A Guide to Magnesium – Part 2: Magnesium ‘Magic’ – Lose Weight, Sleep Better, and Boost Your Mood
The benefits of magnesium is critical to your dental health. Many who show very obvious signs of magnesium deficiency quickly feel impressive effects after we correct the problem. When this simple nutrient deficiency is corrected, the benefits are felt all over the body.
Imagine not struggling with your weight, sleeping better at night, and feeling happier after increasing your magnesium intake through food or supplementation – these are some of the most common results I’ve seen from magnesium testing and correction.
In Part 2 of this series, I want to explain how magnesium could be the solution to some of your everyday problems. Remember, this important mineral is involved in over 600 enzymatic processes, so when you aren’t getting enough it can throw your whole body off. This can leave you struggling to maintain weight, sleep through the night or feeling anxious and depressed.
The most common symptoms of magnesium deficiency I see in my practice are:
- Unexplained weight gain or difficulty keeping weight off
- Difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep or both
- Daytime tiredness
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Nervousness
- Irritability or mood swings
The issue with many symptoms associated with magnesium deficiency is that they seem unrelated. Because magnesium deficiency affects every part of your body, low level symptoms can be widespread and confusing, or not severe enough to know something’s wrong. This is why I recommend nutrient testing. A simple blood test with your dentist or functional medicine doctor can tell you what important nutrients you’re missing.
It’s estimated that half of Americans don’t get enough magnesium – meaning magnesium is likely a solution to many people’s frustrating health problems. Let’s look at how increasing magnesium intake could improve your weight loss, sleep, and mood.
Magnesium helps weight loss
There’s no single pill that can improve weight loss but magnesium supplements can certainly help. Correcting a magnesium deficiency can help your body function more efficiently and help normalize metabolism.
Here’s a closer look at how magnesium affects your ability to maintain a healthy weight:
- Magnesium citrate helps you lose water and stool weight – Magnesium citrate is used as a stool softener to keep you regular. More importantly, it can help maintain healthy magnesium levels if you’re deficient, which improves hormone balance and increases energy production.
- Lowers insulin resistance – Magnesium has been shown in numerous studies to reduce insulin resistance. When your body becomes resistant to insulin it can’t keep up with the increased glucose in the bloodstream. This leads to weight gain, fatigue and other health complications.
- Boosts cellular energy – Magnesium is critical in the process that makes cellular energy within your mitochondria. Your cells have an energy currency called ATP that gives them the life they need to complete daily tasks. When you don’t have enough magnesium it lowers your ATP production, which makes you tired and lowers your metabolism.
Your body needs sufficient magnesium for it to function properly. If you’re magnesium deficient it could be contributing to your weight gain or preventing you from losing weight.
Magnesium helps you sleep better
If you struggle with getting to sleep at night or staying asleep, it’s quite possible you have a magnesium deficiency.
Magnesium helps you sleep because it impacts:
- Your circadian rhythm – Keeping you on schedule and releasing the right hormones at the right time of day.
- Hormone balance – Magnesium balances hormones associated with sleep such as melatonin and GABA.
- Sleep quality – Magnesium helps you stay asleep throughout the night. Studies have found that magnesium before bed can help you sleep throughout the night and when you’re magnesium deficient it impairs your sleep quality by making you restless.
Magnesium deficiency can also keep you awake with racing thoughts because it’s known to cause nervousness and anxiety.
Magnesium improves your mood
Magnesium is important for balancing many hormones associated with your mood. Many studies have linked magnesium deficiency to an increased risk of depression and anxiety.
A review of 8,894 American adults found that low magnesium levels increased the risk of depression by 22 percent. Additionally, research has found that adding magnesium supplementation to depression treatment plans is effective and naturally beneficial for the patient.
In addition to depression, magnesium deficiency also has been shown to increase anxiety, nervousness and racing thoughts. Magnesium directly impacts numerous neurotransmitters and hormones associated with stress, including cortisol, GABA, and melatonin. Studies have even found magnesium to be effective in reducing panic attacks.
Magnesium is one of the few nutrients that is actually able to cross the blood-brain barrier in certain forms and can improve neuroplasticity. Due to it’s impact on neuroplasticity, magnesium supplements are powerful and effective for influencing your mood.
Check your magnesium levels
Magnesium is a quick and impactful way to improve your day-to-day life.
In Part 3 of this series we’ll examine how you can get more magnesium in your diet naturally. We’ll also look at the different forms of magnesium supplements available. There are certain types of magnesium supplement which are beneficial for different health goals, so it’s important you understand your options. Also, we will look at magnesium toxicity and overdose because it is possible to take too much magnesium.
Do you take magnesium supplements? If so, share your experience in the comments below. We’re curious – in what areas of your life did you see the biggest impact from correcting your magnesium deficiency?
Continue to Magnesium Supplementation.
For more information on Dr. Lin’s clinical protocol that highlights the steps parents can take to prevent dental problems in their children: Click here.
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Resources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23969766
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22364157
http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/early/2013/09/23/dc13-1397.short
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17229895
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12030424
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18799816
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23853635
9 Responses
constantly i used to read smaller articles that as well clear their motive, and that is also happening with this piece of writing which I am reading at this place.|
I have tingling lower legs at night – feels like ants running up and down inside the muscles. The only thing that fixes this is regular magnesium supplementation.
Thanks for sharing, Magnesium is a critical component for muscle contraction.
YES! I too have that sensation of something crawling up inside my legs!! Such a relief to hear that someone else has it too. I presumed it was magnesium related but I was only guessing! It only started since I have been following Keto diet for the last 4 months. Besides trying to get enough from diet what are the best supplementation to take. I have a powdered version but it’s hard getting the right balance because I find it can cause diaorrhea.
Dear Doctor,
I am suffering from anxiety and panic attacks. Could you please suggest me the test which shows me the magnesium deficiency ( I am from India, Chennai)
Hi Lakshminarayanan,
Thanks for reaching out! For Magnesium testing, please go through the link: https://www.drstevenlin.com/know-about-magnesium-supplements/
Hope this helps.
Chelsea
Community Manager
http://www.drstevenlin.com
Hi,
I have been having lighter, less restful sleep for years since I went low carb, and hit has been getting worse and worse. I was supplementing with magnesium and potassium, and a few others. The insomnia had started affecting my daily life, and my mood.
Then a few weeks ago I tried magnesium oil on my legs at night – and had the best night’s sleep I can remember. Woke up feeling rested for the first time in months. Now I have a good night’s sleep every night, and I never want to be without the oil. I’m also hoping that my weight loss stall will break, but it is too early to know.
I suffer from GAD and my doctor suggested I include magnesium supplements to my treatment. I noticed a significant improvement in my sleep pattern and in my moods. my only worry is am unable to manage my weight. I have added like 20 pounds in the past 2 years.
so i am 4 months pp with my third child. i believe that with my second child i was lacking magnesiam badly. i didnt know it until a couple years later. while i was pregnant with my second i was extremely moody, not happy ar all, i had restless leg syndrome . i was pretty well moody until i stopped nursing. so about two or three years later i started taking mg suppliments cause i was told that restless leg syndrome was a sign of defficency . my obgyn had also told me that i was hormonally unbalance,because my menistral cycle has always been messed up, she said it would fix itself or i could go on birth control. i didnt like birth control idea. after i had my second i worked so so hard to try to lose weight and couldnt. so i instanly start feeling sane again after taking magnesium. i took it the entire time i was pregnant with my third and ny mood was waesome i had an all natural delivery my contractions were much more barable than my second. so today im nursing and exercising and i believe my body is demanding more. i can certainly tell when i havnt had it. i ran out of it for two weeks and my mood was terrible my dat to day tasks over whelmed me i was so so fatigued i couldnt think like my brain was clogged. finally i was so tired and doggy i took three magnesiums calcium zinc and the next morning my mood wash heald. i tell everyone about it. but now im truing to find out what dose i should take.