Magnesium is the fourth most common mineral in the human body and is needed for more than 300 biochemical processes. It is essential for normal muscle and nerve function and is commonly recommended for any type of muscle cramping, muscle spasms, and restless leg syndrome. Magnesium plays a major role in the absorption of calcium, and therefore critical in preventing age related bone loss. It is advised to take half the milligrams of magnesium to calcium in your supplement regime. Magnesium also helps to regulate blood glucose levels; it is needed to regulate proper blood pressure levels. And because the heart is essentially a muscle it has been shown to help regulate heart rhythm, so it is very useful for people with cardiovascular issues.
Magnesium is a critical part of a healthy diet, and many of our over processed food these days have very little. You would not think so, but human magnesium deficiency is surprisingly common, with only 32% of people of the United States meeting the United States recommended daily allowance. Low levels of magnesium in the body have been linked to the development of a number of chronic illnesses such as asthma, diabetes, and osteoporosis.
The foods that are the most abundant with magnesium are generally your green vegetables such as spinach and broccoli. Nuts, seeds, peas and beans are also high in magnesium. Whole grain breads are a good source, but when flour is refined to white when processed, the magnesium in the whole grain is removed. If your drinking water is “hard”, meaning high levels of minerals than it can also be a good magnesium source, but “soft” water is very low in all minerals.
I regularly recommend magnesium for my clients that are having any type of anxiety or stress, which seems like just about everyone these days. The nice thing about magnesium is it seems to have a calming influence on the body without making people feel totally zonked out and too tired to function. If you ever feel overwhelmed with life sometimes should definitely try magnesium supplementation.
Magnesium is also commonly used in conjunction with other natural sleep aids as an effective insomnia cure. For some people magnesium alone will do the trick to induce better sleep, but I have generally found that for better sleep it is most effective when combined with other natural sleeping aids like melatonin, theanine, valerian root, passion flower and hops only to name a few. Because of its ability to relax the nerves and muscles it really can be an effective and safe way to help get a good night sleep.
