Help Get Better Sleep With Magnesium
Trouble Sleeping?
You may be one of half of the American population that suffers from insomnia. However, before you go jumping from one supplement to the other, there are a few things to consider. Magnesium is a vital mineral for a wide variety of different bodily functions – sometimes magnesium deficiency can even lead to real function disorders that attack mental and physical health, like damage to the nervous system and eventually, chronic insomnia. Not a very easy pickle to get one’s self out of after you let it go too far.
Can Nutrition Help Get Better Sleep?
An excellent place to start would be with your diet. Naturally, one’s body doesn’t produce magnesium by itself, so it is up to us to ensure we consume the appropriate amount daily. Just changing your diet could drastically impact your body’s functionality, by regulating your magnesium intake, you can promote things like healthy levels of blood sugar, maintaining control on your insulin and help keep those nasty sugar cravings under control – luckily chocolate, amongst other foods, is very rich in magnesium.
Magnesium Rich Foods:
- Almonds
- Avocado
- Black beans
- Brown rice
- Cashews
- Edamame
- Kidney beans
- Oatmeal
- Peanut butter
- Potato with skin
- Pumpkin
- Raisins
- Spinach
- Sunflower seeds
According to recent studies, more than half of the American population is severely magnesium deficient due to many contributing factors caused merely by the American culture. Generally, women and the elderly would be more prone to magnesium deficiency. However, due to the amount of meat, soda, and sugar, the American population consumes – unfortunately, citizens from all walks of life are at risk. The consumption of high carbohydrate foods, like sweets, make the body crave magnesium and vitamin B6. Ultimately this interrupts the process of magnesium absorption during the day.
A drastic change from your every day, carbohydrate-rich diet to a magnesium filled meal plan can also combat things like anxiety and depression that cause insomnia by upping your energy levels and battling fatigue. Phosphates in large amounts of meat also wholly impair the body from absorbing magnesium through nutrients. In this case, a lavender oil lotion is also an excellent option as the skin will till absorb magnesium well.
Sleep Patterns
Most often than not, your sleep patterns and how tired you are at the end of the day is governed by your day to day activities. This concept is a total catch 22 as a good night’s sleep can lead to a busy and productive next day, the productivity of the day will wear you down enough to be tired enough to get proper rest, and so on. Of course, when you have a terrible night’s sleep full of tossing and turning, your next day will be far less productive than it would’ve been and by the time you are ready to go to sleep, your brain and body is still too awake and active to shut down.
The neurotransmitter called GABA gives the brain’s ability to shut down when you are getting ready to sleep when there is a magnesium deficiency in the body, that neurotransmitter loses proper functionality and makes us unable to successfully shut down our brains for us to go to sleep. Losing sleep or not getting enough sleep can be very harmful to our physical and mental health, causing things like low stamina during the day, mood swings, muscle spasms, and minimal brain functionality. Most of us lose sleep due to stress, although none of us can change the pressure of healthy life magnesium can also help regulate cortisol, the “stress hormone.” This regulation allows us a more peaceful night’s sleep with fewer worries and better ways of dealing with it.
Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS)
A familiar foe of a decent night’s sleep is Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS), a disorder of the nervous system that causes the insatiable urge to move one’s legs. No, this does not make for a very peaceful night. The good news is that this can also be treated by taking slow-release magnesium supplements and treating yourself to a nice, warm soak in a hot bath of Epsom salts. Your body will absorb the Epson salts through your pores, and the magnesium is released into the muscle tissue and nerves, calming RLS and relaxes the rest of your muscles before bed, reducing the risk of muscle tension while you sleep – you’ll never wake up stiff again!
How To Take Magnesium
Knowing when and how to take magnesium is a vital part of how effective it can be as there are some disadvantages to taking too much. An overdose on any magnesium supplement can lead to terrible side effects like abdominal cramps, nausea, and diarrhea. To bypass these effects avoid supplements like magnesium sulfate, magnesium carbonate, and magnesium oxide as they take very long to absorb into the body. Keeping your magnesium intake at about 300mg a day, from your diet and supplements, provides the best result in the way of sleep. It also helps to take magnesium in the morning instead of at night. It supports to treat your body’s micronutrients without affecting your neuro-chemicals while you’re asleep.
Final Words
These are secrets to fighting insomnia. Exercise often to keep your body active enough to get tired. Consume as many dark leafy green vegetables as you can. (its never a bad idea, anyway!) Also, never hesitate to speak to your General Practitioner or pharmacist about taking the proper supplement. Your GP can help in making sure you pinpoint your dosage and stick to it. Many different things cause insomnia; therefore, we must change many different things to rectify it before it becomes potentially life-threatening. It is so crucial for us all to look after our bodies, and sleep is one of the main contributing factors. Without a good night’s sleep, nearly anyone can turn into an unproductive, moody mess.
For a better quality of life, keep a close monitor on your magnesium levels. Insomnia is something you can control, and it is something we no longer have to suffer living with it.