Magnesium helps keep your heart, immune system, and muscles function properly. Unfortunately, population studies on average magnesium intake suggests that 70% of adults living in the United States do not meet the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for magnesium. The worst part is that there is a huge chance that you belong to that number. How can you know whether you’re getting enough magnesium on daily basis, though? We have compiled here seven signs that say your body is not getting enough of this nutrient.
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You Always Get Muscle Cramps and or Spasms
A muscle cramp is a forcibly contracted muscle that is usually a result of muscle spasm. If you have had one of these, you know for sure how terrible they can be; there is just no pain that can compare to what having a tight calf in the middle of the night can bring. There are several reasons that you can get cramps, but one of the main causes is magnesium deficiency. Magnesium plays a huge role in making sure the muscles perform correctly. It acts as a filter for calcium, too. When there is a rush of calcium into the nerve cells, it results to over-contraction of the muscles, which leads to muscle spasms, cramps, or fatigue. If you constantly experience muscle cramps, there’s a huge chance you are not getting enough magnesium.
You Have Trouble Sleeping at Night
Magnesium plays a very important role on how your central nervous system operates. If you’re not getting enough magnesium, you may experience several sleep problems, including insomnia. Magnesium keeps the GABA receptors in your brain and nervous system function properly. GABA is a neurotransmitter that promotes calmness and relaxation and is the switch our brain uses to sleep. Without it, our thoughts will constantly race and it would be impossible for us to fall asleep.
You Have an Unusual Craving for Chocolates
Most people have a genuine craving for chocolates, but if you don’t consider yourself a chocolate lover and you suddenly developed a hankering for dark chocolate, there’s a huge chance your body is asking for more magnesium.
You Feel Anxious All the Time
Anxiety is an early symptom of magnesium deficiency, since magnesium is critical in the proper functioning of the central nervous system. If you are feeling more anxious and are experiencing it more often than usual, it could be a sign that you are in need of more magnesium. Taking at least 200mg of magnesium daily may help relieve the symptoms, since magnesium is considered as the most potent relaxation mineral.
You Experience Irregular Heartbeats
Magnesium is a prerequisite to having a healthy heart rhythm. It is involved in the transporting of electrolytes, such as potassium and calcium, into the cells, which is crucial to never health and to the proper contraction of the heart muscles. According to research, magnesium deficiency is one of the major factors related to an increase in irregular heartbeats, or more commonly known as arrhythmias.
You Have High Blood Pressure
If you are experiencing constant high blood pressure even though you are following a healthy lifestyle, exercising regularly and eating healthy foods, there’s a big possibility that magnesium is the answer to the mystery. Magnesium helps keep the blood vessels relax and dilate, so when your body is low in magnesium, your blood vessels have a higher chance to constrict, resulting to high blood pressure.
You Are Having a Hard Time Moving Waste
Experiencing constipation on a regular basis is another sign that you are not getting enough magnesium. Again, magnesium helps in the relaxation of nerves and muscles, so when there is a lack of magnesium, the intestines may contract, making it difficult for stool to move. On the other hand, when there is an adequate amount of magnesium, passing stool is easier, since magnesium helps relax the bowel and soften the stool.
Magnesium is a mineral that’s both essential and crucial to maintaining normal muscle, nerve, and immune system function. It also plays a huge factor in the proper development of the bones. As mentioned above, a deficiency in magnesium can lead to muscle cramps, high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, and sleep disorders. It can also cause diabetes, anxiety disorders, osteoporosis, and even cerebral infarction. In order to get enough magnesium and avoid the health issues caused by the lack of it, make it a habit of consuming magnesium-rich foods, including dark green leafy vegetables, nuts and seeds, whole grain, beans, bananas, avocados, and fish.
Magnificent Magnesium: Your Essential Key to a Healthy Heart & More