Magnesium is a vital nutrient that plays a part in more than 300 of the body’s processes, but did you know that you can take magnesium for headaches? Due to the role magnesium plays in muscle contraction and relaxation, it can be effective for reducing tension headaches and migraines – these ailments can also become worse if you don’t have enough magnesium in your body.

Magnesium is also a part of our stress response system, so a reduced magnesium load in our bones (where we store magnesium once it’s in the body) can mean that we are less equipped to deal with stress, which can result in headaches.

If you’re looking for information about the best magnesium supplement and how it may help to keep headaches in check, read on. It is also worth ensuring that you’re consuming enough dietary magnesium, so we’ve put together a list of the best magnesium rich foods to make it easier for you to get enough of this essential mineral.

What causes headaches?

Headaches can be indicative of several underlying health conditions, so if you experience regular headaches or chronic head pain, it’s worth going to get checked out by your medical provider.

Dr Deborah Lee, a medical doctor and writer for Dr Fox Online Pharmacy, says that there are several types of headache with various underlying causes:

Tension headachesCluster headachesMigrainesHormone headaches, such as headaches on the contraceptive pill or with HRTPainkiller headaches, due to withdrawal after taking too manyHangovers after excess alcoholHeadaches due to head injuryViral infections, such as colds and fluSinusitisSleep apnoea A review in International Scholarly Research Notices indicates that headaches are the 14th most common reason that people go to their family doctor in the US. Around 1.5% of visits to a general practitioner are for headaches and most people reported that they won’t go to the doctor for a headache. Another report in the Headache journal estimates that chronic daily headaches affect approximately 4% of the population.

What’s the link between magnesium and headaches?

Roxana Ehsani, a registered dietitian nutritionist and national media spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, explains that magnesium deficiency can cause many symptoms, including headaches.

“Most people actually aren’t consuming enough magnesium per day and some people may be more susceptible to losses than others,” she says. “For example, athletes actually lose more than just sodium in their sweat. They also lose some magnesium as well and may have lower magnesium levels than others.