By Roy Newlan, founder Last updated 18/08/2026
Magnesium labels are a mess of big numbers, and most of them are measuring the wrong thing. This page lays out the actual Australian recommended intakes, the upper limit for supplements, and how to read a label so the number you compare is the number that matters.
How much magnesium does an adult actually need a night?
There is no per-night figure, because the Australian recommendation is a whole-day number covering everything you eat and drink. For adults it sits between 310mg and 420mg of magnesium a day depending on age and sex, and food is expected to supply most of it.
That framing matters. A supplement is not trying to deliver your entire daily magnesium before bed. It is topping up whatever the day's food left short. Once you see the RDI as a food-first, all-sources figure, the sensible size of an evening dose gets a lot clearer.
What is the Australian RDI for magnesium?
The recommended dietary intakes below are set by the NHMRC in the Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand. They are per day, from all sources combined.
| Group | Age | RDI per day |
|---|---|---|
| Men | 19 to 30 | 400mg |
| Men | 31 and over | 420mg |
| Women | 19 to 30 | 310mg |
| Women | 31 and over | 320mg |
| Boys | 14 to 18 | 410mg |
| Girls | 14 to 18 | 360mg |
Two things stand out. Men need more than women, and the number nudges up slightly after 30 for both. If you are an Australian adult, your target is somewhere between 310mg and 420mg a day, food included.
What is the upper limit for magnesium supplements?
The NHMRC sets an upper level of 350mg a day for magnesium from supplements and other non-food sources. Magnesium from food does not count towards that cap.
That split sounds odd until you see the reasoning. The body handles magnesium arriving in meals differently from magnesium arriving as a concentrated dose, which is why a dinner rich in magnesium carries no cap while supplements do. The practical takeaway is simple: when you compare supplement doses, the number to hold them against is 350mg, not the RDI.
Where does most magnesium come from?
Food, and mostly plants. The dense sources are pumpkin seeds, almonds, cashews, spinach and other leafy greens, wholegrains, legumes and dark chocolate.
| Food | Rough magnesium per serve |
|---|---|
| Pumpkin seeds, 30g | ~150mg |
| Almonds, 30g | ~80mg |
| Cooked spinach, 1 cup | ~150mg |
| Black beans, 1 cup cooked | ~120mg |
| Dark chocolate, 30g | ~65mg |
| Wholegrain bread, 2 slices | ~45mg |
A day with a handful of nuts, some greens and a few wholegrains gets a long way towards the RDI on its own. A day of white bread, lean meat and not much else falls well short. Most Australian diets land somewhere in between, which is exactly why a modest evening top-up makes sense and a maximal one does not.
Why is "magnesium glycinate 1,000mg" not 1,000mg of magnesium?
Because that 1,000mg is the weight of the whole compound, magnesium plus the glycine it is bound to, and the magnesium itself is only a fraction of it. The number that counts against the RDI and the upper level is the elemental magnesium, the actual mineral.
Magnesium is never sold on its own. It is always bound to something, a glycinate, a citrate, an oxide, and the carrier makes up most of the weight. In a typical magnesium glycinate, elemental magnesium is somewhere around a tenth to a fifth of the compound weight. So a label shouting "magnesium glycinate 1,000mg" may be delivering 100mg to 200mg of actual magnesium. Neither number is a lie. They are just different measurements, and comparing a compound weight on one label against an elemental weight on another is how people end up thinking one product is five times stronger than it is. Look for the word "elemental", or a line that says "equivalent to magnesium Xmg". That is the comparable number.
How much elemental magnesium is in Settl?
Each 9g scoop of Settl carries 730mg of magnesium glycinate, delivering 146mg of elemental magnesium. That is the elemental figure, the one you can hold against the table above.
| Measure | Amount |
|---|---|
| Magnesium glycinate (compound weight) | 730mg per scoop |
| Elemental magnesium (the number that counts) | 146mg per scoop |
| NHMRC upper level for supplemental magnesium | 350mg per day |
| Headroom under the upper level | 204mg |
| Share of the adult RDI (310mg to 420mg) | Roughly a third to a half |
We publish both numbers because the difference is the whole point of this page. 146mg sits comfortably under the 350mg supplemental cap, with room to spare even if your multivitamin carries some magnesium too. It is sized as a top-up to a normal day's food, not a replacement for it. Why magnesium is in a night formula at all, and why we chose the glycinate form, is covered in magnesium for sleep.
Is more magnesium better?
No. Past the point of topping up your day, more magnesium mostly means more time in the bathroom, which is nobody's idea of a good night.
Very large single doses of magnesium are known for one thing, and it is a laxative effect. That is a big part of why the supplemental upper level exists. It is also why we dosed Settl at 146mg rather than racing other labels to the biggest number. The dose is one of seven actives in the scoop, sitting alongside 3,000mg of glycine, 200mg of L-theanine and the rest of the formula, each at its own considered level. The full panel is on the ingredients page.
One scoop, before bed
146mg of elemental magnesium, as glycinate, in every scoop, alongside the other six actives. Cold water, one scoop, before bed.
Start your nightly ritual, $99.95/mo. One-time, no subscription, is $120. Prices inc. GST.
Cheers, Roy