I need some information on magnesium. My labs show I'm low but still within the normal range and the doctor advised to take the supplement daily. Ive been taking 500mg of plain magnesium and started to develop severe insomnia and a lot of intense, crazy dreaming. I cut back to 250 mg a day but frankly am afriad to continue. I need some sleep and with the magnesium Ive only been getting around 4 to 5 hours. Incidentally, 500 mg a day also cleans out your digestive system whether you want that result or not. Has anyone else had sleep problems with this supplement? There are various forms of magnesium and im wondering if one is better than the other. I dont see my nephrologist for another 3 weeks and thought I'd ask this community to share their experiences. Thanks in advance
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drmind
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Thanks for your reply. Yes, it is weird. I took a half (250 mg) last evening and even though I was tired from walking and doing stuff around the house, I could not fall asleep until 5:00 am and then only for an hour off and on the rest of my bedtime. And, no stress to note. Yikes, something crazy is happening. BTW when I first started the magnesium, it did help me sleep better but that only lasted for a week or two and then the insomnia licked in. I've got to figure out how to take this stuff and not stay up all night. Thanks again for your information. .
Something in the air. I woke up at 2am, and I was done..... got up for two hours and sat in my chair, went back to bed, no sleep until 6:00 am only to get up at 8am...... weird vibes out there.
Sorry to hear that. This insomnia seems to be catching!! You know I only need 7 good hours and then I'm good to go. But, this severe insomnia is for the birds. I'm going to try to take the half dose of magnesium every two days. I'm super, super sensitive to caffeine and I may have the same sensitivity to magnesium. In the meantime, I'm going to try REMfresh, a type of slow release melatonin. I had tried it before and I cant remember why I stopped using it. Good luck with your problem. I'll keep the forum posted about the REMfresh. Thanks again for your reply.
Keep in mind that some people have the reverse effect from melatonin also, especially after using it for awhile. I did. Now I only use small amounts after at least a week or more of not using it. Then it works. If I take too much then I get the reverse effect. What I am doing now that works pretty good is putting on 'Blue Blocker' glasses at least 2 hours before bedtime, + keeping lighting lower. You can buy orange or red glasses at Amazon. I got the deep red lenses to do the best job. I am happy with them.
Thanks for your reply. I agree about the melatonin. I don't ever take more than one mg and often only .5 mg. And, I've always wear blue light glasses in the evening. Been doing that for years. The melatonin helps get me to sleep but does not keep me asleep. But Im used to getting up to use the restroom and staying up awhile to get back. However. this magnesium induced insomnia is different. I'm awake for hours with or without melatonin.
What I can do is to take a quarter of the magnesium pill and see if I can manage this small dose. Again, thanks for your information. And, of course, enjoy the holidays
What is the type of magnesium you’re taking? Magnesium oxide, citrate, glycinate? Depending on the type will impact absorption and also intestinal distress. If you’re on immunosuppression meds that may be the actual source of the insomnia. I find if I take my meds after 9 pm I can’t get to sleep.
To Cneb: I've been taking just plain magnesium. I know there are different types of magnesium. So, if I have time today, I'll try to research them. I had also been taking the magnesium in the evening and will try to take it at lunchtime if I ever start taking it again.
I'm not on immunosuppressant medication. I only take meds for BP, gout, and low vitamin D. Your comments made me think to do a total medication combo check later today to see if there are any warnings about taking them all together.
I'm only guessing about the magnesium causing the severe insomnia but I was it disappeared once I stopped taking it. Will see if the doctor can shed some light when I see him in three weeks.
Meantime, whoever thought a good nights sleep would be so important to our well being now. Ah, for the good old days when I stayed up late having fun, taking care of kids, or just because i could!
Cneb is 100% right. It depends on the type of magnesium you are taking. Check your bottle carefully - there is no such thing as plain magnesium. If your bottle doesn't give any additional information, I would throw it away. I would start with Magnesium Glycinate - it's well absorbed and doesn't typically cause diarrhea in normal amounts. Choose your brand carefully - I use NOW brand after my personal research. Wishing you good and plentiful sleep!
Thank you. I should have checked my Magnesium bottle. Its not just "plain" but Magnesium Oxide. I'm going to try doing the diet; however, I will keep the brand and type you recommended on hand in case I choose later to take the route. I'm getting so much good information from everybody and it beats google because this information is from real, experienced people. I know its only based on one or two cases, but its been so helpful. I am so many avenues to pursue now to get my magnesium levels up. Best to you.
I do the buffered Magnesium aka know as Magnesium Glycinate or Chelated depending on the maker. I used to take magnesium oxide and citrate, but found this is easier to take. Hope that helps.
I don’t know if this will help but I’ve used a magnesium spray in the past. It absorbs through the skin. I did one short spray on my arm at bedtime and it really helped with sleeping and the chronic urticaria I was taking it for. However that was before I had CKD.
Thank you for this info. I'll check to see if i can find the spray. As someone else said, I may be taking too high a dose with the 500 mg pill. And, besides the pill is huge and so difficult to swallow. Again thanks.
After my transplant my magnesium was below normal and my nephrologist said I could either try getting more through diet or through a pill. I opted for diet and started eating a small handful of pumpkin seeds every day for about two weeks and the level went back into the normal range. I stopped eating as many seeds, but do still have them occasionally. My magnesium level has been fine since then. Of course I don’t know your situation but it seems like your doctor has you on a high dose?
Thank you so much for this information. I'm going to find pumpkin seeds later. I'd rather do diet than pills. And, I am beginning to think that I am taking too high a dose of the magnesium. My doctor never said how much to take but just to take some and since we had other things to discuss, the dosage was never indicated. Again thanks for the pumpkin seed hint. I love this forum for all the good information one can get. My best to you.
There are other good dietary sources of magnesium as well, do an internet search for foods high in magnesium and pick what you like best or a combo. I opted for pumpkin seeds because they’re one of the foods highest in magnesium as I wanted to get my level up quicker. Good luck to you!
Before I knew about the CKD, I had watch some YouTube dr. regarding needing to take magnesium. I bought two bottles of supplements. Long story short. DON"T DO IT. Google food high in magnesium and start there. Supplements are not the answer. Food is your best medicine. Any nutrient needs to work in conjunction with many others in order to be effective. They do not work alone. It is a team.
Thanks. I think I'm going to try diet. I eat Oatmeal with blueberries every morning and I'm going to add some pumpkin seed kernels and some almonds. Ill add other stuff as I go along and if it's in line with my renal diet.
Hi there drmind! I’m sorry to hear about your sleep issues with the magnesium supplements. I found this website (link below) that actually says it’s more so the lack of magnesium that can cause insomnia. I wonder if possibly, your body hasn’t yet reached a normal level yet, even with the supplements, and perhaps that may be what’s causing the sleep issue. It also provides a list of foods that are high in magnesium. I always prefer to try and correct any deficiencies by using recommended foods first. I just think our bodies better absorb vitamins and minerals when it comes from a natural source. I hope you find the link helpful and that you feel better soon. All my best to you! God bless. 😊👍🙏
Thanks for this valuable information. I just wrote a long reply that I preceded to delete in error. Anyhow I found Pumpkins seeds st Costco and started eating 1/4 cup each day. Will add cashews soon. I was never deficient in magnesium. Level was just in low normal range.
Pumpkin seeds : 1/4 cup has 165 mg of magnesium and 110 mg salt
Hello drmind and everyone who has sleeping problems (insomnia),
I have read all the comments about insomnia but have not seen anything about the solution that works for me. I was 'taught' this method by a psychotherapist many years ago, long before being diagnosed with CKD. It is easy to carry out and adds nothing to anyone's
nutritional or medical needs.
Prepare for bedtime in your usual way and make sure you are cosy and comfortable while lying on your back, head on a pillow, if used. Turn the television/radio off and the lighting off or down to low levels. Then, relax, slowly letting your mind 'empty' (you should find this happening automatically). Concentrate on slowly 'letting go' by relaxing your upper body (arms, unclenching hands etc.). Then continue the process to your legs and feet, so you are as relaxed and 'floaty' as possible. Trust me, its a great feeling.
Then let your mind think about anything lovely, happy or wonderful that has happened to you, or that you would like to happen. Don't worry about anything, if the first thoughts do not work, don't give up - just think about something else - it could be something about a favourite hobby or colour - anything that makes you happy. (Obviously, the general idea is to eliminate negative thoughts).
I find that one drifts into sleeping within a very short time, and it happens so gently that I do not realise it until I wake up in the morning and look at my clock! I have been lucky in that it normally works on the now rare occasions when I need to do it. If you find it doesn't work first time, have another session, you have nothing to lose.
Hope the above information will help, and wishing everyone as happy and healthy time as possible over the coming weeks! - Curleytop1.
Thanks so much for your kind and thoughtful sleep suggestion. I do have several happy dioramas in my mind that I use for mediation. It does help and so does that systematic relaxation that you mentioned. But, it's not always easy to get there when you're stressed out. However, as you said, keep trying if it doesn't work the first time. Happy holidays and a healthy New Year
Perhaps a calcium - mag blend would be easier to tolerate with not too high magnesium and yes too much mag will really clear things out uncomfortably ,
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