Chances are, you know someone taking a magnesium supplement. What is this miracle mineral, and what is the hype all about?
Magnesium matters for multiple body processes. However, it’s easy to become deficient, especially if you eat a heavily processed modern diet. Here are five reasons why this mineral has made headlines of late and why you should consider a boost.
Why Magnesium?
These days, it seems like everyone is taking supplements, from vitamins and minerals to herbs and protein powders. The idea is that these supplements can boost energy, improve mood or even prevent illness. But are they really necessary?
While some supplements can be helpful — especially if you have specific needs or deficiencies — many people take them without much thought. It’s easy to get caught up in the hype, but a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle are usually more effective.
Magnesium is one of the top supplement trends at the moment. It is a mineral found in many plant-based foods, most notably nuts and seeds, but also leafy greens and bananas. The problem is that many modern people lack these substances in their diets.
Supplements don’t replace a healthy diet, but they can help fill in the gaps. To improve your magnesium levels, you can adjust your diet and consider a tablet or liquid boost.
5 Benefits of Magnesium Supplements
You might already feel the effects of a mild magnesium deficiency. Adding a supplement to your diet can help with these symptoms that impact your overall quality of life.
1. Help You Sleep
Few things leave you grouchy and out of sorts the next day like a night of tossing and turning. A lack of sleep can greatly impact overall life quality if it happens regularly.
Magnesium supplements have gained attention for their potential to ease anxiety and promote relaxation by regulating the parts of your brain responsible for stress. If you haven’t found luck with melatonin, magnesium could be a natural alternative worth trying.
If you don’t have magnesium supplements on hand, something easy to digest and high in magnesium, such as a banana, could ease you into dreamland.
2. Ease Headaches and Migraines
One reason many people add magnesium to their daily routine is for headaches and migraine prevention. Headaches and migraines are common conditions with approximately 30% of adults experiencing migraines in the last year. If you’re one of these people, it might be worth a try. Magnesium can help relax the muscles and blood vessels in your head, which might ease the pain or even prevent headaches.
While it won’t work for everyone, some people find that adding magnesium to their routine makes a real difference. It’s a simple option that might help — but as always — it’s a good idea to chat with your doctor before starting any new supplements.
3. Support Digestion
Magnesium supplements can sometimes cause diarrhea, especially if you take too much or use the wrong type. But if you struggle with constipation, magnesium might actually be helpful as it can have a mild laxative effect. To avoid any tummy troubles, you might want to try magnesium citrate, which is known for its gentle laxative properties. However, too much, too fast can leave you locked in the bathroom — start with the lowest suggested dose and work your way up from there.
4. Combat Anxiety and Depression
The brain’s electrochemical system is a fascinating thing, consisting of various neurotransmitters. When your levels fall out of balance, you can experience increased anxiety and depression.
According to psychiatrist Joseph Austerman, DO, magnesium blunts glutamate, an excitatory neurotransmitter, and helps to release its opposite number, GABA. This action provides a calming effect that reduces anxiety symptoms. Untreated anxiety can often morph into depression, as people see no way out of their stressful state. A little magnesium may do the trick if you feel slightly off but haven’t yet developed a full-blown disorder.
5. Improve Bone Health
While everyone thinks of calcium when it comes to maintaining a healthy skeleton, magnesium also plays a role. The right proportion of calcium to magnesium improves overall bone density and fights osteoporosis, according to research recently published in the Journal of Nutrition.
Doctoral student Liam Fouhy, an analyst in the study, focused primarily on participants who consumed their intake through food, as doing so allows nutrients to interact in different ways. However, he suggests that vegans and others who struggle to fit magnesium-rich foods into their diets take a supplement for the bone-enhancing effects.
Foods High in Magnesium
If you’re not one for taking supplements and prefer to get your vitamins and minerals through food, there are plenty of magnesium-rich foods to incorporate into your diet. Some of the best sources of this mineral include:
- Leafy greens like spinach, Swiss chard and kale
- Nuts and seeds
- Whole grains
- Legumes, black beans, chickpeas and lentils
- Fish.
- Avocado
- Bananas
- Dark chocolate
- Tofu
If you struggle with poor sleep, headaches, unpleasant moods or constipation, adding a magnesium supplement to your diet may ease your woes. It’s also a wise idea if you have a family history of osteoporosis.
While a diet high in magnesium-rich foods is your ideal delivery method, magnesium supplements account for the ups and downs of daily meals. Find your perfect formula today and start feeling better.
Photo by Mariana Rascão on Unsplash
