Magnesium Dreams– The Proper Supplementation Regimen for Hunting Demons

No, I hadn’t just watched the new Exorcist when this happened…

But recently, I’ve been getting these strange muscle spasms around my Achilles tendon and lower calf.  I assumed it was a simple CrossFit strain.  

It’s a rather curious sensation, almost like a shimmering of the muscle.  It feels the way the surface of a placid pond looks when a breeze ripples over the surface.  It doesn’t hurt and doesn’t cause me any problems, but it’s annoying as hell.

My chiropractor believes a vitamin deficiency could be to blame, a deficiency of potassium, but more likely magnesium.

I found that odd.  I’ve been supplementing magnesium for some time now as research suggests the mineral aids sleep, stress management, brain function, and overall muscle health.  I explained this to my chiro, and she recognized I was using magnesium citrate, which is the common, “get it at Wal-Green’s” variety of magnesium.  She suggested I try magnesium glycinate, which is more easily absorbed by the body, thus making more of the good stuff available. I figured what the hell, and ordered a bottle.

Magnesium also helps promote REM sleep.  Because of that, a benefit, or maybe a side effect, is that magnesium makes you dream. 

Hard. 

When I first started taking magnesium, I would dream so vividly, and for such long stretches of time, it almost felt like I wasn’t sleeping at all.  Like most side effects, however, the dreams eventually returned to normal– 

Until I tried the glycinate.

I scared the ever-living shit out of my wife the other night. 

Apparently, I woke her up because I was flat on my back, making the sign of the cross in the air, and screaming things like “The Power of Jesus  compels you”, “By the Blood of Christ I command thee” (yes, I used ‘thee’), “Be gone you brimstone smelling mother fucker!” 

 Okay, maybe I didn’t actually say that last one, but you get the point… 

Turns out I was performing an exorcism in my sleep–which, in all honesty, is kind of badass. 

I do remember bits and pieces of the dream.   At one point, a Black Philip-like goat splattered, spread-eagled, against my living window.  I’ll let you put together the rest. 

So, did the magnesium glycinate help with the muscle twitches?  Probably too early to tell.  Will I keep taking it?  

If it helps me battle the powers of darkness while getting a good night’s sleep?  

Damn right, I will. 

Oh, and I have been reading that glycinate isn’t supposed to cause the vivid dreams.  I guess you really can’t believe everything you read on the internet…