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Magnesium Glycinate: Benefits, Dosage & How Much You Really Need

Finding a succinctly laid out page on how much magnesium glycinate you should take can be hard, so that’s where this article comes in. 

There are plenty of magnesium glycinate benefits, from improving your sleep quality, easing sore muscles, improving bone health and reducing the frequency of migraines, but you can read more about those in our article about the benefits of magnesium glycinate.

Let’s start by going over how much elemental magnesium you need each day. 

The Right Elemental Magnesium Dosage

How much magnesium per day for children?

• Birth to 6 months: 30mg is the adequate intake
• 7 to 12 months: 75mg is the adequate intake
• 1 to 3 years: 80mg
• 4 to 8 years: 130mg
• 9 to 13 years: 240mg

How much magnesium per day for a woman?

• 14 to 18 years: 360mg (400mg if pregnant, 360mg if lactating)
• 19 to 30 years: 310mg (350mg if pregnant, 310mg if lactating)
• 31 to 50 years: 320mg (360mg if pregnant, 320mg if lactating)
• How much magnesium per day for a woman over 50? 320mg

How much magnesium per day for a man?

• 14 to 18 years: 410mg
• 19 to 30 years: 400mg
• 31 to 50 years: 420mg
• How much magnesium per day for a man over 50? 420mg

Is 500mg of magnesium too much? The maximum dose of magnesium per day is 320mg for women and 420mg for men, so yes, 500mg of magnesium is too much. 

You will, and should, get most of this magnesium from the food you eat throughout the day. Sometimes, though, there are times when we struggle to get enough magnesium from our diets. This could be due to going through a stressful period where you’re unable to maintain a balanced diet or due to the soil in the region you live not providing your fresh produce with enough nutrients. 

Whatever the case, you might need to take magnesium supplements. The different forms of magnesium supplements are known as chelated magnesium, which simply means that the magnesium is bound with another molecule to make it stable and more easily absorbed into your body. For example, magnesium oxide is bound with oxygen, magnesium citrate is bound with citric acid and magnesium glycinate is bound with glycine. 

The Best Magnesium Glycinate Dosage

If you’ve gone through our article about the different types of magnesium and have come to the conclusion that magnesium glycinate is the one for you, how much do you take? 

This leads us to some common questions, such as ‘Is 500mg of magnesium glycinate too much?’ and ‘Is 1000mg of magnesium glycinate too much?’

The answer to these questions depends on the individual supplement you pick up. 

Let us explain: each magnesium supplement contains a different amount of elemental magnesium within and on the label on the back, it should tell you how much of this elemental magnesium you’re getting — never think that the amount listed on the front of the product is how much actual magnesium you’re getting.

For example, in the Xandro Magnesium Glycinate 500mg, there’s 100mg of elemental magnesium. This is within the safe limits of how much magnesium you should be consuming each day because, remember, you will also be getting more magnesium from the food you eat that contains magnesium, such as dark green leafy vegetables, seafood, nuts and seeds, legumes and chocolate. 

Try not to get more than 350mg of elemental magnesium from supplements each day. 

But how much magnesium glycinate should I take? This will depend on what you’re taking it for. Here are some common reasons people take magnesium glycinate and how much magnesium glycinate per day you should take according to scientific studies. 

Magnesium Glycinate Dosage for Adults

How Much Magnesium Glycinate for Anxiety?

• 75mg – 360mg daily

How Much Magnesium Glycinate for Depression?

• 248mg daily (for mild to moderate depression)
• 305mg daily (for those with low magnesium levels)

How Much Magnesium Glycinate for Sleep?

• 200mg – 720mg daily (including dietary intake)

How Much Magnesium Glycinate for Migraines?

• 400mg – 600mg daily (may help prevent migraines, especially with deficiency)
• Some may require up to 1000mg (speak with your doctor due to possible side effects)
• 360mg daily (for menstrual-related migraines, taken from ovulation to first day of flow)

How Much Magnesium Glycinate for Blood Pressure?

• 300mg daily (for at least 12 weeks)

How Much Magnesium Glycinate for Restless Legs & Muscle Cramps?

• 300mg daily (shown to reduce frequency and intensity of cramps)

A few things to remember:

• Many of these benefits only occur for people with low magnesium levels, although, since this is likely many of us, you should feel some benefits.
• If you have low magnesium levels, it takes time for magnesium to build up in your system, so be consistent when taking supplements and speak with your doctor to get your levels checked before you take them. 
• Start with a lower dose and gradually increase.
• Higher doses (especially above 400mg–600mg) may cause magnesium glycinate side effects like diarrhea or stomach upset.
• Always speak with your doctor before starting magnesium supplementation, especially for migraines or high-dose use.
• How much magnesium glycinate is safe per day? A high amount listed on the front of the bottle is safe as long as the amount of elemental magnesium doesn’t exceed the recommended intake mentioned above. This does, however, raise the question of what else is in the magnesium supplement other than magnesium for the mg on the front to be so high. 

Further Reading: Is Magnesium Glycinate Safe?

End Note

Now you know how much magnesium glycinate you should really take for your health concerns. Be sure to get your hands on Xandro Magnesium Glycinate 500mg to start consistently taking it each day to build up your magnesium levels. Taking a highly absorbable form such as this will boost your levels in no time and allow you to start feeling the various magnesium glycinate benefits.

Still unsure if you should take magnesium glycinate or another form of magnesium? Check out our Magnesium Wars series, where we compare magnesium glycinate with other chelated magnesium!