Trouble sleeping ? Get more magnesium!

You may already know that frequent fatigue and stress may be linked to a shortage of magnesium in your body. Replenishing this mineral in your body can not only sort out those problems, it can benefit you in a number of other ways too. Latest research has shown that magnesium supports the functioning of more than 300 enzymes – whereas a lack of magnesium can lead to sleep deprivation, migraine and cramps – and a constant sense of hunger.

Magnesium keeps your inner clock tick

A recent study published by the University of Edinburgh established that magnesium plays a key role in maintaining the healthy rhythm of the body – by keeping our biological clock tick. A shortage of magnesium in our cells can lead to a confusion in how our body distinguishes between day and night – and cause further disruptions.
So if you feel constantly exhausted and hungry and have trouble sleeping, the reason might be magnesium shortage. The research has also shown that messing up the processes necessary for regulating daytime activity and night-time recovery has serious long-term health risks. Mental and hormonal disruption, obesity, heart conditions, diabetes and even some types of cancer may be linked to a poorly functioning inner clock.
That’s why it’s ill-advised to stay up till late at night, study overnight, work nightshifts for years on end or travel across multiple time zones regularly. To function properly, your body needs the regular and orderly alternation of active and passive phases, and magnesium plays a key role in all that.

What else can (and does) magnesium do for you?

• Promotes the absorption of calcium which is essential to the health of your bones
• Helps to maintain the elasticity of veins and the health of cardiac muscles
• Eases symptoms of stress, depression and migraine
• Helps to prevent diabetes

When do you need more magnesium?

• If you do exhausting physical work or exercise regularly
• If you are breastfeeding
• If you partied all night – and especially if you drank alcohol
• If you studied all night
• If you work(ed) till late at night
• Any time you suffer from an ailment or disease that gives you diarrhoea or sickness
• If you feel short-tempered, exhausted or stressed out
• If you find it hard to concentrate

Which foods are rich in magnesium?

• Bread and baked goods
• Spinach and sorrel
• Fruits: banana, avocado
• Oily seeds and grains (sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, nuts)
• Leguminous plants
• Cocoa and high-cocoa bitter chocolate