Effects Of Low Magnesium In The Body
Low magnesium can have many effects on the body. It can really take a toll on someone and their health. It can cause many different problems in a bunch of different parts of the body, and can cause some pretty uncomfortable symptoms.
These problems and symptoms include the following:
- Ache and pain anywhere or everywhere in the body
- Heart issues and irregularities, and
- More
As you can see, low magnesium can have many negative effects on the body. It can potentially make you sick if your magnesium levels drop.
If your magnesium levels are low or just not considered enough, and you take magnesium regularly, its can have many positive effects on the body.
These benefits include relaxation, and the prevention of panic attacks in those with any anxiety or panic disorders, or those at a higher risk for panic attacks or anxiety or panic disorder.
Lets talk about that now.
What Are The Side Effects Of Magnesium Supplementation Is It Safe
Magnesium is generally very safe, and serious side effects and toxicity are both rare.
For most people, the body efficiently handles excess magnesium by eliminating it through the stool, which is why the most common side effect is loose stool or diarrhea.
Although it is very rare for magnesium to reach toxic levels, signs of toxicity include a fall in blood pressure, lethargy, confusion, heartbeat disturbances, dizziness, muscle weakness, and trouble breathing. Patients with impaired kidney function are at higher risk for adverse effects of magnesium. Magnesium can also interfere with certain drugs, including various antibiotics and medications for diabetes or high blood pressure. If either of these conditions apply, it’s important to check in with your doctor before starting magnesium supplementation.
Magnesium And The Brain
In the brain, magnesium helps to regulate the actions of N-methyl-D-aspartate glutamate receptors. These receptors are believed to play an important role in memory formation and learning.
Glutamate is an excitatory neurotransmitter that is important for normal function in the brain. In excess, however, it can cause cells to become overstimulated. This overexcitation of cells ultimately leads to cell death and is linked to conditions such as seizures, stroke, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis .
In addition to contributing to these neurological conditions, excessive glutamate activity is also linked to depression and anxiety.
Magnesium blocks the actions of glutamate in the NMDA receptors. If your body is magnesium deficient, it means that few of the NMDA receptors are blocked. This may lead to overexcitation and cell damage. Because of this, it is possible that magnesium may be useful in the treatment and prevention of depression.
Since magnesium plays such an important role in health, a deficiency in this important nutrient could potentially predispose people to a number of different health problems, including depression.
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How Long Does It Take To Work For Anxiety
This would be impossible to definitively answer. The reality is that it takes a while for a deficiency to develop.
Likewise, to balance this vital minerals levels in your body may take a number of weeks.
To accelerate this process, make sure to include whole foods rich in magnesium within your diet. While of course supplementing with a quality chelated magnesium glycinate.
Do however take note of the elemental magnesium per serving.
And to clear up any confusion regarding magnesium bis-glycinate or di-glycinate this means the elemental magnesium is chelated with 2 or 3 glycine salts. So Neither of these three will be better than the other.
Some bottles may also have small percentages of magnesium oxide. Regardless, do your best to bring your levels up to the RDA via food and choose a quality magnesium supplement.
Reasons You Might Be Magnesium Deficient
While magnesium is critical for health, magnesium deficiency is surprisingly common.
- Dietary magnesium often comes from plant sources. However, magnesium levels can vary depending on how much of the substance the plants absorb from their environment. Environmental factors can, therefore, play a role in how magnesium-rich certain foods are.
- Other dietary factors can affect magnesium absorption. The use of antacids or diuretics and the consumption of alcohol and caffeine can affect how much magnesium people absorb from the foods they eat.
- Excessive stress can also play a role in depleting magnesium from the body. During times of stress, magnesium is released into blood cells and eventually excreted by the kidneys. While this can initially play a role in protecting the body from some of the negative effects of stress, longer-lasting periods of chronic stress can lead to magnesium depletion and deficiency if this loss is not replaced by dietary consumption.
- Different forms of magnesium may affect magnesium levels. The type of magnesium supplement used can also affect how readily it is absorbed by the body. Some supplements options tend to be more bioavailable, while others may be more difficult for the body to absorb.
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Best Magnesium Supplements For Anxiety
If its too hard to get enough of this stress-busting mineral through food alone, you can turn to supplements.
Theres a variety of magnesium supplements to choose from, but they all serve two similar functions: restoring low levels of magnesium to normal and helping to relieve stress .
Following daily health habits like taking a supplement may also be linked to healthy dietary choices. One study found that people who reported taking magnesium supplements also tended to have higher intakes of magnesium from food.
Here are some magnesium supplements that may work for you:
Does Magnesium Help You Sleep Too
Because of its calming effect, magnesium has become an increasingly popular remedy for sleep issues. Magnesiums relationship with sleep lies mainly in its regulatory duties. In addition to managing your brains phone lines , magnesium regulates melatonin production.
is an essential hormone for getting some serious shut-eye, and it activates the parasympathetic nervous system . This is the system that kicks in after you stress out and helps calm you down.
So magnesium may help us calm down and get better-quality sleep .
This probably wont come as a shock, but including a variety of whole foods in your diet is the best way to get enough magnesium.
Some of the best food sources of magnesium are:
- Vegetables: dark leafy greens like spinach and Swiss chard
- Fruit: bananas, dried apricots, and avocado
- Nuts: almonds and cashews
- Legumes: peas, black beans, and peanuts
- Seeds: pumpkin, sesame, and watermelon
- Soy: soybeans and tofu
- Whole grains: brown rice, , wheat bran, oats, and quinoa
- Dairy: plain low fat yogurt and milk
Some processed foods are fortified with magnesium , but the processing often reduces its magnesium content.
Even though we absorb only 30 to 40 percent of the magnesium we get from food, its better to incorporate more of the foods that naturally contain magnesium to reach your quota.
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Should You Test Your Magnesium Level
Unfortunately, standard blood tests for magnesium arent of much help since only 1% of the bodys magnesium stores reside in the blood.
According to the US National Institutes of Healths Magnesium Fact Sheet for Professionals, blood levels have little correlation with total body magnesium levels or concentrations in specific tissues like the brain.
They recommend having a clinical assessment based on symptoms, along with laboratory tests.
Safety Considerations With Magnesium
There are some safety considerations with respect to magnesium supplementation. If you have normal kidney function, you do not have myasthenia gravis, bowel obstruction, or bradycardia, you should be able to supplement without too many worries. In addition, magnesium interferes with the absorption of certain pharmaceuticals, including dixogin, nitrofurantoin, bisphosphanates, and some antimalaria drugs. Magnesium can reduce the efficacy of chloropromazine, oral anticoagnulants, and the quinolone and tetracycline classes of antibiotics.
Magnesium oxide is the cheapest readily available formulation, as well as magnesium citrate, which is more likely to cause diarrhea in excess. . The oxide is not particularly bioavailable, but the studies I’ve referenced above suggest that you can top yourself off after about a month of daily supplementation. Those with short bowels may want to supplement instead with magnesium oil. You can also put some Epsom salts in your bath. In addition to diarrhea, magnesium can cause sedation, and symptoms of magnesium toxicity are low blood pressure, confusion, arrythmia, muscle weakness, and fatigue. Magnesium is taken up by the same transporter as calcium and zinc, so they can fight with each other for absorption. Jaminet and Jaminet recommend total daily levels of 400-800mg. Most people can safely supplement with 200-350mg daily without any problems .
People looking for good food sources can go here , here, and here.
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What Is The Difference Between Magnesium And Magnesium Glycinate
While there are many forms of magnesium available, we often prefer to use magnesium citrate and/or magnesium glycinate. Magnesium citrate is most helpful for people suffering from constipation, while the glycinate form is more useful for conditions like anxiety, insomnia, chronic stress, and inflammatory conditions.
The Best Type Of Magnesium Supplement For Stress Relief*
Magnesium supplements have relatively few side effects, so there isnt much risk in trying them out for stress relief.* You can take magnesium in the form of a powder, capsule, or liquid supplement.
Beware, though, that certain forms of magnesium, like magnesium sulfate and citrate, can give you diarrhea if you take too much at once. Magnesium glycinate , on the other hand, doesnt seem to cause digestive upsetand has the added bonus of promoting deeper, more restorative rest too.*
Are there any other safety concerns to worry about when taking magnesium glycinate? According to Singh, Those with kidney disease, heart disease, arrhythmias, and certain other conditions should, seek the advice and guidance of their medical doctors before taking a magnesium supplement to ensure that it is the right thing for them.
And as a general rule, you should always inform your doctor if youre going to be experimenting with any new supplements, herbs, or drastic lifestyle or dietary changes.
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Does Magnesium Treat Depression As Well As Ssris
Research suggests that magnesium reverses depressive symptoms in animal models as effectively as an SSRI . Whats more, co-administration of magnesium plus a serotonergic antidepressant medication appears to alleviate depressive symptoms to a greater extent than either as a standalone suggestive of a synergistic effect.
Reduces Tension Caused By Anxiety And Depression
As I briefly touched on above, lack of magnesium may lead to tense muscles.
Magnesium helps to relax these tight muscles, which is something most anxiety sufferers are familiar with.
In fact, it helps to relax them without you needing to do a damn thing!
When your muscles start to relax, you naturally start to feel a lot more chilled out.
For example, you may be reading this and holding tension in your body right now.
Go ahead, pay attention.
Are you holding tension in your jaw?
Go ahead and release it.
Feel that instant relief?
Now pay attention to any other areas of your body youre holding onto tension and let that shit go.
As I am writing this, I realized my shoulders are hunched up around my ears.
Why?
I couldnt tell you, but I am now aware of it and feeling better already with them lower and in their rightful place.
A few years ago when I began experience tension and tightness associated with anxiety, the first thing I did was rush off to the doctor to immediately get a prescription because I refused to feel that way!
Little did I know that Natures Valium was just waiting for me to discover it and when I did, what a difference it made
Magnesium doesnt just help to relax stubborn, unhappy muscles.
It helps to stop those twitches that may have had you booking in with a neurosurgeon in the past.
Once your muscles are no longer so tight, twitches gradually fade away so you dont have to worry about them so much anymore.
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Magnesium Dosage For Anxiety
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Controls Blood Sugar Levels
Controlling your blood sugar level and ensuring that it stays at the expected level is not the easiest thing. However, magnesium can help you do this. As stated earlier, magnesium can help prevent you from getting type 2 diabetes, so taking magnesium supplements or food rich in magnesium can make a significant difference.
Basically, magnesium aids in breaking down sugar, meaning that insulin resistance will be decreased.
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How To Take Magnesium To Help With Sleep
The Institute of Medicine suggests a daily dietary intake of 310360 mg of magnesium for adult women and 400420 mg for adult men .
You can get magnesium through drinking water and eating foods such as green vegetables, nuts, cereals, meat, fish and fruit .
Very few studies have directly tested the effect of magnesium supplements on insomnia, making it hard to recommend specific amounts.
However, the aforementioned clinical trials used amounts in the range of 225500 mg. The upper limit considered safe from supplements is actually 350 mg per day, so avoid trying this higher dose without medical supervision .
Since its clear that magnesium deficiency can impair sleep, a good first step is to make sure youre getting adequate amounts from whole foods.
Summary:
There are no specific recommendations about how much magnesium to take to improve sleep. However, getting adequate amounts through diet could help.
Is Magnesium Better For Sleep Than Melatonin
Actually, magnesium and melatonin are addressing two different things in regard to sleep. Magnesium can help with relaxing and calming your body, while melatonin will directly lead to hormonal changes that can cause you to fall asleep, says Avena.
Melatonin will more directly affect your sleep and likely have a stronger affect on sleep habits compared to magnesium, which will mainly just help relax you before bed. It may be best to try magnesium first to help calm you before you rest at night, Avena says. And if you find that it doesn’t do the trick, then consider trying melatonin.
The bottom line: Magnesium supplement may help you relax if you’re having a hard time calming down at bedtime, says Dr. Winter, but you can get enough via your diet. And if falling asleep at night is a chronic issue, it’s time to check in with your doc.
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Types Of Magnesium Supplements
- Chelated Magnesium: A general term used to describe magnesium bound to a negatively charged molecule which keeps it from being destroyed in the body causing high absorption in small intestines
- Magnesium Malate: Absorbed easily, energy promotion, fibromyalgia
- Magnesium Taurate: Absorbed easily, heart health, calming and stress-reducing
- Magnesium Glycinate: Absorbed easily, gentle on the stomach, and good for anxiety and depression
- Magnesium Citrate: Absorbed easily, generally used as a mild laxative
- Magnesium Lactate: Absorbed easily, used to help treat magnesium deficiency
- Magnesium Chloride: Absorbed easily, mental relaxation, mild laxative
- Magnesium Oxide: Poor absorption around 4%, inexpensive form of magnesium found in most multivitamins, not a good choice for anxiety relief
Barton Nutrition Easyrelief Magnesium
Easy Relief by Barton Nutrition is one of the most trustworthy sprays on the list. One reason we appreciate EasyRelief is the one-year money-back guarantee the supplement carries with it. Even after 365 days, the company offers a full money-back guarantee if you are not 100% satisfied. Made of pure magnesium chloride hexahydrate and water, EasyRelief is one of the safest on the list. It is said to be a simple way to curb the spells of diabetes.
Ingredients are sourced overseas near Israel in the Dead Sea. A significant difference between EasyRelief and other companies on the list is the way it is applied. Taking it orally is not only pointless but not recommended. To benefit from EasyRelief, a person must spray the supplement on themselves three times a day. This may seem somewhat inconvenient, but Barton Nutrition promises it is the most effective way to absorb the nutrient. It helps with Diabetes, energy levels, and relaxation, among other things.
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The Best Magnesium Supplements For Anxiety
When looking for a magnesium supplement, the kind of magnesium you choose matters a lot.
And the wrong magnesium can actually make you sick.
Choosing a good magnesium supplement can be very confusing since there are so many forms.
Here are some guidelines for picking the best magnesium supplement for you.
Magnesium Decreases Cortisol Levels
What the heck is cortisol, you ask?
Its your bodys stress hormone.
In small amounts it makes sense and is the bodys defense mechanism, but when it gets out of control, why not calm it down with some magnesium?
Not only does magnesium lower cortisol in the body, but it can also actually prevent it from entering the brain and contributing to anxiety! Thats badass.
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How To Deal With Anxiety
What is the key to dealing with anxiety? Answer: reduce your stress levels.
Now I know what you’re thinking: “Duh! Stress causes anxiety so I should reduce my stress. That doesn’t help at all. If I could reduce my stress don’t you think I wouldn’t have anxiety in the first place??”
Well, yes and no.
I strongly believe that we do have some control over the stressors in our life, and that there are things we can do to either remove them from our lives entirely or at least mitigate their affect on our well-being.
In short, you have more control over your stress than you may think.
Keep reading: I do address magnesium for anxiety but I want to set the stage first.
However,if you would rather see which magnesium helped my anxiety the most, .
Find Your Key Stressors
So what can you do? First you need to sit down and figure out what stresses you the most.
I’m a big fan of the 80/20 principle, which says that roughly 80% of an effect is the result of 20% of the causes.
In other words, if you have 10 stressors in your life, 80% of your anxiety is the result of only 2 of your stressors .
So make a list of your stressors and order them from top to bottom by how much stress they cause you, and according to the 80/20 principle the top 2 or 3 will be causing most of your anxiety.
This means you only need to focus on a couple stressors to see real results.
Once you know where to start, the second step is to work on reducing their affect on your life.
Eliminate What You Can