On top of supporting GABA production, Dryden says that magnesium helps convert the amino acid tryptophan into serotonin, which then gets converted into melatonin, a hormone that\u2019s crucial for sleep because it signals to the body that it\u2019s nighttime and helps regulate the body\u2019s internal clock (known as circadian rhythm).<\/p>\n
\u201cEven though magnesium doesn\u2019t directly produce melatonin, it\u2019s really important in helping that process get done and if we don\u2019t get enough magnesium, that process might not happen as efficiently,\u201d Dryden says.<\/p>\n
Dryden says that research has shown that magnesium can help improve sleep efficiency, reducing the time it takes to fall asleep and decreasing the number of wake-up times throughout the night. A 2021 study published in Sleep<\/a> taking into account roughly 4,000 people backs this up, showing that participants who supplemented with magnesium experienced higher quality sleep than participants who didn\u2019t supplement with magnesium.<\/p>\n 7 magnesium-rich foods worth adding to your diet<\/p>\n As mentioned earlier, it\u2019s best to get magnesium through diet versus supplements because you\u2019ll be consuming other important nutrients at the same time. The magnesium-rich foods included here all have other nutrients that either support sleep, mood, or both.<\/p>\n 1. Pumpkin seeds<\/p>\n Pumpkin seeds top both Pratt and Dryden\u2019s lists for the best magnesium-rich foods for better mood and sleep. It has more magnesium than any other food<\/a>, with 156 milligrams per serving, or 37% of the recommended daily value. \u201cPumpkin seeds also contain tryptophan, which is an amino acid that\u2019s important for relaxation and sleep,\u201d Dryden says. If you don\u2019t plan on carving any pumpkins this fall, pumpkin seeds are easy to find at most grocery stores. They make a nice, crunchy topper for salads, oatmeal, or yogurt.<\/p>\n 2. Chia seeds<\/p>\n Another seed that\u2019s high in magnesium is chia seeds. \u201cTwo tablespoons of chia seeds is going to give you a pretty decent amount of magnesium,\u201d Dryden says. Besides magnesium, she says that these tiny seeds are also high in omega-3 fatty acids, which are important for brain function and decreasing inflammation\u2014both important for avoiding depression and anxiety.<\/p>\n 3. Leafy greens<\/p>\n One magnesium-rich food Kriegler recommends is leafy greens because it\u2019s super versatile and high in many other important nutrients, including fiber<\/a>. You probably already know how important fiber is for gut health. Due to the strong connection between gut health and brain health<\/a>, a thriving microbiome is crucial for mood regulation. A 2023 scientific article published in Nutritional Neuroscience<\/a> highlights a connection between a high-fiber diet and a lower risk of depression.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"On top of supporting GABA production, Dryden says that magnesium helps convert the amino acid tryptophan into serotonin,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":302077,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[26225,1991,102,6636,43086,13399,56,54,55,307,7268],"class_list":{"0":"post-302076","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-_seo","9":"tag-food","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-nutrition","12":"tag-sleep-and-recovery","13":"tag-textbelowcentergridwidth","14":"tag-uk","15":"tag-united-kingdom","16":"tag-unitedkingdom","17":"tag-web","18":"tag-wellness"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/302076","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=302076"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/302076\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/302077"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=302076"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=302076"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=302076"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}