Benefits of magnesium
Let’s talk about one of my favorite minerals: magnesium.
Magnesium has so many benefits in our bodies.
Energy boost
Magnesium helps with the production of ATP, your body’s energy currency. Magnesium can help provide energy to get you through the day.
Digestion
Magnesium can help relax the muscles in the digestive tract, making it easier for food to move through your digestive tract and relieve constipation.
Stress reduction
We all face stress in our lives, but excessive stress can deplete magnesium levels. Magnesium helps regulate the body’s stress response and can provide a sense of calm and relaxation. Have you ever taken an epsom salt bath? That’s magnesium in action, leaving you totally relaxed and sleepy with less muscle soreness.
Muscle function
Magnesium helps muscles contract and relax, which is important for every day activities and when we’re working out, and also prevent or reduce muscle cramps.
Regulates blood pressure
Magnesium helps relax and dilate blood vessels so there is less resistance to blood flow, which can help reduce blood pressure. Magnesium also has anti-inflammatory properties that can help maintain vascular health and lower blood pressure.
Bone health
Magnesium is necessary to help your body absorb calcium and vitamin D efficiently, which are essential for bone health.
Blood sugar regulation
Adequate magnesium can enhance insulin sensitivity, meaning your cells are more responsive to insulin’s effects. This allows glucose to enter the cells more efficiently, which lowers blood sugar levels.
Better sleep
Magnesium can help regulate the nervous system and promote a sense of calm, making it easier to wind down at night. Magnesium also helps in the production of melatonin, which is a hormone that helps regulate the sleep-wake cycle.
With so many amazing benefits of magnesium, it’s unfortunate that most Americans are actually deficient in the mineral! One reason for this is our farming practices and soil depletion of the mineral. The magnesium content in food depends on the magnesium in the soil where crops are grown. Over time, certain farming practices have depleted magnesium content so even if we’re consuming magnesium sources of food, it might not be adequate. Magnesium is found in foods such as dark leafy greens, nuts, seeds, whole grains, legumes, dark chocolate, avocados and bananas. With an increase in consumption of processed foods, many people may be eating inadequate amounts of foods that are a good source of magnesium. Stress, certain medications, alcohol consumption and age can also all negatively impact our magnesium levels as well so supplementation may be necessary.
While your doctor can run a blood test to identify your magnesium levels, they’re typically not accurate. Only a small fraction of the body’s total magnesium is found in the bloodstream. The majority is found within the cells, tissues and bones.
Because the majority of the population needs increased magnesium due to high stress, poor dietary intake, magnesium-depleted foods, or any other factor listed above that might deplete magnesium, supplementation may be beneficial, and it is generally a safe one to use. Curious how much magnesium you need to see improvements in sleep, stress, digestion and more? Reach out to schedule a nutrition consultation!
