Over seventy-five years ago, medical scientists declared magnesium an essential nutrient. It helps protect against and alleviate health threats like cardiovascular disease, stroke, osteoporosis, diabetes, depression, arthritis and asthma.

Magnesium not only speeds our sleep 17 minutes faster, but research also indicates it may reduce anxiety symptoms. Here are a few ways magnesium does this:

Boosts Energy

No matter if it’s for physical fitness at the gym or fatigue caused by an intense lifestyle, magnesium can provide vital energy. Magnesium plays an essential role in over 300 enzymatic reactions – basically turning glucose in food into energy for use within your body – as well as helping manage stress and balance blood sugar levels.

Magnesium is an effective natural muscle relaxant and contributes to increased serotonin production for feelings of calmness. Furthermore, magnesium supports glutathione’s detoxifying powers by helping its function.

Many of us do not consume enough magnesium in our daily diets, which could have devastating repercussions for our health. Studies show that almost half of American don’t get the recommended daily dosage – contributing to low energy, chronic illness, digestive issues, insomnia and even heart disease.

Food sources of magnesium should provide between 310-420 mg a day; such foods include green leafy vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, bananas, avocados and fish. If this amount doesn’t meet your daily magnesium requirements through your diet alone, supplements may provide an easy and cost-effective solution.

Magnesium not only supplies our bodies with energy directly, but it can also improve sleep quality and have been shown to decrease migraine frequency. Furthermore, magnesium acts as a natural muscle relaxant which eases tension in blood vessels which could otherwise constrict excessively leading to pain and tiredness.

Magnesium can be found naturally in food, but our bodies don’t readily absorb it on its own; therefore, supplements must often combine multiple substances in order to increase absorption. Our experts at BetterYou have created Magnesium+ (PS13 for 28 daily capsules), an easy-to-digest organic magnesium supplement designed for maximum absorption by your body.

Formulated with a blend of other ingredients for enhanced benefits such as improving exercise performance and blood sugar regulation, supporting bone and tooth health, and relieving stress – this supplement will keep your energy up even on the busiest of days!

Reduces Inflammation

Magnesium may be one of the best supplements to combat chronic inflammation. This essential mineral helps regulate immune system function while simultaneously decreasing production of pro-inflammatory cytokines that contribute to inflammation. Magnesium depletion has long been linked with inflammation; chronic illness consumes or depletes its supply, raising risk factors like cardiovascular disease, diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis.

Magnesium’s anti-inflammatory properties aside, magnesium has also proven effective at alleviating pain and tenderness. One study demonstrated this by finding that when combined with malic acid treatment for fibromyalgia patients over two months of treatment the pain subsided substantially.

Magnesium has long been recognized as an effective way to treat migraines. Multiple studies have linked migraines with low magnesium levels and magnesium has proven its efficacy at preventing migraine headaches. Magnesium may work to stop migraines by blocking signals in the brain that trigger visual or sensory changes associated with aura; additionally it may relax tightened muscles associated with migraines as well as decrease size of blood vessels in the brain that narrow or constrict and lead to pain of migraine.

At Migraine Strong, we like to refer to the treatment pie: nine different approaches you can try when managing migraine symptoms; not everything will work for everyone; magnesium supplementation has been proven beneficial in helping manage migraine symptoms so we have included it as one of our key therapies in our Migraine Strong Kit.

Helps with Migraines

If migraine headaches are an issue for you, magnesium could be your ally. Numerous studies have linked magnesium deficiency with migraines at the neurological level; magnesium can help prevent headaches by regulating nerve activity and brain waves as well as helping your body relax. It also reduces stress while supporting healthy blood pressure, calcium absorption and bone health as well as maintaining stable glucose levels and controlling cholesterol production.

Magnesium is an essential nutrient, but if it’s difficult to obtain through diet alone, supplements may be useful. Magnesium comes in different forms that can help with absorption. Common examples are aspartate, citrate, glycinate and lactate; magnesium can also be found in multivitamins or standalone products; topical application using Epsom salt baths has even been shown to support sleep quality and boost mood.

Magnesium can not only promote sleep, but can also help with irritable bowel syndrome and constipation, as well as improving brain neurotransmission – by balancing out excitatory glutamate with relaxing GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid). A low magnesium intake has been linked to depression; several clinical trials have demonstrated its efficacy against mild-to-moderate depression when taken together with antidepressants.

Magnesium supplementation has also been found to assist in relieving menstrual-related migraine, and regular oral magnesium supplementation can reduce the number of days in which someone gets migraine headaches by up to 41%. Furthermore, magnesium can prevent visual and sensory changes that accompany migraine attacks by blocking pain-transmitting chemicals in the brain.

As part of a healthy diet, one way to incorporate more magnesium is through eating foods high in magnesium content such as avocados, brown rice, buckwheat, figs, kale, spinach, sweet potatoes, quinoa, tofu* and yams. Be wary of processed and refined food which contain trans fats or sugar that deplete magnesium stores; instead opt for natural sources with no additives that could deplete magnesium reserves like fruits and vegetables containing magnesium like avocados and brown rice which contain high amounts of magnesium-rich content if possible – such as avocados! Magnesium supplements are readily available without a doctor’s prescription; just check its ingredients list beforehand as certain dietary supplements may cause diarrhea or stomach upset so make sure that when purchasing one that you purchase one that does not cause these side effects so as to ensure maximum benefit when possible!

Relieves Anxiety

Living a healthy life should be simple: Eat well, exercise regularly, get quality restful sleep and reduce your stress. But sometimes this is easier said than done, particularly when stressed out or feeling anxious.

Magnesium could be just what’s needed to help with your anxiety. Found in foods such as green leafy vegetables and legumes, magnesium supplements also work by calming the nervous system, improving mood, and relieving muscle tension. A 2017 review discovered that magnesium supplements improved mild anxiety–defined as issues that don’t interfere with daily activities but cause occasional nerves and unease–symptoms.

Magnesium could help combat anxiety by improving how the hypothalamus and pituitary glands operate; both play an integral part in managing stress. When you feel anxious, these glands release hormones which increase heart rate, blood pressure and decrease your ability to relax – magnesium has been shown to regulate how these hormones are released which in turn alleviate your anxiety levels.

Magnesium has long been recognized for its therapeutic effects on anxiety. Furthermore, magnesium also promotes better sleep and reduces muscle cramps by regulating levels of the neurotransmitter GABA which acts to relax and calm muscle fibers. Furthermore, magnesium supplements have also proven successful at relieving symptoms associated with depression in mild forms; people suffering from low magnesium levels in the brain can find it hard to function normally when experiencing symptoms; magnesium supplementation has shown promising results even for severe cases.

Magnesium also can aid depression by helping to regulate cortisol levels, which are frequently raised during times of anxiety or stress. As cortisol production decreases with magnesium consumption, fatigue, restlessness, and decreased interest in activities are likely reduced; ultimately boosting overall mood.

However, it should be noted that further research on magnesium’s effects on anxiety and depression needs to be completed; until then it’s best to use magnesium alongside other treatment strategies like diet, exercise and stress reduction techniques.