A blog by Thomas Boto, co-founder of Natural Rhythm
If there was one supplement that I would recommend that you take to help cure, manage, or stop your heart palpitations, it would be magnesium. When I was researching possible cures to help my awful heart palps, by far the most frequently stated cure for just about any type of irregular heartbeat was magnesium. I even read that if you go to the hospital for a panic attack or suspected heart related issue the first thing they do is start you on a magnesium drip. Comment after comment, article after article, would list magnesium as the best place to start when you have heart palpitations. Some said it completely stopped their heart palpitations, others said it reduced them drastically. So of course magnesium was one of the first supplements I tried when my palpitations were out of control.
My Magnesium Mistake
Unfortunately, I made a mistake on my first purchase. Apparently a pretty common one too. I had no idea that there were different forms of magnesium and it was important which one you took. If I remember right, I just went to Walmart and grabbed the cheapest bottle of magnesium I could find. I started taking it and didn’t really see much benefit. It wasn’t till later that I read about the different forms and purposes of magnesium (I plan on writing more about the different types of magnesium soon). I finally ended up with a type of magnesium I like (it blends taurate, glycinate, and malate). It’s called Triple Calm Magnesium, but I explain more below why I like it so much.
The Benefits of Magnesium for Heart Palpitations
Most of our diets are insufficient in magnesium. Unfortunately, that can cause a lot of issues since magnesium plays a role in over 300 different chemical reactions in the body. And a number of studies have shown that a deficiency in magnesium contributes to a number of mental and physical health issues, including…wait for it…heart palpitations.
Magnesium is an often forgotten electrolyte, so when we are deficient in that area it can throw off our heart rhythm. Stress levels plays a role as well. Studies have shown that periods of extreme stress can also greatly reduce our magnesium levels.
So if your magnesium levels are too low, you can experience muscle cramps, heart palpitations, and even sudden death (yikes!). We can, and should, get our magnesium naturally (though vegetables, leafy greens, etc) but we rarely make it to our daily suggested allowance which is between 300-420mg depending on your age. So that is why I take a magnesium supplement.
My Favorite Type of Magnesium for Heart Palpitations
As mentioned above, I tried a cheap type of magnesium (it was magnesium oxide, which doesn’t absorb well) and then tried a magnesium citrate powder (which wasn’t that bad but when taken regularly or in high quantity it has a laxative effect – hello disaster pants!!), so I finally switched to a blend of magnesium taurate, glycinate, and malate. Magnesium Taurate has been shown to be a great support for cardiovascular functions, Magnesium Glycinate is supposedly wonderful for relaxation and Magnesium Malate is great for muscle and nerve function. All are highly absorbable and easy on your stomach. Yay! I’m sure there are a lot of good magnesium supplements out there, but I really like Triple Calm and highly recommend it. I can definitely tell a difference when I take it. My heart palpitations aren’t as bad and I feel like I sleep better too which is wonderful.
How about you? Have you tried magnesium? Do you find it helpful?