The Most Bioavailable Forms Of Magnesium + What Each One Is Used For

Magnesium is an essential mineral that helps keep hundreds of body processes1 humming along.* Maintaining adequate magnesium levels can also help protect us from heart disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and migraines, according to the NIH.*

Every time you take a supplement, some of it gets lost in the body before it gets a chance to do its job. The percentage of supplement that actually makes it into the bloodstream after processing is known as its bioavailability. The higher a supplement's bioavailability2, the more effectively it can deliver the intended health benefits.

On its own, magnesium has very low bioavailability. To be turned into a supplement, the mineral is paired with another organic compound that makes it easier for the body to absorb. The resulting combination is either organic, in this case meaning it dissolves well in liquid, or inorganic, meaning it doesn't. Organic forms of magnesium tend to be more easily absorbed3 and therefore more bioavailable.

Inorganic and less absorbable magnesium combinations, such as magnesium carbonate, magnesium chloride, magnesium gluconate, and magnesium oxide, tend to come with certain side effects. "It forms these clusters of water," functional medicine doctor Robert Rountree, M.D., explains in an episode of the mindbodygreen podcast, "and that basically hurries things along in the gut, shall we say."

"We've been using magnesium to help people sleep forever. And it makes sense," Rountree said on the podcast. "It's a natural muscle relaxant, so it helps the whole body calm down.* It lowers blood pressure.* So it does basically all the things that you want to do to get the body ready for sleep and to help maintain sleep.*" The glycine it's paired with is also thought to promote sleep quality7.*

This is the form of magnesium that mindbodygreen chose to make its first sleep supplement, sleep support+.* The mineral is paired with PharmaGABA, a natural sleep enhancer, and jujube, a fruit used in traditional Chinese medicine for calming and sedation, for a formula that can help people fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer, and wake up feeling restored.* And the glycinate's bioavailability means that these benefits won't be lost on you.*