Magnesium is one of those nutrients that no one is arguing about. It’s essential, it’s well-researched, and there are plenty of ways to make sure you’re getting enough. But is spraying yourself with it one of them? Let’s break it down.
What is magnesium and why is it so important?
Magnesium is an essential mineral that does some serious heavy lifting when it comes to your wellbeing. There’s a reason it’s been such a popular, staple supplement for yonks. Every single day, magnesium helps your body perform over 300 vital biochemical processes, including energy production, muscle and nerve function, blood pressure and blood sugar regulation, protein synthesis, bone health and even maintaining a steady heartbeat. Magnesium also has a calming effect on the nervous system, helping to support sleep quality and mental wellbeing. Pretty cool, huh?
Because magnesium plays such a vital role in so many critical bodily functions, this mineral is so much more than just a nice-to-have, and it’s essential to include it in your diet, as your body can’t produce it on its own. A lack of magnesium can have a significant effect on your health, with research associating inadequate levels with an increased risk of various chronic diseases, including hypertension, osteoporosis, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases.
Signs you might be low in magnesium
According to the Cleveland Clinic, a magnesium deficiency can be hard to pinpoint as many of the symptoms of a deficiency could also be caused by other issues, or you might not have any symptoms at all. At first, you might experience fatigue, a lack of appetite, nausea, or muscle stiffness, spasms or weakness while a more severe deficiency can show up in the form of abnormal heart rhythms, numbness, tingling or even personality changes. If you’re worried about your magnesium levels, it’s always best to see your healthcare provider.
How can you increase your intake of magnesium?
The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for magnesium varies depending on age, sex, and life stage, but for adult women it’s 310-320 mg/day. Luckily, plenty of foods naturally contain magnesium and it’s easy to increase your intake without having to supplement. Rich wholefood sources include:
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Green leafy vegetables
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Whole grains
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Nuts and seeds
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Legumes
If you’re highly active or trying to improve your muscle recovery, magnesium supplements could be helpful. The Australian Institute of Sport highlights that athletes often lose a higher level of magnesium through sweat, and evidence suggests that athletes’ magnesium requirements exceed those of the general population by 10-20%. Magnesium supplements may help support better sleep, mood, bone health, muscle recovery and strength, as well as lowering inflammation levels.
So, what’s all the hype about magnesium sprays?
Magnesium sprays are typically made by dissolving magnesium chloride flakes in water, and the whole idea behind using a topical spray (as opposed to taking an oral supplement) is that by applying it directly to your skin, the magnesium is absorbed faster and more effectively. Some people also believe that bypassing the digestive system altogether can reduce the risk of any side effects like gastrointestinal issues.
If you’re familiar with anti-inflammatory creams and how effective they can be for treating sore muscles, it’s easy to think a spray might work in a similar way to ease your DOMS. Or perhaps you’ve seen TikToks with millions of views where people are claiming that magnesium sprays help them with everything from sleep and muscle pain to migraines. Unfortunately, the scientific evidence just isn’t there to support these claims.
What does the science say?
A 2017 review found that topical magnesium may help with muscle soreness, but only with mild benefits and they pointed out that far more rigorous, large-scale research is needed.
In short, “the propagation of transdermal magnesium is scientifically unsupported.” There simply isn’t enough evidence yet to support the claims being made about magnesium sprays.
As for the impact on the gut, a recent pilot study has suggested some benefits in maintaining and improving magnesium levels for patients with high-output ileostomy (more commonly known as a stoma bag), as this group often suffer from a low level of magnesium in the blood, but more research is needed into the effects on the general population.
The MD Cancer Centre notes that while sprays probably aren’t harmful in themselves, they aren’t likely to have the effect you expect them to. If you’re using sprays to try and treat a deficiency, this could be harmful to your health in the long run.
On the other hand, taking oral magnesium supplements to treat a deficiency is beyond controversy and has been extensively studied, so whether you’re trying to give yourself a boost for general wellbeing or treat a deficiency, an oral supplement is definitely the way to go.
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We’re always on board with supplements and nutrition hacks – provided they actually work, are worth the money, are supported by research and you’re using them in combination with a nutritious diet.
Until there’s more evidence to convince us otherwise, we’ll only be taking magnesium in the form of oral supplements, and always recommend consulting with your healthcare provider before taking new supplements, assuming you need them or thinking you can’t increase your levels through wholefood sources alone.