Magnesium Relieves Anxiety and Insomnia

Magnesium Relieves Anxiety and Insomnia symptoms.

Our bodies use magnesium in more than 300 metabolic reactions. A lack of magnesium can alter electrical activity in the brain. Stress depletes the magnesium in your system.  Magnesium helps maintain normal muscle and nerve function, steadies heart rhythms, and supports our immune systems. Additionally magnesium regulates blood sugar levels, blood pressure, and enhances metabolism.

Symptoms of magnesium deficiency may include agitation and anxiety, restless leg syndrome, sleep disorders, irritability, nausea and vomiting, abnormal heart rhythms, low blood pressure, confusion, muscle spasm and weakness, hyperventilation, insomnia, agitated sleep and frequent awakening, poor nail growth, and even seizures.

Magnesium is considered the “anti-stress” mineral and is a natural tranquilizer.
Studies suggest that if magnesium deficient people simply add a magnesium supplement to their diet, many health problems, including sleep disorders, could be resolved without expensive medications.

Studies suggest that magnesium deficiency may also be one of the causes of insomnia, a condition that is experienced by an estimated one out of two Americans. When your magnesium levels are low, your nervous system gets out of balance, and you feel on edge, naturally resulting in tightening muscles.   Although we expect sleep to relax us, when magnesium levels are low, it may not.

Magnesium works with the calcium in our bodies to help our muscles first contract and then relax again. Muscles contract with the help of stored calcium. Magnesium is the mineral that helps them relax. Without enough magnesium, muscles are unable to relax fully after contraction and nighttime muscle cramps develop, causing another sleep disruption.

Many modern diets include highly processed foods and these processes deplete magnesium. Eating a balanced diet can help make sure your body gets the magnesium you need. Magnesium-rich foods include kelp, wheat bran, almonds, cashews, blackstrap molasses, and brewer’s yeast. Foods that are high in fiber are generally high in magnesium. Dietary sources of magnesium include legumes, whole grains, vegetables (especially broccoli, squash, and green leafy vegetables), seeds, and nuts (especially almonds). See the source link below for more foods to eat.

A temporary or chronic deficiency can pop up from heavy periods, gastrointestinal disorders , prolonged stress, diabetes, diuretics, too much alcohol, salt, coffee, soda, excessive sweating and hyperthyroidism, to name a few.

Taking too much magnesium can have side effects including nausea, stomach upset and diarrhea.  There are precautions and drug interactions, read the National Insitutes of Health source listed at the end of this post.  Check with your doctor if necessary to be safe.

Recommended types include magnesium citrate, magnesium gluconate, and magnesium lactate, all of which are more easily absorbed into the body than other forms.  Dosage depends on many things including your age and gender. A nutritionist shares recommended amounts of high magnesium foods here

A magnesium deficiency may or may not be contributing to your anxiety and insomnia, but it’s worth a try to find out, right? If supplements aren’t for you, start eating more magnesium rich foods daily to see if that change alone will settle your symptoms.

You might also check out this post  Eating to Counter Anxiety and Fatigue I wrote for my weight loss blog.

If you’ve tried magnesium and found it works for you, please share your experience in the comments section.

Namaste,

Dr. Kim

1. SOURCES: University of Maryland Medical Center (This was my original source. Unfortunately the page is no longer here http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement/magnesium
2. Dr. David Pearlman, 5 Foods that are High in Magnesium
3. National Institutes of Health
4. Dr. Axe lists the top 10 magnesium rich foods and their proven benefits
5. HealthLine