Stress and Magnesium Deficiency

Did you know that at least half of the population (and more for certain age groups) is magnesium deficient at a cellular level?  

Deficiency can be caused by various stresses on the body including a lack of adequate dietary magnesium, emotional stress, certain drugs, heavy exercise, excess calcium in the diet, smoking, alcohol, caffeine and sweating. 
Chronic stress shows up as our uncomfortable symptoms of Magnesium depletion. If not handled it starts showing up as illness and without remedy it can become disease.

8 Signs of Magnesium Deficiency: 

• ​ Anxiety
• Fatigue
• Muscle Contractions and Cramps
• Weakness
• Tremors
• Numbness and Tingling
• Loss of Appetite
• Difficulty Sleeping

It’s important to note that while these are symptoms of a magnesium deficiency, it doesn’t necessarily mean you are definitely deficient in magnesium if you experience the above issues. Please speak to your health care provider if you are concerned about symptoms. 

Benefits of Magnesium...

• Experiencing nervousness and anxiety? Magnesium has been dubbed the "antistress" mineral because it soothes and calms nerves. It’s vital for GABA function and serotonin production. 
• Helps you fall asleep—it can help quiet a racing mind, relax muscles, help your heart rate, making it easier to get a good restful night’s sleep. 
• Helps with digestion by relieving constipation. Helps relax muscles within the digestive tract, including the intestinal wall, plus it neutralizes stomach acid and helps move stool through the intestines. You will know when you are getting the right amount of magnesium when your bowels are comfortably loose. The amount of Mg you need can change due to emotional, mental or environmental stresses. 
• Helps relieve muscle aches & spasms
• Regulates blood sugar levels and blood pressure
• Important for bone health.  Magnesium helps bones stay strong and  supports healthy bone density.
• Important for heart health. The highest amount of magnesium in the body is within the heart. Mg works with Ca to support healthy blood pressure levels. A heart attack is a cramp in the heart muscle so you can think about it just like your leg muscles and cramping. You can feel the action of calcium and magnesium in your heart beating. Contraction is calcium and relaxation is magnesium. Clearly it’s a good idea to keep these in balance.
• Helps increase energy - Mg is used to create energy in the body by activating ATP (adenosine triphosphate). Without enough Mg, you don’t have the energy you need and fatigue can result. Inadequate Mg intake also means you tire more quickly and need a higher level of oxygen during exercise.

How To Get More Magnesium in Your Diet

Food
Magnesium is found in many foods, but much of the mineral can be lost through food processing and refining so stick to whole organic foods when you can. Some good choices are: 

• Brown Rice
• Almonds 
• Kale, Spinach and Chard
• Pumpkin seeds
• Black Beans
• Oats
• Quinoa 

Supplements
You can take a supplement like Natural Calm. Natural Calm states that their product restores a healthy magnesium level and balances calcium intake. You can get a free sample here! 

Magnesium Oil ​and Lotions can be rubbed or sprayed on your skin. Some people find that it leaves their skin feeling a little itchy and dry. If you don’t like the feeling of the magnesium oil you can spray in on your skin and leave it on for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes you can shower off the oil. Here are some different applications of the Ancient Minerals brand: 
Goodnight Magnesium Lotion   
​Magnesium Bath Flake
Magnesium Lotion Ultra

 I hope this gave you some good basics and a plan of action to see if magnesium deficiency is an issue for you.  

Remember, if you have been struggling with anxiety symptoms, sometimes it's not JUST in your head! The thought-mood connection is powerful, but you can change your thoughts all day long and still not feel good! Magnesium deficiency is just one thing to consider.

As always I encourage you to talk to your healthcare provider before beginning any supplement regime.

I look forward to hearing from you! 

Peg Haust-Arliss, LCSW-R
Therapist, Author, Coach
​PegHaust.com