How Magnesium Can Help With Your Insomnia
Posted by: Regenerate Medical Concierge in Learn
Few things have such a hugely negative effect upon your life and health as poor sleep. Just one night of bad sleep makes you feel groggy and unfocused, so it’s not hard to see why insomnia is such bad news.
Plenty of things can cause insomnia but the connection between magnesium and sleep is often missed. This is an essential mineral and yet half of Americans don’t get enough magnesium.
Magnesium doesn’t just play a role in helping you get enough good quality sleep. It also helps boost your vitamin D levels, keeps your bones strong, and even reduces your risk of diabetes. Not bad for a single mineral.
It’s one of the most important minerals for your health yet one you may well be deficient in, so it’s vital to check your magnesium levels. Keep reading to discover how a magnesium deficiency could be responsible for your insomnia.
What Is Insomnia?
Insomnia is a disorder that plagues many people around the world and has sweeping effects on their lives. Insomniacs struggle to fall asleep and often wake up again in the night, unable to get back to sleep.
If you suffer from insomnia, you’re likely to feel tired when waking and have restless nights. There are two types of insomnia, primary and secondary.
Primary insomnia is when insomnia isn’t linked to another health problem. Secondary insomnia is when your insomnia is a result or symptom of another health issue.
Insomnia can come and go with sufferers experiencing it in short bursts or for longer periods of time. No matter how often you experience insomnia, it can cause exhaustion, stress, difficulty focusing, and other health issues.
If you’re struggling to find the cause of your insomnia, it might be time to look at your diet.
Common Causes of Insomnia
Anything that prevents you from sleeping can be a cause of insomnia, whether it’s internal or external.
External causes might be light pollution, uncomfortable room temperature, or excess noise. When these disrupt your sleep on a regular basis, you might find it harder and harder to get a good night’s rest.
Internal causes are more varied and can be difficult to spot. Some medications cause difficulty sleeping as can certain health conditions and illnesses. Stress is a common reason for insomnia, so managing your stress levels can do wonders for your sleep.
The best way to ensure you get high-quality sleep is to stay as healthy as possible. This is why looking at your diet and nutrient levels is a great place to start.
Magnesium Deficiency
Magnesium is one of the most abundant minerals in the body but we can’t make it ourselves. That means it’s crucial we get enough in our diets to ensure our bodies function correctly.
Due to the Western diet moving away from natural foods and towards more processed, highly-refined sugary foods, our magnesium levels are dropping. With so many Americans deficient, lots of people are suffering from symptoms of magnesium deficiency without knowing it.
Magnesium does a lot in our bodies and deficiency can increase our risk of many health conditions. It’s essential for the correct functioning of the cardiovascular system and a deficiency may raise your risk of heart diseases.
A deficiency can also increase your risk of anxiety, type 2 diabetes, weak bones, and other disease processes.
A symptom of magnesium deficiency is insomnia. With so many people not getting enough, could this be the reason you’re not sleeping well?
How Magnesium Prevents Insomnia
Magnesium has been shown to play a role in the regulation of sleep. It does this by controlling GABA, a neurotransmitter used for sleep. Not only does magnesium’s increase in GABA help you sleep better, but it also reduces anxiety.
Anxiety is a common cause of insomnia but the relaxing effects of GABA help diminish anxiety and ease you into sleep. In this way, magnesium has a doubly beneficial effect on your sleep quality.
Studies have shown that magnesium supplements helped the elderly improve their sleep quality and lessen their experience of insomnia indicators. By getting your magnesium levels back up to the level they should be, you might find going to sleep and staying asleep gets easier, fast.
Supplementing with Magnesium
Magnesium is taken as a supplement or booster shot because when you have an adequate level, you’ll have more energy and be in better health. To find out if your levels are low and could be contributing to your insomnia, you can get your nutrient levels checked professionally.
This quick and easy test will not only let you know if your magnesium levels need a boost, but will highlight other potential deficiencies too. Powered with this information, you can start getting your health back on track.
Research has consistently shown that women are more likely to have a magnesium deficiency than men. The story only gets worse for older women where magnesium deficiency is found in 84% of post-menopausal women with osteoporosis.
This means it’s vital for women to have their magnesium levels checked and supplement with magnesium to keep their levels optimal.
Magnesium is found in many healthy foods so ensuring you follow a whole food diet should help increase your levels. To be certain, you can get a magnesium booster shot. Provided by professional healthcare clinics, a magnesium shot guarantees your levels are up.
Magnesium and Sleep Are Closely Linked
When we have symptoms, it’s easy to jump to the worst conclusions. Much of the time though, we’re simply not looking after ourselves well enough and are feeling the repercussions.
Magnesium and sleep are so closely linked that if your diet is poor, you might be tossing and turning every night. Fill your diet with whole foods and vegetables and get your nutrient levels checked.
If you’re looking for professional testing and nutrient booster shots, get in touch with us. We’ll help you get to the bottom of your health issue and get your vitamin and mineral levels back up to where they should be.