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6 Reasons Why Magnesium is Good for Sleep

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Getting enough sleep boosts your immune system, promotes healthier relationships with the people around you, and helps you think clearly. If you have trouble getting a good night’s sleep and do not want to use sleep medication, you could consider investing in magnesium supplements. Read on for six reasons why magnesium is beneficial for sleep.

1. Regulates stress and anxiety

One of the signs you’re low on magnesium is experiencing stress and anxiety. High levels of stress and anxiety make it difficult to fall asleep, which is why you should consider taking magnesium supplements. Magnesium helps to keep sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems at equilibrium, which helps to make falling asleep easier.

The sympathetic nervous system keeps you in a heightened state of arousal, while the parasympathetic system slows down the heart rate and relaxes other body systems. 

2. Improves the restless leg syndrome

Restless leg syndrome is a condition characterized by an uncontrollable or uncomfortable urge to move your lower limbs. Some people describe restless leg syndrome as a feeling of needles and pins pricking the feet. The condition is more severe when one is resting or inactive, including when asleep.

To alleviate the feeling of being pricked with pins and needles, most people move their legs uncontrollably, making falling and staying asleep difficult. Unfortunately, there is no known cure for restless leg syndrome. However, while magnesium supplements will not treat the condition, they help the victims manage the symptoms, resulting in better sleep.

3. Magnesium maintains healthy GABA levels

If you often find yourself overthinking at night, consider taking magnesium supplements. One of the leading causes of deprived sleep at night is the inability to slow down your thinking. 

Gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) is an essential amino acid in the body that slows down the communication between the central nervous system and the brain, allowing you to relax and fall asleep quickly. Regular magnesium intake helps the body maintain healthy GABA levels, improving sleep quality.

4. Improves gut health and digestion

Low magnesium levels result in gut disturbance and poor digestion. You may experience constipation and heartburn, making sleeping difficult. It could also alter our gut flora, and you may end up feeling depressed, another cause of sleep deficiency. A high magnesium intake neutralizes stomach acids, alleviates constipation and heartburn, relaxes intestinal and stomach muscles, and promotes a healthy digestion tract, improving gut health and better sleep.

5. Mood and depression

Did you know that over 263 million people today suffer from depression? Depression and mood disorders lead to sleep impairment, resulting in restlessness and insomnia. Failing to sleep could also make you feel depressed. While magnesium supplements do not treat depression, they help improve and manage its symptoms, especially in younger adults.

6. Relaxes the body

A relaxed body increases the chances of a good night’s sleep. When calcium binds to muscle proteins, it causes them to contract, leading to reduced body relaxation and sleep. Magnesium supplements replace calcium, preventing it from binding with muscle proteins, increasing relaxation.

Endnote

Magnesium plays an essential role in improving the quality of your sleep. It regulates stress and anxiety, helps you manage symptoms of mood and depression and restless leg syndrome, enables you to relax, and enhances your gut health for a good night’s sleep.

Featured Image by Claudio_Scott from Pixabay