Could You Be Experiencing Magnesium Deficiency?

Could You Be Experiencing Magnesium Deficiency?

Paying close attention to what your body is telling you can help you find out if your body needs more magnesium. However, in order to be able to spot these symptoms, you’ve got to know what to look for. So, our friends at CanPrev are here to get you started!

Magnesium is one of the many essential minerals our bodies rely on to perform a wide range of functions. Without enough magnesium, biochemical processes such as muscle contractions, metabolism, and sleeping patterns can be affected!

Magnesium and You

Magnesium is a powerful mineral that’s involved in over 800 enzymatic reactions within the body. A few of its roles include maintaining strong bones and teeth, converting food into energy, using amino acids to form new proteins, creating and repairing DNA and RNA, and regulating neurotransmitters. It’s safe to say that this mighty mineral is an integral part of our wellbeing!

Why is Magnesium Deficiency So Common?

Being low on magnesium is pretty common. In fact, more than 34% of Canadian adults are said to get less than the required quantities of magnesium from diet alone. If magnesium is such a vital nutrient, then how come Canadians aren’t getting the magnesium they need? Well, the simple answer is that it’s missing in the food we eat.

Our diets are becoming poorer sources of magnesium than they used to be. In other words, the composition of what we eat, and the quality of those foods have changed quite a lot over the past hundred years.

Modern farming practices that were put in place to increase yields and protect crops from pests have depleted the soils of essential minerals like magnesium. This means the fruits and veggies grown in these farmlands, as well as animals that eat these foods, have low levels of magnesium. This makes it hard for even the most health-conscious Canadians to make sure they’re getting enough magnesium from the foods they eat.

Magnesium is fundamental to our wellbeing

Signs and Symptoms That You May Need More Magnesium

Magnesium deficiency can look different for everyone. But there are some common signs that you can keep an eye out for:

Muscle Cramps

Not having sufficient levels of magnesium in the body can lead to frequent muscle cramping. This is because low magnesium levels cause calcium to stay within muscle and nerve cells for a longer period of time. This over-excites the muscles and nerves, ultimately leading to cramps and spasms.

Anxiety

Anxiety can be an indication of inadequate magnesium levels. This is because magnesium is known to play a role in stabilizing the membranes of the nerve cells, regulating receptors like NMDA, and acting as a helper molecule or cofactor for Gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA). NMDA is a receptor known to stimulate our nervous system and GABA is our body’s primary inhibitory neurotransmitter. All of these roles that magnesium is involved in help calm the nervous system. So not getting enough magnesium can get in the way of relaxing our brains, leading to anxiety, stress, or panic attacks.

Insomnia

Magnesium helps with the production of melatonin, our body’s sleep hormone that is responsible for controlling our sleep-wake cycles. Insufficient magnesium levels can contribute to low melatonin levels. As a result, this can cause difficulties in falling asleep and staying asleep.

Irregular Heartbeat

Magnesium is also responsible for controlling concentrations of potassium and calcium in the heart. These concentrations are what coordinate the rhythm of electrical signals and muscle contractions. Without enough magnesium, the body can find it difficult to regulate the heart, causing arrhythmia, or an irregular heartbeat.

Magnesium deficiency affects sleep patterns

How to Increase Your Magnesium Intake

There are many foods rich in magnesium, and although they may not give you all the magnesium you need, it’s still important to consume them. This is because these natural sources still have some nutritional benefits and eating a variety of them can help you get closer to meeting your body’s magnesium needs. Some great sources of magnesium are leafy green vegetables, spinach, broccoli, avocados, pumpkin seeds, and almonds.

Another way to increase your magnesium levels is to reach for a trusty supplement such as CanPrev’s Magnesium Bis-Glycinate 200 Gentle. This formula offers a potent, therapeutic dose of 200mg of pure elemental magnesium in a form known for its superior absorption and gentleness on the bowels. It contains as much as 20% more elemental magnesium than other magnesium supplements and works to restore magnesium to optimum levels.

The Essential Mineral We Can't Get Enough Of

We need magnesium to manage a multitude of biochemical reactions that are fundamental to our wellbeing. Making sure we have sufficient amounts can help reduce muscle cramping, calm down our nervous system, improve sleeping patterns, maintain a regular heart rhythm, and much more.