Magnesium has many benefits throughout all the body’s vital functions. From nerves to cells to muscles, magnesium is hard at work regulating and promoting proper function. 

Helps  Increase  Energy 

Magnesium is used to create energy. This means that without enough magnesium, you don’t have the energy you need and can suffer from fatigue more easily. Inadequate magnesium intake also means you tire more quickly and need a higher level of oxygen during exercise.

Calms  Nerves & Anxiety 

Magnesium is vital  for GABA  function, an inhibitory neurotransmitter that produces “happy hormones” like serotonin. Certain hormones regulated by magnesium are crucial for calming the brain and promoting relaxation, which is one reason why magnesium deficiency can lead to sleeplessness or  insomnia.

Treats  Insomnia  & Helps  You  Fall  Asleep

Magnesium can help quiet a racing mind and make it easier to get a good night’s sleep.  Magnesium can assist you to increase you sleeping time, make it easier to fall asleep, help to increase melatonin (our sleeping hormone) and lowering our cortisol levels which are associated with stress.

Helps  With Digestion  by  Relieving  Constipation

Low levels of magnesium in the body is associated with constipation. Magnesium helps to relax muscles within the digestive tract,  including the intestinal wall, which controls your ability to go to  the bathroom. Magnesium helps neutralise stomach acid and moves stool through the intestines, having adequate magnesium is a natural way to help you go!

Relieves  Muscle  Aches  and  Spasms

Magnesium has an important role in neuromuscular signals and muscle contractions. When you don’t acquire enough magnesium, your muscles can actually go into spasms. Magnesium helps muscles to  relax and contract,  and also enables you  to move  around.  Additionally, magnesium balances calcium within the body, which is important because overly high doses of calcium, usually from supplements,  can cause problems  associated with muscle control including controlling the heart. While calcium is often taken in high quantities, magnesium usually is not at adequate levels. This can result in the potential for intense muscle pains, weakness, cramps, contractions and weakness.

Regulates  Levels  of Calcium,  Potassium  and Sodium

Together with other electrolytes, magnesium regulates diverse biochemical reactions in the body. Magnesium plays  a role in the active transport of calcium and potassium ions  across  cell  membranes. This makes magnesium vital  to nerve  impulse conductions, muscle contractions and normal heart rhythms.

Important for Heart Health

Magnesium is very important for heart health. The highest amount of magnesium within the  whole body is in the heart. Magnesium works with calcium to support proper blood pressure levels and prevent hypertension. Without proper balance of magnesium to other minerals like calcium, a heart attack can even occur due to severe muscle spasms.

Prevents  Migraine  Headaches

Because  magnesium is involved in neurotransmitter  function and  blood circulation, it can help control migraine headache pain by releasing reducing hormones and constriction of the blood vessels that raises blood pressure. Several  studies show  that when sufferers of migraines increase magnesium, their symptoms improve.

Helps  Prevent Osteoporosis

Magnesium is needed for proper bone formation and influences the activities of osteoblasts and osteoclasts that build healthy bone density. Magnesium also plays a role in balancing blood concentrations of vitamin D, which is a major regulator of bone homeostasis. A higher magnesium intake correlates with increased bone mineral density in both men and women according to several studies.

Written by

Jenny Charlesworth – Nutritionist

GradDip Hum Nutr