Magnesium (Quick Overview)
A friend of mine recently suggested that I try taking magnesium and recommended the book “A Magnesium Miracle”. After implementing magnesium into my daily supplement routine I noticed a huge difference in how I felt so I decided to read more into it.
What is Magnesium?
Magnesium is an element and mineral found throughout nature and is the second most abundant element inside of human cells. It plays a vital role in just about every bodily function and is responsible for the function of 325 enzymes. It helps calcium to be incorporated into your bones, metabolizes insulin, synthesizes protein, regulates blood pressure, keeps toxic chemicals out of your brain, works with calcium to create nerve and muscle impulses, and keeps muscles relaxed including heart and blood vessels. Without it, humans would not be able to produce energy and our muscles would be in a constant state of contraction.
80% of Americans are deficient in magnesium. Magnesium deficiency is associated with a lengthy list of medical conditions such as anxiety, panic attacks, Alzheimer’s, ADHD, asthma, bowel disease, heart disease, kidney disease, diabetes, hypoglycemia, insomnia, migraines, depression and the list goes on.
The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) is between 350 and 400 milligrams per day, which is just enough to keep you under the line of deficiency but according to Dr. Carolyn Dean, for optimal health twice as much (800 milligrams) is needed per day.
Benefits of Magnesium
Aside from helping and preventing the list of diseases mentioned above, here are a couple other benefits seen from supplementing more magnesium into your diet.
- Reduces blood pressure
- Alleviates PMS Symptoms
- Boost exercise performance
- Relieves inflammation
- Improves blood sugar
- Enhances sleep quality
- Fights against depression
Magnesium is found in foods like spinach, Swiss chard, dark chocolate, almonds, avocado & bananas but rarely do people consume enough of these foods in a day to get you where you should be. I eat a healthy balanced diet and still take this supplement each day. Some people prefer to take it topically as they offer it in sprays and essential oils.
Since taking magnesium I have noticed that I’m sleeping better, an increase in energy and I’ve even noticed that it has helped my skin clear up! This could be a result of better sleep and lower stress levels but either way, it’s working and I’m going to continue taking it.
Try incorporating more magnesium into your diet and see how you feel!
*** I’m obviously not a doctor and wrote this post after doing my own research and based on my personal experience with it. I have only tried the supplement pictured here but plan to try other products and will let you all know what I think!