Magnesium is found in a lot of different foods (both animal and plant-based), but many people still don\’t get enough in their diets; we need about 300 to 400mg per day. It\’s required by every single organ in the body; it forms bones, proteins and fatty acids, it activates vitamins B and D, it relaxes muscles, regulates calcium levels, helps blood to clot and is required for the secretion of insulin. Magnesium deficiency has been linked to a wide range of health problems, including (but definitely not limited to) asthma, diabetes, fibromyalgia, high blood pressure, migraines, osteoporosis and PMS.
So what\’s the link between magnesium and sleep?
Magnesium is vital for the function of GABA receptors, which exist all throughout your brain and nervous system. GABA is a calming neurotransmitter that tells the brain to switch into sleep mode; without it, we\’re staring at the ceiling wondering why barns are red and how fish survive lightning storms. There\’s a wide range of factors which come into play when it comes to getting the brain ready for sleep, but the most fundamental is the balance of GABA and glutamate in your brain. Glutamate is the antithesis to GABA; it fires you up, whereas GABA slows you down. To get to sleep, you need GABA to tip the scales in its favor, and to tip those scales, you need magnesium.
To improve your magnesium levels:
- eat more dark, leafy greens (like spinach), potatoes (not the fried kind!), nuts, seaweed, figs, beans, garlic and pumpkin.
- ingest less caffeine, salt and alcohol; all of these can decrease your magnesium levels.
- watch your stress levels; a study of people under chronic war stress in Kosovo were shown to be losing massive amounts of magnesium in their urine.
- make sure you\’re getting enough selenium, vitamin D and vitamin B6; magnesium is poorly absorbed for something so crucial, and these nutrients help to ensure it sticks.
If you suffer from excessive menstrual bleeding or are on medication (particularly antibiotics), that can wreak havoc with your magnesium levels too; during that time, it may be worth taking a magnesium supplement.