Calcium, magnesium -- searching for info

22 years ago

I've decided to add extra calcium and magnesium supplements to my peri-menopause regimen. I'm eating healthier (i.e. good healthy foods, not dieting), less sugar, very little coffee (1 cup VERY early in the morning), plenty of water, 30 min. brisk walking 3-5 times a week in the evenings (not too close to bedtime) and a multivitamin/mineral supplement. Oh, and a little dab of ProGest at bedtime most nights.

But the terrible insomnia (which began several months ago) continues full throttle up.

I'm researching the best type of magnesium/calcium to take, the best dose for me, and the best way to take it. So far, I've read conflicting info: They shouldn't be taken together. They should be taken together in a calcium/magnesium supplement. They should be taken in mini-doses throughout the day. Calcium citrate is best. Etc. etc.

What can you tell me about these supplements, i.e. which form is best, how to take them, how soon to expect relief from insomnia, etc?

Thanks so much...I just want to sleep a full night again...

Jen

Comments (4)

akaDenise
22 years ago
Jen,

I have no qualifications to help so I'll just share my personal experience. The proper ratio of magnesium to calcium is 1/2 part magnesium to 1 part of calcium for best absorbtion. Vitamin D also aids in calcium absorbtion. I like Viactiv - a 20 calorie chewable form of calcium, that includes vitamin D and vitamin K. I take 1 in the morning and 1 at night. Don't try to take your calcium all at once, because the body can only absorb about 500 mg and the rest ends up as waste. I also take Solaray Magnesium Asporotate, 200 mg once in the morning and once at night. Don't forget to take a good multivitamin; Natrol makes good products, but you can find many choices at a health food store. Just avoid One a Day, or other kinds like that. I also take a mixed dry E to as an antioxidant keep my heart healthy and strong in addition to the amount in the multivitamin.

Some women also add Dong Quai at this time. It has no known side effects (unlike many herbal remedies which can and do hurt people!) and is the most often used herbal remedy. I like Dong Quai because it works with calcium to ease my terrible cramps.

I made quite a few changes to help me sleep more soundly. We put a CD player and speakers in the bedroom. Every night I start a CD of a rainstorm and the habit of it lulls me to sleep. If I wake up in the middle of the night, I use the remote to start the CD again. Sounds weird, I know, but it's really comforting to me and my DH. I really limit my caffeine intake and only have diet cokes or decaf coffee in the a.m. Chocolate can be a big problem for people too.

If nothing has helped you, you might want to try resetting your circadian clock. I don't know much about it, but I remember reading about a clinical study showing that staying up all night and not going to bed or napping until the next evening at your normal time really helped end insomnia.

One last thing, I've found that watching t.v. before I go to bed really keeps me awake too late. So, now I keep magazines by my bedside - dry ones like Scientific American and Discover or books by Stephen Jay Gould. I learn a whole heck of a lot from the articles but they aren't particularly stimulating like a good novel would be and so they don't keep me awake. Whatever works, I guess!

Sorry to go on so long! Take care,

Denise
Elizabeth247_gmail_com
17 years ago
Jen,
I started taking calcium and magnesium from Jigsaw Health and they have worked great for me so far. I noticed that I am sleeping through the night now. I was told it is because of the magnesium.
They also have some great information on their website for chronic conditions such as insomnia, etc.
Here is a link.
Hope this helps!
Take care,
Elizabeth

Here is a link that might be useful: Jigsaw Health Magnesium
Related Discussions
Foliage Pro calcium deficiency
Q
Comments (15)
Old thread, but common problem it sounds like. I agree w/Shazaam that the small amount of cross contamination you've created wouldn't cause significant precip. I realize that this thread started a while ago and that the original poster may no longer be following but I figured I'd give a little insight from a chemistry perspective. Long term storage and temperature fluctuations will cause different components to solidify by a variety of reactions. Diluting the stock or re-dissolving the precipitates after decanting can deal with some of this. I would warn against heating the entire stock as this can cause problems. If the FP has formed solids after experiencing a period of low temp, that is likely just salts that have formed due to their lower solubility at lower temps. For the precipitates that form, I'd guess they are either Calcium Phosphate or Calcium Sulfate. As redshirtcat mentioned, there doesn't seem to be much sulfate in FP so I'd guess phosphate is the culprit. In either case, both calcium sulfate and calcium phosphate precipitate at HIGHER temperatures (unlike most other things) so trying to heat the solution will not fix the problem. Dropping the pH is the best way to go. Either vinegar or citric acid should do the trick. Sulfuric or phosphoric acid will cause additional precipitate to form. An easy way to test this is take some of the precipitate and strain it out using a coffee filter. Scrape it into a glass and add a little vinegar. If it re-dissolves you can scale up and use the vinegar/filtrate solution as a supplement.
...See More
Magnesium it works but how?
Q
Comments (7)
Drew that was what I was looking for. I know magnesium is a cation and its essential. You might check out this article http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/mauisoil/c_relationship.aspx. Fruitnut to your point I think the magnesium is there at most sites but could be locked up in the soil by some other mineral at my site thus making a deficiency.The leaves here are sometimes slightly yellow but with the introduction of magnesium turn deep green. The plants are not picked on by insects any longer etc.. I add 10 year old composted cow manure around the fruit trees and work it in the soil every several years and add wood chips or hay a couple of inches thick on top of that area to hold moisture http://www.planetnatural.com/composter-connection/soil-science/compost-soil/. I do the same when I plant fruit trees except add the compost several feet down in the hole when i plant the tree. Magnesium is the one cation that if you add it on my land you see an immediate positive response. 3 years ago I started an experiment with biochar and added some to 10 or so nanking cherries and left 10 or so cherries without biochar. Those cherries with the biochar produced three times the fruit and were then highly picked on by rabbits during winter. The results on leaves , fruits etc was similar to what i see if I add magnesium. The other nanking cherries were not touched by the rabbits which to me indicates they were considered by the rabbits to not be as nutrient rich. There is still a lot I don't understand about things such as biochar and magnesium but am getting a better understanding. Biochar once added seems to make a very long term change in the soil in a good way if added in sufficient amounts. My suspicion is that because biochar is made from old wood that the tree was up taking trace minerals from 40 feet down and those minerals exist in the charcoal. There is much more to soil than NPK for sure. Great info gator rider thanks for posting that I had never considered nickel at all! I will research that further. Fruitnut I'm suspicious that the soil test tells me whats there but does not tell me whats usable. This clay soil is sometimes hard to figure because it is very high in macro and micro nutrients and wont give you any of them. This post was edited by ClarkinKS on Sun, May 4, 14 at 8:44
...See More
?'s about applying Manganese & Magnesium to Roebellini?
Q
Comments (10)
If your palm is showing classic "frizzle top", then that is a Manganese deficiency and has nothing to do with Magnesium. I don't like using something I don't need. Most palm fertilizers have enough to color up the plant a little, so I wouldn't use any at all if you are worried about the salt. Now, if you use a lot of Manganese without a good amount of Iron, then you can get an Iron deficiency (and vice versa). So if you want to add extra, I would go with some extra Manganese Sulphate (no more than about 10 to 12 tablespoons for a decent sized clustering Pr) and about 1/4 the amount of Iron Sulphate to try and balance it a little, and you should be good. I may be known for growing cycads, but I was growing 275 species of palms before I decided to specialize in cycads, so something like this is an easy question. Good luck with your plant. Sounds like the soil is good, so it should come back quickly after a few new leaves to come out of it. So, how is your water? Is it close to neutral? How about salt, any problems there?
...See More
Too much calcium & magnesium
Q
Comments (9)
Hi kayemdee, Your previous growing season soil conditions are not necessarily exactly what this years analysis is. The 3 fold level of calcium analysis means your ground has a lot of it. It is not what the sheep ate that is of interest. The form of nitrogen called urea is broken down in the soil and in the process you get an ammonia nitrogen the plants can use & also stray carbon atoms. The plentiful calcium ions in your soil can then bind the newly available carbon to form a molecule that contributes to raise the pH; similar to what adding lime to the soil does. (Ammonia's pH itself is 11.6.) In retrospect, your pH during the last growing season may have been higher than recently measured because of the urea that was used around that time. (To the forum readers in general: (In most soils the ammonia concentration from urea becomes volatile so some vaporizes up. This makes the soil surface (pH go down & is a factor in long term acidic problem. ( In fact, many agricultural teachings are that urea acidifies the soil, dropping the pH. In hydroponics some use urea (based fertilizer to drop pH in their nutrient solution at the ratio of 1 Tbs Miracle G./20 gallons. ( However, in published research you will find the axiom that urea causes pH to rise; so they study what to do.) So kayemdee, all this by way of explaining that you should review the type of nitrogen fertilizer you have used in the past to see if urea might have been a factor. (Japanese betel damage is different symptoms.)
...See More
catherinet
17 years ago
Good advise Denise!
Just one word Jenn about the caffeine. I have caffeine in the morning too, and I swear it affects my sleep that night. Could you possibly try it without it, and see if that helps? I know how hard it is to give it up!
One other thing I've learned over the years is that if we eat in the evening, it keeps our brains working through the night...which can keep us awake. So try not to eat in the evening too, and hopefully that will help.
Lois_MO
17 years ago
I have had trouble sleeping since I was a teenager.... I have taken Dong Quai and think it helped me get to sleep. I take Calcium 3 times a day - about 300 mg (2 at lunch time)...Calcium Citrate with Vit D. I think that has helped me get to sleep too. I don't drink Coffee, but drink a cup of Inst. tea in the mornings...no sodas. My favorite drink is Chai Tea (not much tea I suspect) and can't tell any of them affect my getting to sleep. Just a busy mind....If all else fails, I take Xanax, the smallest dose. I don't like to take drugs, but sometimes it is necessary!

Calcium, magnesium -- searching for info

Comments (4)

akaDenise

Elizabeth247_gmail_com

Related Discussions

catherinet

Lois_MO

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US