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Do you go to bed on time, allow yourself regular sleep of at least 7 – 8 hours, don’t drink coffee before sleeping or indulge in sweets, yet still wake up without energy and tired? On top of that, anxiety and unfounded irritability sometimes appear and you simply don’t know what you might be doing wrong? Maybe we have an explanation for you – you suffer from a magnesium deficiency, which is responsible for the proper functioning of important processes in our body. If you notice the following symptoms in yourself, it is quite possible that you are suffering from a magnesium deficiency.
Anxiety
Magnesium regulates the levels of stress hormones – adrenaline and cortisol, which help us cope with various situations we don’t encounter every day and which are not exactly pleasant. If you suffer from anxiety for a prolonged period, it means that magnesium is leaking from your cells into your blood.
Depression
Depression and anxiety usually go hand in hand. How we feel depends not only on what stage of life we are currently in, but also on serotonin, the level of which is controlled by magnesium. So when there is a lack of magnesium in our body, we automatically feel increasingly depressed.
Premenstrual syndrome
Every woman knows what premenstrual syndrome (PMS) means, but not every woman knows that its intensity is linked to the level of magnesium in our body. If you take care to properly replenish magnesium in your system, it will allow you to relax and help prevent painful abdominal cramps during the premenstrual period and menstruation itself.
Diabetes
Magnesium is an excellent mineral for regulating insulin levels. In this case, however, we recommend asking your doctor before you start taking it on your own.
Asthma
Magnesium deficiency can worsen symptoms of asthma and some allergies – it increases bronchospasm, that is, the narrowing of the airways.
Tooth decay
Once our body begins to lack magnesium, tooth decay can more easily affect our teeth. Magnesium deficiency disrupts the balance of phosphorus and calcium in saliva.
Thrombosis
Magnesium deficiency can cause blood clots to form in our veins and contribute to the development of thrombosis.
Best sources of magnesium
Now that we know how our body behaves when it lacks magnesium, it would be good to say where magnesium can be found and how we can get it into our body. One solution can, of course, be dietary supplements, but if you want to avoid pills and are looking for natural sources, focus on:
- cocoa
- whole grain products
- potatoes
- spinach
- fish
- nuts – almonds, pine nuts, cashews
- fruit – dates, dried apricots, bananas, oranges
- vegetables and legumes – artichokes, cooked lentils, peas
- carrot, grapefruit or orange juice
Definitely avoid white bread, processed meats and alcohol. The recommended daily dose of magnesium is 300 mg per person. However, this dosing is only indicative, because the amount of magnesium depends on age, pregnancy or breastfeeding, or on heart disease, body weight or various allergies.
