Can Magnesium Help Improve Memory?
Do you ever feel like you forget small things? You may find your mind going in and out or feel like your thoughts are not clear. It can feel like you might be losing your mind or memory sometimes.
Our memory helps us know people and remember things from the past. As time goes on, our memory can fade. Things like aging, illness, and other reasons can make it fade even faster. It is good to understand what can hurt our memory. That way, we can do more to keep our minds sharp as we get older.
What Are the Medical and Neurological Causes?
Alzheimer’s Disease & Other Dementias
Progressive memory loss that worsens over time.
Stroke or Brain Injury
It can cause you to lose your memory fast or just in one spot, based on which part of the brain it hits. A hit to the head can also make you forget things for a short time.
Seizures or Epilepsy
This type, called temporal lobe epilepsy, can make it hard to remember things.
Brain Tumors
Can put pressure on areas involved in memory.
Infections
These are brain infections that can include encephalitis, meningitis, or infections from HIV.
How Do Medications & Substances Affect Memory?
Sedatives, Tranquilizers, or Sleep Aids
Especially benzodiazepines (e.g., Valium, Xanax).
Antidepressants or Antipsychotics
Can interfere with memory or concentration.
Alcohol or Drug Use
Using it a lot for a long time can cause lasting problems with thinking and memory. For example, this can lead to a condition called Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome.
Anesthesia
After surgery, people can feel confused or forget things, especially if they are older.
What Are the Metabolic and Nutritional Causes?
Vitamin Deficiencies
Especially B1 (thiamine), B12, and folate.
Thyroid Disorders
Hypothyroidism can mimic memory issues.
Liver or Kidney Disease
Toxin buildup can affect brain function.
Low Blood Sugar (Hypoglycemia)
Can cause temporary confusion or memory lapses.
How Do Mental Health and Lifestyle Factors Affect Memory?
Depression
This often makes people feel like they have “pseudo-dementia.” They may forget things and have trouble focusing.
Anxiety or Stress
Impairs focus and memory consolidation.
Sleep Disorders
Poor sleep or problems like sleep apnea can hurt memory and how you think.
Grief or Emotional Trauma
Can cause dissociation or memory gaps.
Aging (Normal Cognitive Decline)
Mild forgetfulness is usual, and it is not always a sign of a problem.
What Is the Role of Magnesium in Memory?
Did you know that minerals play a big role in keeping your memory strong and sharp, especially magnesium?
Magnesium is a key mineral that the body needs for many jobs, including keeping the brain healthy and helping with memory. A very important job magnesium does in the brain is helping it make and change connections between nerve cells. These connections help us learn and remember things. Magnesium does this by changing how certain NMDA receptors work. These receptors help brain cells talk to each other. When everything is working right, magnesium sits inside these receptors when they are not in use. This keeps the brain from having too much activity, which can protect the nerve cells from harm. If someone does not have enough magnesium, this balance gets thrown off. There is then too much activity in the receptors. That can hurt nerve cells, weaken memory, and make thinking harder.
Magnesium is important for more than just sending signals in the brain. It also helps the body and mind deal with stress. Magnesium plays a part in keeping the HPA axis working well. This system controls how the body reacts to stress. When you do not get enough magnesium, your body makes more cortisol. Cortisol is a stress hormone. Too much cortisol over time can be bad for the hippocampus. The hippocampus helps with memory and learning. High levels of cortisol for a long time can make the hippocampus smaller and make it harder for people to remember things.
There is a connection between low magnesium and more stress in the brain. Not having enough magnesium can raise chemicals and stress in the brain that make brain cells age faster. This can also lower the ability to think clearly. Over time, too much stress in the brain and in the body can make it more likely for a person to get brain diseases like Alzheimer’s disease.
Magnesium is important for good sleep. It helps your mind work well and helps you keep memories. Magnesium has a calming way of working with the nerves in your body. It does this by turning on the part of the body that helps you feel relaxed. It also helps control certain feel-good chemicals in the brain, like GABA. If you have enough magnesium, you get better sleep. This is true, especially for REM sleep, which is important to make memories stronger. If you do not have enough magnesium, you might not sleep well. You could have trouble falling asleep or your sleep might be broken up. This can make it harder to remember things clearly.
Along with memory problems, not having enough magnesium can also show up in other ways. You may feel muscle cramps, tiredness, feel annoyed or on edge, feel pins and needles, or feel like your heart is fluttering. How much magnesium you need each day depends on your age and gender, but most adults need about 310 to 420 mg daily. There are many foods high in magnesium. These include leafy green vegetables like spinach, nuts such as almonds and cashews, seeds like pumpkin and chia seeds, beans, whole grains, and even dark chocolate. If you or other people find it hard to get enough magnesium from what you eat, using a supplement can help, and this is a good time to think about using our Upgraded Magnesium.
If you notice that your memory is not as good as it used to be, try our Upgraded Magnesium today. You can also choose to do a Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA) with us. This way, we can see if there are other problems that could be causing it.