Are you getting a good night’s sleep? If not, you could have a magnesium deficiency.
While BD has previously reported on the “catastrophic sleep-loss epidemic” scientists believe the world is facing, in 2014 US-based nutrition expert and sleep specialist Shawn Stevenson published Sleep Smarter, and explained the link between a magnesium deficiency and a poor night’s sleep.
According to Stevenson's research, 80 per cent of the population is deficient in magnesium. Magnesium is an essential macro-mineral for the body, and it acts as an anti-stress mineral responsible for balancing blood sugar and blood pressure, relaxing tense muscles, reducing pain and calming the nervous system.
Further, magnesium works to help slumber by maintaining healthy levels of GABA – a neurotransmitter that helps induce relaxation and sleep. Research has indicated that supplemental magnesium can can improve sleep quality.
While magnesium isn’t naturally produced in our bodies, you can get your fill from magnesium-rich foods like dark leafy greens, dairy products, coffee, and seeds and nuts.
If you needed another excuse to start upping your magnesium intake, according to a study in The Journal of Intensive Care Medicine, people who are deficient in magnesium were twice as likely to die prematurely. Meanwhile, those who boast a high magnesium intake reportedly have a lower risk for metabolic syndrome, a group of conditions that increase risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
