKER_00

So thank you for talking about this one first. It makes sense given our mutual love for it. And despite the number of times we extol the virtues of magnesium glycinate, this podcast is sadly not sponsored by magnesium glycinate.

SPEAKER_01

Yet, even though a mineral probably can't sponsor us, we could help. So, magnesium glycinate, the focus is sleep, stress, nervous system, relaxation. This is a highly absorbable mineral, gentle on the stomach. It won't send you running to the bathroom, I promise. So, here at the Health Hunt, we love this because it's amazing for winding down before bed. It actually works for both of us. We both use it. And I can actually feel this one working. I think we talked about supplements, how feeling those things working, I can feel this one working. I think you can as well, Sandy, right? Absolutely, yes. So the way I look at this is magnesium was a person. It would be the person with chamomile tea, blackout curtains, a weighted blanket, and possibly even a white noisem scene. So essentially it'll be me. And possibly, Sandy?

SPEAKER_00

Possibly, but I'm stuck on weighted blanket because I love mine so much. I just find it a little bit of challenging to get out from under because it's heavy and you know, I have things.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I would love like a deep dive into the weighted blanket world. I really I tried it once and it's so heavy. Like getting out of it is an issue. And I just wonder how that like if you like surveyed a hundred people what they'd think about that.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, and I have it, I have just a 10-pound one, and it's just it's I I don't sleep with it. It's just on my couch and I'm always cold and it actually kind of feels nice. So is 10 pounds a lot? No, I think it's the lowest weighting. So you it's somewhat supposed to be based, I think, on your body weight. I don't know. I just knew that if it was any heavier, I would need to call someone for help.

SPEAKER_01

Nice. So we got through magnesium glyconate. Podcast is over, we're done. No one needs to know anything further. Just kidding. On to the next one, which

Magnesium Citrate — “The Smooth Operator” (Digestion)

SPEAKER_01

is magnesium citrate. And we call this the smooth operata. And I'm thinking of a song, but I'm not gonna do uh that song justice at the moment. So I I digress and I want to tell a story. In the early days of my medical journey, I had mentioned on the podcast uh that I had some neck issues. My neuro recommended that I take four to five hundred milligrams of magnesium for my neck issues, migraines, nerves, imbalance. But I don't believe you ever specify what type of magnesium. And of course, I never asked. This is before I came to doctor's appointments with, you know, pads of paper and issues to ask and questions to get answered. So instead of taking the chill pill, I was working on my high-intensity interval training to whatever bathroom was closest. You don't want to make this mistake. Magnesium citrate, as we said, the smooth operator makes you go to the bathroom. And so that was a um telling mistake. And I am here to tell you from heads-up experience, please, when you're buying magnesium, look at the type of magnesium you're purchasing. So, really quickly here, the citrate is good for occasional constipation, bowel regularities I just highlighted. You use it when you want to, you know, things to move, you know, basically. And I would just tell you that, and some pro tips. Here's our practical pro tips. Do not take magnesium citrate before a long road trip, a date, or even the job interview.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, so this is good intel. And I think everyone should appreciate this PSA because you hear all the time about magnesium, but you don't hear about the types. And, you know, you don't want to fall into the trap that Dan fell into. Now, I actually deliberately take a little bit every night because I'm very into things in my life being on my schedule. And yes, I'm aware I have control issues and I'm very much working on these, but it's baby steps.

SPEAKER_01

I like that. That's a good calculated way to look at it. So we've talked about citrate and glycinate. Now we're gonna kind of move through some of the other ones, which are important, but um maybe not as well known. So magnesium

Magnesium Threonate — Brain + Memory Support

SPEAKER_01

thironate, the brainy one. Did I say that right? Theronate? Oh, I don't know. Hmm. Sounds good. It sounds good. So it's the brainy one, we call it. Um, this is cognitive support, memory, learning, potential benefits for the brain, and cognitive clarity. This is the basically the magnesium that reads nonfiction for fun.

SPEAKER_00

So, yay, the nerdy one. I love it and I connect with it. Sometimes I think my brain is the only thing that works properly on me. Others may disagree, but I'm very conscious about brain health. And so I love this one.

Magnesium Malate — Energy + Muscle Soreness

SPEAKER_01

So, next would be magnesium malate, basically the energizer, focuses fatigue, muscle soreness, ATP production. So ATP is a chemical molecule that your body uses as an energy spark. I will say no more about this because I'm not a health practitioner, but that's basically what ATP is. If glyconate helps you wind down, malate is the friendly shove to get you moving again for the daytime energy.

SPEAKER_00

Okay, so it sounds like I need all of that because I am just really kind of dragging ass these days. I probably need a good shove now and then, but also like a super light shove because I have Bambi legs, and if I fall down, me trying to get back up is just not a cute look. Or even sometimes like not possible without assistance. I know there's people listening here right now that can visualize exactly what I'm talking about. So you're welcome for the cute little laugh. I'm also always in need, as I mentioned, like of an extra energy boost. I got to check my magnesium supplements, and if I don't already have this, I'm going out and buying it.

SPEAKER_01

Totally. Energy boost is something I'm all about. I think you could now say you can malate yourself out of glycinate. You want to really get that malate going after the glycinate. And so we've gone through four of these types of minerals. The next

Magnesium Oxide — The Budget Option (Use With Caution)

SPEAKER_01

one comes with a bit of a PSA yield sign flag warning here. It's called magnesium oxide. And this is clearly the budget option. Constipation heartburn, low absorption on magnesium oxide, but it's really inexpensive. So honestly, from the readings that I have done, and honestly, please confirm on your end as the listener, there's little to no reason to take this form of um magnesium. It's my understanding that it's cheap cardboard box version of regular magnesium. They market it in high doses, 400 milligrams in one pill. Uh, you only absorb a fraction of that. So I would advise you to look into this more, educate yourself on it. And I think it's just one of those that you want to avoid. But again, do your own research.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, so I'm not super familiar with this, but based on what you said, it sounds like this is a be careful what you pay for situation. And I'm already kind of a hard no on it. It sounds like eating sawdust for dinner. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

I mean, this is one that's just kind of in a gray zone. There's a lot of different magnesiums for certain things, and this one just seems to be like, oh, hey, here's magnesium. I'll just get it, and I'm not really sure what it's for. And that's kind of the take on that. But it's still there and it's on the shelves, and just um, you know, everyone just know what you're taking.

Magnesium Chloride + Sprays — Topical Relaxation

SPEAKER_01

So magnesium chloride, we call this the skin soaker. Uh focus here is topical youth, baths, sprays. Uh, can help with local muscle tension and relaxation. So if you ever take a magnesium bath and question your life decisions in a good way, this is why.

SPEAKER_00

So I shared in a previous episode, it's one of the ones on sleep, that I use a magnesium spray at night. But for anyone who hasn't heard that episode, this is another PSA and a reminder that in case you know you're not aware of this, it's almost like very strong salt water. So if you have sensitive skin or even if you have regular skin, it can potentially itch and burn. So be careful of like putting it on sensitive areas. And I'm gonna give you a little bit of TMI right now, but I know people put it on their feet, but I tend to rub it on my chest, which is perhaps not the greatest idea because there have been nights where I've gone to sleep with burning nipples. So I'm not gonna recommend that anyone put it there, maybe go to the feet. Um, but that is a potential hazard of the magnesium spray.

SPEAKER_01

You're welcome. So, Sandy, did you put it on the chest because you hate feet, your own feet, or what's the chest thing going on here?

SPEAKER_00

So there, yes, there, I mean, it's not I don't like feet. I think we've talked about that probably in like every episode, but it just feels easier. If I put it on my feet, I've got to get into bed first, you know, because and like put my feet up, and then I feel like it's gonna get all over my bed. So it just feels easier to like I don't know. There's no rhyme or reason, it just feels like it's easier. But again, there have been mishaps, and so perhaps ease is not the way to go on the magnesium spray. Interesting. Okay.

SPEAKER_01

So we're gonna get

Magnesium Taurate - Heart Helper

SPEAKER_01

Eve, and this is kind of the deeper part of magnesiums, and we'll finish it out. Uh magnesium taurate, the heart helper, pretty significant. Uh, cardiovascular health and calming. It's bound to taurine. Is my understanding that it may support heart rhythm and blood pressure benefits. Think of it as the magnesium with a cardiology minor. That's kind of the way I think about it. But again, do your own research here, but supposedly this is an effective one in that regard. Last, but

Magnesium Sulfate / Epsom Salt — Grandma Approved

SPEAKER_01

I would say certainly not least, is magnesium sulfate, essentially Epsom salt. This is grandma approved. Muscle soreness via baths is the focus here. This is not used orally as a supplement, at least as far as I know. I could I couldn't imagine it being oral. Yeah, say, what do you think about the magnesium sulfate?

SPEAKER_00

So I don't like, don't try this because I need to go back and review it, but I think you actually can take it orally the right kind. People do it, I think, with the gallbladder flush. But I'm just sort of talking out of whatever. And I I think this is correct, but don't do it unless you Google it and even then maybe be wary. But I am no stranger to the Epsom salt bath. My mom used to put me in them when I first developed symptoms of arthritis because it's supposed to be good for inflammation. I've heard that it's good for detoxification through the skin. I actually take some Epsom salt in a little baggie to my nail salon and I put it in the water when I get a pedicure just because I think it has good effects. And I have ones that have like lavender smell, so there's something aromatherapy about it. And side note, I know people enjoy a good pedicure, but I hate them. And I have a nail appointment later this week, and so I'm not really looking forward to it. My feet are next level ticklish, and I literally have to hold my breath when the poor nail tech is doing certain things so that I avoid kicking them in the face. I've never kicked anyone in the face during a pedicure, but it's something I have to work really hard not to do. So thank you for anyone who's ever bared with me in that scenario.

SPEAKER_01

I've actually had, I think, like one or two pedicures in my life, and it was, I get what you're saying.

SPEAKER_00

I watch people next to me and they're getting all these scrubs and things, and I'm just like they're just sitting there as though nobody is touching their feet, and I my brain can't understand it because I am just in full holding breath mode, doing everything I can to not injure somebody.

SPEAKER_01

It's about holding breath. Wow.

SPEAKER_00

Yes. Yeah, this is uh there's techniques for me to get through it.

SPEAKER_01

A little four, seven, eight possibly here could be.

SPEAKER_00

Maybe, yeah.

How Much to Take + Smart Supplement Choices

SPEAKER_01

So, how much magnesium should you take? So we talked about the different kinds and what's the dosage here? And so I'm not saying these dosages um go through or apply to each one of these, but um uh the recommended dietary allowances, the RDA from the National Academies of Medicine, say that men 31 years or older should be taking 420 milligrams a day. And I know this applies to magnesium glyconate, uh, because that's what that's what um the research I've done and how I model what I take from magnesium glycinate. And then women 31 plus years, 320 uh milligrams a day. So uh the supplement amounts vary, but most people benefit from between 200 to 400 milligrams of elemental magnesium per day, uh, depending on the form. So basically, elemental magnesium is simply the amount of pure magnesium you get from the supplement outside of the types that we discussed, like glycinate and citrate. So, you know, obviously do your own research, but start slow, um, increase as you see fit, listen to your body, and always talk to your healthcare practitioner about your proper dosages, as they will know best. So last but not least, again, here is um, we've been over a lot here. I want to kind of make things, I want to kind of summarize things and make it easier for some takeaways. Um, if you jot things down or you're into the post-its or you text yourself like I do on certain things, um, this is the part that's for you. If your main goal is to sleep, please, and I beg you take magnesium glycinate. Do it. It's incredible. If you need help getting things moving or staying regulated like Sandy does, magnesium citrate. If you want cognitive support, magnesium thironate, again, I have no idea if I'm pronouncing that right. If you're tired or sore and you want some energy, magnesium matlate. If you want muscle relaxing baths, magnesium chloride, which actually can be taken in oral form as Sandy has.

SPEAKER_00

Maybe, maybe. Maybe don't listen to me, I'm not a doctor. All right, there's an asterisk next to that.

SPEAKER_01

And if you're on a budget, this is why I included it last. And you're not picky, meaning you're going to wherever you're going to CVS, and you're just picking up the whatever. Sorry, CVS, but any, it could be any drugstore. Um magnesium oxide. But we have agreed that we want to stay away from this if we can.

SPEAKER_00

We're not suggesting that you need to take a separate pill for each type. What you take depends on your needs, goals, maybe guided by lab work that you're getting. There's many formulations that combine all or many of these, but if sleep is an issue, for example, you might want to take extra glycinate, as we kind of talked about. Now, I take a product called Mag Complete, but I also take a sleep supplement that has the magnesium glycinate in it because the mag complete actually doesn't have glycinate. Just for reference, I actually didn't know this until somewhat recently. I just based on the name thought it had all of the magnesiums. And so I was taking it at night because I was afraid it would make me sleepy. And then I did more investigation and it has no glycinate. So I've actually added, you know, a glycinate supplement. And just a note, if you take any kind of complete formulation, if it has glycinate, as I was mentioning, read your label and then make sure that you sort of schedule it in at night because if you take it during the day, it could make you sleepy.

SPEAKER_01

Okay, so

Recap + Choosing the Right One for YOU

SPEAKER_01

how do we get our high-quality magnesiums? So before we wrap up, one quick PSA, because this comes up constantly, and I'd mentioned this is not all magnesium supplements are created equal. Some brands use poor forms, low elemental doses, as we talked about the elemental dose, fillers, dyes, basically the dollar store version of wellness. That's why for our listeners who want clinically trusted practitioner grade options, we've partnered with FullScript. In our FullScript store, we hand select magnesium products that use high absorption forms, transparent labeling, third-party testing, and no junk ingredients.

SPEAKER_00

And we actually did an episode that goes into why all of those things are important. So it's a short episode, but if you're interested in learning a bit more, you should circle back to that one. Thank you so much for hanging out with us for this little magnesium deep dive. If you accidentally take too much magnesium citrate, don't say we didn't warn you. And hopefully, today's episode helped you make sense of all of the different types. Or gave you that, oh, that's why mine's not working moment. We're gonna put in the show notes all of the different types so that if you're a cut and paste person, you can get them from there. But before we wrap up, if you're hanging out with us regularly, we should probably make this official. Follow the show so we can keep showing up in your ears in a totally non-creepy way. Leave us a rating and review. It helps other humans find us. And it makes our day more than it should. And reach out. Tell us your questions, your wins, your magnesia mishaps, because those are fun. We actually read your messages and we love hearing from you. You'll find all the ways to connect with us in the show notes. So thanks for being here. We seriously love doing this with you. We'll see you next time, and may your sleep, stress, and bathroom schedule all find their happy place.