Is this common deficiency affecting you too?

Magnesium deficiency is incredibly common (some studies suggest that up to 80% of the population are not getting enough) for a range of dietary and lifestyle reasons.

If you're low on magnesium you're likely to feel tired but possibly also wired, stressed, tense and unable to relax.

You might be having trouble sleeping, be experiencing headaches, anxiety, depression, muscle cramps and restless legs.

You most likely crave sugar - especially chocolate!

Pre-menstrually, you're likely to experience mood swings, anxiety, depression, irritability, period pain and cramps or possibly heavy bleeding.

Or if you're menopausal, you'll likely be experiencing hot flushes, night sweats and irritability and migraines or frequent headaches.

So why are we all so low in magnesium?

Stress is one of the biggest culprits- when you're stressed, your body uses more magnesium to help your body combat the effects of stress. When you're low on magnesium your resilience to stress will be lower and you'll likely be more prone to feeling anxious or overwhelmed.

Why the chocolate cravings? Chocolate contains magnesium!
Other good food sources of magnesium are: leafy greens such as spinach, almonds, cashews, peanuts, soy beans/tofu edamame, avocado, black beans, kidney beans, banana, broccoli, potato, oats and brown rice.

Not all forms of magnesium are equal!
Magnesium supplements can effectively replenish magnesium stores during times of increased need but some forms are better than others. I generally recommend you stay away from magnesium oxide which is often found in cheaper magnesium supplements in supermarkets/pharmacies- this form of magnesium is poorly absorbed and draws water in to the bowel, hence it has historically been used as a laxative!

My preferred form of magnesium is a bisglycinate which tends to be better absorbed without causing digestive aggravation like some forms of magnesium can. Because the magnesium in this form is bound to a calming amino acid called glycine, it has additional calming affects on the nervous system, so is extra beneficial during stress.

Some other things which can increase your need for magnesium:

Hormonal changes of perimenopause or menopause
Your needs for magnesium tend to increase during the hormonal upheaval or swings of perimenopause- magnesium is one of the most important minerals for support during this phase of life!

Sugar consumption
When you eat sugar ( or consume it in drinks or as alcohol), magnesium is required to help your body process it. This increases your need for magnesium. The more sugar in your diet, the more magnesium your body will need to offset the effects of the sugar.

Vitamin D supplementation
In order to absorb and utilise vitamin D you need to have adequate magnesium levels. Sometimes where vitamin D is consistently low despite supplementation, there may also be a magnesium deficiency involved. Supplementing with high doses of vitamin D may also lead to magnesium depletion.

Caffeine Intake -Caffeine intake increases excretion of magnesium.

Sweating such as through exercise, also increases magnesium loss and magnesium is also required to replenish muscle cells post exercise. Regular muscular soreness,muscle fatigue or muscle 'heaviness' following exercise can indicate low magnesium.

Whilst magnesium can be tested via a blood test, just like with calcium, testing blood levels is not necessarily the most accurate way to assess your magnesium levels. Again, I favour hair mineral analysis because the hair gives us an indication of your stored magnesium levels as well as allowing us to see the balance of your other minerals and factors which might influence your magnesium needs and utilisation including your nervous system tendencies and adrenal function.

Interested in what your hair says about your body's magnesium and overall and mineral balance? The hair test is $175 and referral and sample collection details can be discussed within a regular naturopathic consultation which can be booked here:

For New clients (or return clients who haven't had an appointment in the past 18months):
https://blossomwellbeing.as.me/initial-consultation

For current or returning clients:
https://blossomwellbeing.as.me/?appointmentType=2667879

Or if you're not needing a full consultation at the moment and just want to discuss and arrange the hair test referral and sample collection details a short 15min appointment can be booked here:
https://blossomwellbeing.as.me/acute-phone-consultation (for current or returning clients)