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Every organ in the body, especially the heart, muscles, and kidneys need the mineral magnesium. It is the fourth common mineral in the body after calcium, potassium, and sodium, but contributes to a wide range of processes, including muscle and nerve function, controlling blood sugar levels, and maintaining healthy blood pressure. Magnesium also helps the body use other nutrients such as vitamin D.
Like many other important nutrients, magnesium deficiency can put you at risk of developing several health complications. Are you also deficient in magnesium? Want to find out if you are? Well, the signs of magnesium deficiency can be subtle at first, and may be mistaken as symptoms of other common conditions. But we are revealing the major symptoms of magnesium deficiency that can help you find out, if you’re magnesium deficient.
Here are 7 huge signs of magnesium deficiency:
1. Muscle cramps and spasms
Magnesium is an electrolyte that plays a huge role in supporting your muscles. It helps to regulate your muscles and nerve function by carrying potassium and calcium across your cells. Not having enough magnesium can result in awful twitching, spasms, and painful cramping.
2. Fatigue
There are a million reasons why you could be chronically tired, but your diet does make a major impact as well. Low energy levels, fatigue, and weakness are common symptoms of magnesium deficiency. Since this mineral plays a crucial role in proper muscle functioning, we need it also because it has a role in helping our body convert food into energy.
3. Insomnia
If you suffer from sleepless nights, you may be low in magnesium. It happens because the low levels of magnesium can leave you feeling fatigued, and that means you’re not going to sleep well. Studies show magnesium supplementation can improve sleep duration and the quality of sleep, because it helps in the functioning of GABA receptors in the brain. GABA is the neurotransmitter that allows the brain to transition to a restful state.
4. Stress and anxiety
Too little magnesium in your diet could be leaving you with racing thoughts and worries that might promote anxiety and stress levels. During stress, your body will need more magnesium than usual, and if you’re already low, stress can exacerbate the problem.
5. Headache and migraine
Migraines can be debilitating. According to the American Migraine Foundation, magnesium may play a role in neurotransmitters that help control or block pain. And not getting enough magnesium can mess with the release of neurotransmitters in your body and the constriction of blood cells, two factors that may promote headaches and migraines.
6. Osteoporosis
Over time, low magnesium can weaken your bones and weak bones increase the risk of osteoporosis and bone fracture. But getting enough magnesium can help in more ways than one. Adequate magnesium intake is associated with higher bone mineral density and can prevent hypocalcemia as well.
7. Heart problems
If you’re not getting enough magnesium, your body won’t be able to regulate your blood pressure and heartbeats properly. Magnesium is a heart health all-star that helps to manage blood pressure, blood sugar, insulin level, and irregular heartbeat.
A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that a diet rich in magnesium may reduce the risk of a stroke by 8 percent, because it is effective on heart diseases.
Here’s how to manage low magnesium
To manage your recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of magnesium, the best way is to consume oral magnesium supplements and increase intake of dietary magnesium. You can eat foods such as green vegetables like spinach, fruits like avocado, and legumes, rice, yogurt, nuts especially almonds, cashew, peanuts, potatoes.
When magnesium deficiency is severe, it can lead to life-threatening complications such as seizure, cardiac arrhythmias, coronary artery vasospasm, and even sudden death. But magnesium deficiency is actually quite simple for the body to resolve with the right form of magnesium, so increase your intake of magnesium-rich foods and put all the complications at bay that are caused by magnesium deficiency.
