Magnesium is one of the most abundant minerals in the body. It is crucial in hundreds of biochemical reactions and is essential to protein synthesis, muscle and nerve function, blood sugar control, and energy production.
Since your body cannot produce magnesium, it's essential to meet your needs through dietary intake. Falling short puts you at risk of hypomagnesemia or clinically low magnesium levels, which can have adverse effects on your health.
Interestingly, research shows that only about 0.3% of the body's total magnesium is found in serum, which means that lab values may not always reflect your total magnesium levels. Therefore, it's essential to understand the symptoms associated with magnesium deficiency.
1. You're Feeling Irritable
Irritability and anger are relatively standard emotional responses, often triggered by stress and fatigue. Low magnesium levels may also heighten these emotions.
Without enough magnesium in your system, the brain may be unable to regulate essential neurotransmitters, such as serotonin and dopamine. These neurotransmitters are chemicals that influence mood and, when impaired, may heighten emotional sensitivity, leading to increased irritability.
A magnesium deficiency may make it difficult to cope with day-to-day challenges and manage mood stability. More research is needed to understand the mineral's effect on mood, especially as it relates to irritability with depression. Several other factors can contribute to mood changes.
2. You're Nauseous
Magnesium is involved in smooth muscle contraction, so it's essential for gut motility. Poor gut motility can affect digestion and nutrient absorption. Low magnesium levels have been associated with gastrointestinal symptoms, such as nausea and vomiting.
Magnesium relaxes the skeletal muscles, and a deficiency can cause severe digestive discomfort. Those who experience nausea and vomiting may also experience bloating and constipation.
Several factors can contribute to nausea, so it's essential to seek care if symptoms persist.
3. You Have a Decreased Appetite
Loss of appetite is an early sign of low magnesium levels. Magnesium is essential for normal nerve and muscle function, including those used for digestion. More research is needed to understand magnesium's role in hunger, but decreased appetite may stem from slower digestion.
Low magnesium levels have also been linked to higher levels of leptin, a hormone that regulates body weight by controlling appetite. Magnesium deficiency may disrupt these hunger hormones, reducing the inclination to eat.
Low magnesium may also contribute to issues like nausea, bloating, and indigestion, which may further suppress appetite.
4. You Feel Tired
Fatigue is a state of exhaustion characterized by a constant lack of energy and overwhelming tiredness. It can affect you physically and mentally. Factors like stress, poor sleep, and certain medications can contribute to it. Low magnesium levels may also be to blame.
Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is the body's primary energy source, and magnesium is essential for ATP's production. ATP binds with magnesium to create its functional form, which can deliver energy within the cells. Insufficient magnesium makes it challenging for the body to recharge and recover.
5. You're Experiencing Numbness in Your Extremities
Magnesium is a key player in nerve function, and low levels may disrupt normal nerve signaling. Research has linked magnesium deficiency with numbness or tingling, especially in your extremities, and peripheral nerve injuries caused by inflammation.
Magnesium helps regulate calcium levels in nerve cells, which is essential for regular nerve transmission. Without enough magnesium, your body cannot regulate its calcium levels, potentially resulting in peripheral nerve degeneration. This peripheral neuropathy is often marked by numbness, pain, or a burning sensation.
6. You're Having Headaches
Headaches are pain or discomfort in the head, neck, or scalp. They can vary in intensity, from a dull ache to a sharp, throbbing pain. Headaches are often accompanied by other symptoms, such as nausea, dizziness, and sensitivity to light, which can worsen their effects.
Tension headaches are the most common, and migraines usually cause the most debilitating symptoms. Low magnesium levels may contribute to all headaches by affecting neurotransmitter function and blood flow. Magnesium plays a key role in dilating intracranial blood vessels, so low levels can negatively affect blood flow to the area.
7. Your Sleep Is Suffering
Adequate sleep is one of the primary components of healthy living. While individual needs vary, research shows that most adults need 7-9 hours of sleep per night. Some studies have shown that magnesium intake is associated with better sleep quality and duration.
Magnesium is essential for regulating neurotransmitters that promote relaxation and maintain healthy levels of melatonin, the hormone responsible for the sleep-wake cycle. Magnesium also helps reduce or manage stress, a well-known antagonist to sleep quality.
8. You're Experiencing Muscle Cramps
Magnesium is crucial for muscle function and nerve transmission. A deficiency can lead to unexpected muscle cramps or twitching.
Muscle cramps are painful, involuntary contractions of a muscle. They typically have a sudden onset and can last from a few seconds to several minutes. They often affect the legs and feet but can impact any muscle group, often causing soreness after the episode.
Magnesium deficiency is commonly linked to nocturnal leg cramps or painful muscle spasms during sleep. It helps regulate calcium and potassium levels in muscle tissue, which are critical for muscle contraction and relaxation. Low magnesium impacts calcium levels, making muscles more prone to involuntary spasms.
Magnesium is also involved in energy production. Low magnesium levels can disrupt the energy production necessary for muscle relaxation, causing muscle fibers to remain contracted. Research about magnesium supplementation and muscle cramping is mixed, as many factors contribute to muscle health.
9. You're Having Heart Palpitations
Magnesium plays a critical role in cardiovascular health. Hypomagnesemia can disrupt the heart's electrical activity, potentially leading to heart palpitations or arrhythmias.
Magnesium is essential for regulating the heart muscle and maintaining the balance of electrolytes that control its rhythm. Low magnesium may cause palpitations, which feel like a fluttering, racing, or pounding sensation in the chest cavity.
Heart palpitations may also happen alongside shortness of breath, anxiety, and dizziness. Severe cases of magnesium deficiency can trigger serious arrhythmias, requiring extensive cardiac care.
Who Is at Risk for Low Magnesium?
Certain groups have an increased risk of developing a magnesium deficiency due to biological, environmental, and social influences. Those at risk for low magnesium include:
- Older adults: Older adults tend to absorb less magnesium from the gut while losing more through renal excretion. An estrogen deficiency may also contribute to low magnesium levels in aging people.
- People with gastrointestinal diseases: Those with gastrointestinal diseases, such as Crohn's disease, celiac disease, and inflammatory bowel diseases, may be unable to absorb magnesium effectively.
- People with type 2 diabetes: High glucose levels can increase urine output, increasing the risk of magnesium loss through excretion.
- People with alcohol dependence: Those affected by long-term alcoholism may experience difficulty absorbing magnesium in the intestines.
- People taking certain medications: Some medications, such as diuretics, proton pump inhibitors, and immunosuppressants, can affect magnesium levels.
How To Get More Magnesium in Your Diet
Dietary intake is an efficient way to increase your magnesium levels. Focus on magnesium-rich foods like leafy green vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds. Chia and pumpkin seeds are especially rich in magnesium. Spinach and salmon are also popular magnesium-rich foods.
Incorporating these foods into a well-balanced diet can help boost magnesium levels naturally. If you cannot meet your nutrient needs through whole foods, magnesium supplements can help bridge the gap.
Magnesium supplements, like magnesium citrate and magnesium oxide, are available. Some forms are absorbed more readily, so it's essential to consult your healthcare provider before starting a new magnesium supplement.
A Quick Review
Magnesium is an essential mineral involved in hundreds of bodily processes. Signs of low magnesium levels include nausea and vomiting, fatigue, headaches, muscle cramps, decreased appetite, poor sleep, and heart palpitations.
The body cannot produce magnesium, highlighting the importance of meeting your needs through dietary intake. A doctor or registered dietitian can help you determine your individual magnesium needs.
Sources of magnesium include whole grains, leafy greens, nuts, seeds, and legumes. Magnesium supplements can also help correct nutrient deficiencies.
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