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Magnesium is an essential mineral that plays a crucial role in over 300 biochemical reactions in the body. It is a vital nutrient required for muscle contraction, nerve function, and maintaining bone density, among many other critical functions affecting energy, mood, mental status and immunity.
Identifying Magnesium Deficiency: Signs and Symptoms to Watch Out For
Magnesium deficiency can have noticeable effects on the body, but it can be challenging to determine if the symptoms are due to a lack of magnesium. Here are some common signs and symptoms to watch out for:
Muscle cramps, particularly in the thighs, calves, or toes
Twitching in the facial muscles or eyelids
Tension in the neck, shoulder, or back areas
Increased sensitivity to stress
Poor quality of sleep
Restlessness and nervousness
Magnesium is a mighty mineral that plays a crucial role in maintaining our overall health and well-being. Ensuring that we consume enough magnesium through our diet or supplementation can prevent a deficiency and reduce the risk of several physical and mental health issues.
The Relationship of Magnesium & Stress
Does stress cause magnesium deficiency or is it the other way around that Magnesium deficiency causes stress?
Numerous studies, both in pre-clinical and clinical settings, have investigated the interaction of magnesium with key mediators of the physiological stress response, and demonstrated that magnesium plays an inhibitory key role in the regulation and neurotransmission of the normal stress response. Furthermore, low magnesium status has been reported in several studies assessing nutritional aspects in subjects suffering from psychological stress or associated symptoms.
This overlap in the results suggests that stress could increase magnesium loss, causing a deficiency; and in turn, magnesium deficiency could enhance the body’s susceptibility to stress, resulting in a magnesium and stress vicious circle.
Common Symptoms of Stress * | Symptoms of Magnesium Deficiency* |
Fatigue | Tiredness |
Irritability or anger | Irritability |
Feeling nervous | Mild anxiety/nervousness |
Lack of energy | Muscle weakness |
Upset stomach | Gastrointestinal spasms |
Muscle tension | Muscle cramps |
Headache | Headache |
Sadness/depression | Mild sleep disorders |
Chest pain/hyperventilation | Nausea/vomiting |
Conclusion
Although short-term stress can be managed naturally, prolonged periods of stress can lead to a sustained magnesium deficit in the body. The vicious cycle of stress and magnesium deficiency can cause stress to be inadequately compensated, leading to further depletion of magnesium.
Breaking this cycle requires an increase in magnesium intake. Magnesium not only helps remove excess stress hormones from the body, but it also promotes relaxation and reduces anxiety. So, if you're feeling stressed, it's essential to ensure that you're getting enough magnesium in your diet or through supplementation.
Stress can deplete our magnesium levels, and magnesium deficiency can, in turn, make it harder for us to cope with stress. Therefore, it's crucial to prioritize our magnesium intake and take proactive steps to manage stress to maintain our overall health and well-being.
It is important to observe the first warning signals. If you experience repeated tension or calf cramps, you should seriously consider the possibility of magnesium deficiency
Study: Magnesium brightens the mood
A recent study published in the British Journal of Nutrition now shows how important a good supply of magnesium is for our well-being.
For the current study, scientists interviewed over 3,000 adults aged between 18 and 55 years about their eating habits and then compared their magnesium intake with their psychological well-being. Women with a high magnesium intake were less likely to suffer from anxiety. In women with a magnesium deficiency, on the other hand, anxiety was more frequent. In addition, a further correlation between magnesium intake and mood became apparent in the group of normal-weight men and in that of overweight women: the more magnesium was taken, the less often the participants of these two groups were out of sorts. This result can probably be attributed to the role of magnesium in certain metabolic reactions such as the production of the body's own “happiness hormone” – serotonin. A sufficient supply of magnesium thus also supports our psyche.
Biogena 7-Salt Magnesium – a good mix of seven magnesium compounds
With seven magnesium compounds, this supplement has a capsule with an ideal mixture of various soluble and magnesium-rich compounds.
This provides a good magnesium supply – regardless of the pH situation in the gastrointestinal tract.
Studies suggest adequate magnesium intake can calm stress, improve mood and enhance sleep. Here’s how it works:
Stress and anxiety: Magnesium plays an important role in regulating the body’s response to stress. Chronic physical or mental stress depletes your body of magnesium, and low magnesium levels intensify stress — creating a vicious cycle. Magnesium modulates activity of the body’s stress-response system, and studies suggest increasing magnesium intake may reduce anxiety, ease stress and minimize the response to fear.
Mood and depression: Magnesium is important for many of the pathways, enzymes, hormones and neurotransmitters involved in mood regulation; it’s also associated with inflammation, known to play a part in symptoms of depression. Studies link low magnesium intake with a higher risk for depression and suggest that increasing magnesium can significantly improve symptoms of depression and anxiety — in some cases, as effectively as an antidepressant drug.
Sleep: Magnesium interacts with GABA, a neurotransmitter that reduces the activity of neurons in the brain, quieting and calming the nervous system and encouraging sleep. It also impacts melatonin, the hormone that influences the body’s sleep-wake cycles, and relaxes muscles to induce deeper sleep. Studies suggest magnesium improves total sleep time and quality and shortens the time it takes to fall asleep.
Magnesium as a nutritional supplement
Magnesium is available in various dosage forms. Products that are produced according to the pure substance principle (mostly capsule products) achieve the best tolerability here. This is because only they guarantee that unnecessary excipients and additives have been dispensed with in the specific magnesium preparation. This "less-is-more principle" is also helpful when it comes to the bioavailability (= absorbency) of the mineral, because additives can hinder the intake of magnesium.
Tablets, capsules, powder, drops. If you are looking for magnesium supplements online, you will come across an incredibly wide variety of products. But what are the different dosage forms? And which one is best?
Magnesium in capsule form:
Capsules have the great advantage that additives can generally be easily dispensed with in this pharmaceutical form – if, as with BIOGENA, importance is placed on how the item is manufactured. For this reason, many micronutrient experts prefer magnesium in the form of high-quality capsule products, which are produced according to the pure substance principle. Nevertheless, it is also important to take the time to cast a critical eye over the label. After all, trust is good, but checking is better.
Mental Resilience & Stress
Work, family, health, sports, and personal growth: all areas of life seem to have become faster and more demanding. We are all trying to turn ourselves into an all-round perfect superhuman. But we won’t have achieved anything until we find peace within ourselves. Micronutrients can accompany us on this journey and support both our nerves and our minds.
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