Magnesium and Your Health: How Are They Connected?

What Is Magnesium?

Although essential, many overlook magnesium as a nutrient. Magnesium regulates blood pressure, blood sugar levels, and muscle and nerve functions.

Aside from this, a healthy magnesium intake can help prevent chronic illnesses. It may reduce your risks of cardiovascular disease, stroke, or diabetes. Despite its significance, many people suffer from magnesium efficiency or hypomagnesemia.

You can get magnesium from foods, such as fruits and vegetables, and supplements. However, research claims that 90% of adults don't get enough magnesium from their produce. This is why many adults may suffer from magnesium deficiency without realizing it.

What Does Magnesium Do For You?

Magnesium-rich foods and supplements help maintain your health and body functions. Here are some of the greatest benefits of taking magnesium.

Supports Heart Health

Do you often suffer from shortness of breath or palpitations? Your body needs enough magnesium to maintain muscle health. The heart is a muscle that needs magnesium to stay strong and healthy.

Consuming magnesium boosts your body's ability to produce nitric oxide. Nitric oxide relaxes the blood vessels and soothes the muscles. As your body produces more nitric oxide, your heartbeat becomes more stable.

Magnesium helps keep your blood pressure low and your breathing even. Without this mineral, the calcium can overstimulate the muscle cells. When this happens, you can suffer from irregular heartbeat or arrhythmia.

Maintains a Healthy Blood Sugar Level

Magnesium can help manage diabetes and ease its symptoms.

Like magnesium, calcium supports different body functions. Although both are essential minerals, they have opposite effects. That's why it's crucial to have a healthy balance of calcium and magnesium.

A high blood sugar level denotes a high calcium level. In this case, insulin production decreases, and glucose increases.

Magnesium does the opposite to your blood sugar level. It stabilizes insulin levels, controlling glucose. Instead of staying in your blood, the sugar enters the cells to energize them.

Helps Ease Migraines

Many professionals link magnesium deficiency as a cause of migraine. It influences neurotransmitters and limits blood vessel constriction associated with migraines.

To ease painful migraines, doctors infuse magnesium into patients. This often gives more effective and faster results than a common medication.

Alleviates Depression

One of the benefits of taking magnesium is it alleviates depression.

Remember, magnesium and calcium support body processes, including nerve functions. These minerals send signals from your brain to the body.

Disproportionate amounts of these minerals can affect how the brain works. For instance, excessive calcium can cause confusion and fatigue in a person. As a result, it triggers anxiety and depression.

In this case, getting enough magnesium to even out the mineral levels is necessary.

Improves Sleep

Are you suffering from sleep deprivation? Although only a few research backs it, many suggest that magnesium can help you sleep. Magnesium regulates several neurotransmitters, some of which can affect sleep.

One of them is gamma-aminobutyric acid. Aside from controlling anxiety, this produces a calming effect on the body. GABA reduces the ability of the neurons to create, send, or receive messages to other neurons.

GABA encourages the muscles to relax, giving the body quality sleep. If you have insomnia, try increasing your magnesium intake.

3. Magnesium Intake

Magnesium can improve your quality of life, but too much can be bad for you. Excessive amounts of magnesium in your body can cause diarrhea, abdominal cramping, and a rapid heartbeat. So, how much magnesium should you take?

Magnesium intake depends on your age and gender. Men aged 19 to 51 should consume 400 to 420 mg per day. Women ages 19 to 51 need 310 to 320 of magnesium intake per day.

A pregnant woman's average magnesium intake ranges from 350 to 360 mg daily. Adults over 51 should try to reach the upper limit of the recommended dosage based on gender.

You can skip a day if your magnesium level is good. Consuming magnesium is only necessary when you become deficient. Other symptoms of magnesium deficiency in adults include muscle spasms, insomnia, and fatigue.

Sources of Magnesium

The body cannot produce magnesium on its own. With this, you need external sources to support your needs. The following are great sources of magnesium.

Nuts

Nuts contain high magnesium levels, making them a great choice to add to your diet. Some are peanuts, cashews, chia seeds, and pumpkin seeds. Brazil nuts offer the highest magnesium content.

Meat

When it comes to meat, you have many options. You can choose from chicken breast, ground pork, ground beef, turkey, or sausage. You can have anchovy, clams, shrimp, and canned tuna for seafood.

Most offer magnesium ranging from 1.3 mg to 10 mg. Choose turkey, chicken breast, or crab meat if you want higher consumption. These meats have 40 mg to 100 mg of magnesium, depending on the measurement.

Fruits and Vegetables

Magnesium-dense fruits include bananas, tamarind, and avocado. For vegetables, you have spinach, okra, and broccoli.

Supplement

If you want to increase your intake, consider a magnesium supplement. Consult your doctor to find out the best supplement and dosage for you. Your health provider can help you understand the side effects of the supplements.

There are different types of magnesium supplements targeting specific problems. You can take magnesium glycinate to ease the pain if you suffer from muscle cramps. When you suffer from constipation, use magnesium citrate.

What Are the Benefits of Taking Magnesium to the Body?

A balanced magnesium intake is crucial for normal metabolic processes. It can improve your health in different ways. To enjoy the benefits of taking magnesium, take enough as prescribed or recommended.