Magnesium Self-Experiments

Magnesium and Muscle Cramps / Twitches

• Many commenters report strong personal correlations between magnesium intake and reduced cramps, spasms, and muscle twitches, especially with heavy exercise, heat, or sweating.
• Others say magnesium did nothing for their cramps, which disappeared only after dietary changes (e.g., low carb) or were related to other imbalances (calcium, potassium, creatine, sleep).
• One position: magnesium clearly helps when there is deficiency; if cramps have another cause, supplementation won’t help.

Deficiency, Testing, and Body Stores

• Linked research notes only ~0.3% of body magnesium is in serum; blood levels can look “normal” despite tissue deficiency.
• A magnesium/calcium serum ratio may be more sensitive than magnesium alone.
• Bones store enough magnesium for roughly 10 days of RDA-level needs; kidneys handle short‑term regulation, so daily intake still matters.

B Vitamins: Confusion and Toxicity

• Initial claim that excess B12 causes neuropathy is later corrected to B6.
• Several detailed anecdotes describe severe B6-induced neuropathy at doses well below some countries’ official upper limits.
• Commenters highlight that B6 is water-soluble but has a long half-life, accumulates over weeks, and is often hidden in multis, “high potency” products, fortified foods, and Mg+B6 combos.
• B12, in contrast, is generally described as safe and often used to prevent neuropathy.

Forms, Side Effects, and Topical Use

• Magnesium oxide is cheap and strongly laxative; citrate partly laxative; glycinate, taurate, lysinate, chloride, and threonate are preferred by some for better tolerance or subjective effects.
• Several note GI upset at higher doses, with diarrhea as a practical upper limit.
• Topical forms (sprays, “magnesium oil”, Epsom salt baths) are popular anecdotally, but cited reviews find weak evidence for meaningful dermal absorption; this is contested.

Sleep, Mood, Pain, and Other Effects

• Multiple anecdotes: magnesium improves sleep quality, reduces nighttime cramps, lowers blood pressure, and helps with tension headaches or migraines (especially glycinate).
• Some report dramatic but idiosyncratic effects on dreams, stress, back spasms, and even opioid response. Others notice no mood or cognitive change.

Self-Experiments, Measurement, and Skepticism

• Commenters debate how to objectively measure “mood” and “productivity”; suggestions include sleep quality on waking, HRV, and standardized tasks (e.g., chess puzzles).
• Some view such self-experiments and biohacking as overcomplicated, low-yield, and potentially risky compared to basics like sleep, diet, exercise, and stress management.
• Others recommend tracking apps (e.g., quantified-self style logging with reminders and CSV export) to make experiments more systematic.