How to Tell if You’re Magnesium Deficient (and What to Do About It)
I must really be such a nerd. My latest source of fascination these days has not been the swankiest fashion trends or the coolest new movies (confession: I’ve never seen any of the Batman movies). It’s not even been a new cooking technique or interior design trick (though I do love those!) Nope, my latest fascination has been with magnesium.
Yes. Magnesium. <cue the nerd-fest theme music. whatever that may sound like.>
But I suppose that if you’re reading this right now, you have at least some interest in magnesium. Or perhaps you’re searching for a remedy for any of the ailments that are associated with magnesium deficiency. If you deal with headaches, body odor, constipation, insomnia, or fatigue, it’s likely that you are lacking in magnesium.
I know what you’re thinking. How can one little mineral deficiency be such a big deal? Actually, it’s a huge deal.
“Magnesium is required for the proper function of approximately 300 enzymes in the human body. Functions as diverse as blood pressure regulation, muscle contraction, heart rhythm stabilization, and nervous system communication are all magnesium-dependent processes. Humans cannot survive without magnesium. Some authorities have even argued that some typical manifestations of aging—such as loss of muscle mass, rising blood pressure, and diminished nervous system function—are partly attributable to magnesium deficiency.” (source)
How Do I Know if I’m Magnesium Deficient?
Magnesium deficiency can show up in your body with any of these signs or symptoms:
- Aggression
- Insomnia
- Anxiety, hyperactivity, restlessness
- Body Odor
- Constipation
- Muscle spasms, twitches, soreness
- Difficulty swallowing
- Impaired memory or cognitive function
- Back aches
- Headaches
- Chest tightness and difficulty breathing
- Menstrual pain or irregularities
- Heart palpitations
- High blood pressure
- Extreme fatigue
- Seizures
- Osteoporosis
(Sources here, here, and here)
What Gives? Why Are We Magnesium Deficient?
Why are so many people lacking in magnesium these days?
Unlike our ancestors, our water no longer comes from streams, rivers, or springs. We get our water from the tap, from filters, or from pre-bottled water. All the ‘bad stuff’ is taken out (even though lots of bad stuff is left in tap water!), but this means most of the ‘good stuff’ is removed as well. This even happens with bottled water and filtered water. Unfortunately, the vast majority of the minerals our bodies require are filtered out, leaving us far more susceptible to problems like headaches, fatigue, insomnia, and even morning sickness in pregnant women!
Add to this the fact that our soil has been raped by modern industrial agriculture, stripping it of its rich mineral content, leaving our food with fewer nutrients than what our ancestors consumed.
Help! How Do I Get More Magnesium?
Here’s how to boost your magnesium intake and reverse those symptoms caused by a magnesium deficiency:
1. Eat lots of organic green vegetables. The chlorophyll in green veggies contains magnesium. But you want to make sure you’re eating local and/or organic produce! Organic produce has been shown to contain up to 40% more nutrients than conventional! (Source: Worthington , Virginia . “Nutritional Quality of Organic Versus Conventional Fruits, Vegetables, and Grains.” The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. Vol. 7, 2. 2001.) Stock up on spinach, kale, chard, seaweed, and other leafy greens.
2. Eat whole grains in sourdough form. Whole grains are a great source of magnesium and other vital nutrients and minerals, but they must be properly prepared in order for your body to assimilate all the nutrients and digest them well. You can soak or sprout your grains, or you can ferment them with a traditional sourdough process. Reading about this process in the Vintage Remedies Guide to Bread was fascinating! The fermentation process of traditional sourdough reduces the overall gluten content and makes the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients in the grains far more bio-available.
3. Consume other whole foods rich in magnesium. This includes bone broths, unrefined sea salt, whole grains (see above), nuts, and seeds.
4. Avoid alcohol and caffeine. While I do enjoy a draft cider or a good cup of dark roast coffee every once in a while, alcohol and coffee (caffeine in general) are appetite suppressants and they deplete magnesium in your body. If you are dealing with any of the symptoms listed above, cut out coffee and alcohol completely for at least a few weeks as you restore your magnesium levels.
5. Stay away from sugar! For every molecule of sugar you consume, it requires 54 molecules of magnesium to process it! Basically, sugar leaches vitamins and minerals from your body, including magnesium. So back away from the soda, sugary drinks, candy, baked goods, and processed packaged foods (most of them have lots of hidden sugar – like salad dressings and pasta sauces. Read the labels!)
6. Heal your gut. Fermented foods and drinks, as well as high quality probiotic supplements, can help restore the balance of beneficial bacteria in your gut, allowing your body to actually absorb more of the magnesium you consume.
7. Drink a magnesium citrate powder in water. Brands like Natural Vitality’s Natural Calm or MagnaCalm are great supplements. But they are meant to be just that – a supplement to a healthy diet. Don’t think of it as a magic elixir, but it can definitely help restore your magnesium levels, leaving you more calm and, ahem, regular.
8. Transdermal magnesium therapy. This has been revolutionary for me. It’s probably my favorite way to boost my magnesium levels and not stink at the same time. Transdermal magnesium therapy is a fantastic natural deodorant and is completely chemical free! Look for more info on natural deodorants soon. But I highly recommend you start with this. Take 1/2 c. of magnesium flakes and mix with 1/2 c. warm filtered water in a small spray bottle. Spray on your stomach 1-5 times daily. You’ll want to start with just once a day at first and work your way up. Too much magnesium all at once tends to have a laxative effect on the body! You could also toss those flakes (or Epsom salts – otherwise known as hydrated magnesium sulfate) into a bath (just make sure you shower/bathe in filtered water).
9. Soak up the sun. You might remember that I don’t wear sunscreen unless I’m outside for very long periods of time in an area where the sun is stronger than my body is used to (i.e. a vacation at the beach). Sun exposure is actually your main source of vitamin D, which is essential for magnesium absorption. Studies have even shown that vitamin D containing supplements like cod liver oil, while they are fantastic supplements to take on a regular basis, won’t help you nearly as much as sunlight will in the area of magnesium absorption.
Do you deal with any symptoms related to a magnesium deficiency? How do you plan to combat it?
This post is shared on Your Green Resource, Fight Back Friday, Freaky Friday
Comments are closed.
Randy
October 22, 2013 at 3:01 pmhello Lori, I believe I have a magnesium deficiency from all the symptoms I have. insomnia, rls,anxiety,and migraines. my overall health for my age is great and my doctor says I’m a picture of health. I still would like to get these issues under control. My question is when it comes to taking the natural calm twice a day, I feel like I get these breathing issues sometimes, like not being able to get a deep breath.is this a side effect? I swear I need the magnesium for the migraine prevention. when I first started the natural calm I felt like I got hit by a truck and my whole body ached. I stopped taking it for a while and now just started it again. thanks Randy
Thomas Watts
November 6, 2013 at 4:22 am“For every molecule of sugar you consume, it requires 54 molecules of magnesium to process it! ”
If you are going to state utter crap like this, you should at least provide a source for your crap.
Kristi
December 1, 2013 at 8:22 pmThomas, this article references 28 molecules of magnesium to clear one of sugar: http://www.westonaprice.org/vitamins-and-minerals/magnificent-magnesium in the section Magnesium Deficiency is Endemic. I linked to the article through Wellness Mama’s article on magnesium.
J.E.
January 10, 2014 at 9:57 pmLori, you stated above ” Spray on your stomach 1-5 times daily.” If I only do this once a day, how many sprays should I do?
Keith
September 12, 2014 at 4:55 amOne point I did not see in your article was the need to maintain a balance between magnesium, calcium, phosphate and vitamin D all of which are vital for proper cell functioning. These four work closely together in our bodies.
Gary Smith
January 3, 2015 at 7:28 pmGood point. Usually, if one consumes enough calcium and magnesium the balance will come naturally through homeostasis. However, taking calcium supplements without magnesium will likely induce magnesium deficiency. Vitamin D is important as you point out; most D supplements are poorly absorbed. It can’t be emphasized enough that getting sunshine is important and most of us ought to take the time to get at least 7 hours of direct sunlight per week during the cold winter months. It is a shame that so many women have taken calcium supplements, some times even prescription supplements, that do not include the magnesium. This has caused magnesium deficiency even when ample amounts were consumed in foods. Many MD’s have carelessly prescribed calcium without magnesium. The result is often shallow breathing, twitching, uneasiness, and worse case scenario improper contraction of muscles along the perimeter of vascular walls.
Kim
September 29, 2014 at 10:45 amI use Swanson brand Albion Chelated Time Released Magnesium Capsules daily. The body asborbs it appropriately. It has helped with my Finbro immensely especially since I cant give up my coffee and love to have a few brews on a weekend. After coming off Cymbalta for the Fibro due to it royally messing up my digestive tract not to mention being a chemical unknown – I went natural and started out soaking in Magnesium Flakes purchased from Swanson Vitamins online then made the distilled water/flake combo spray and built up my magnesium level to where I can take a supplement once a day now. Ive been out of the supplement for 4 days awaiting a delivery (I just ordered the flakes again for my husband to start the same regimen I did back then) and boy Im feeling it. It really does make quite a difference. NOTE: Im just a customer of swanson vitamins not a promoter but Swanson is the least expensive place to get what works for me. :-)
Andrew
November 7, 2014 at 7:07 pmNatural Vitality’s Natural Calm is great, especially if you don’t want to swallow large pills. It helped me recover from a serious bout of magnesium deficiency, including migraines, dizziness, and anxiety.
It took a neurologist to point me in the right direction. I wish I’d seen your post when my symptoms first started!
Jolly Julie
November 24, 2014 at 7:25 pmI am so thankful for reading these inspirational stories about natural cures. I had a traumatic 3 months of pain this year and I could not understand what it was, severe pain in my head, ear, mouth, jaw, gums and face also eyes twitching.I was convinced it was to do with a my back teeth! I was on four courses of antibiotics for 3 months,and every day from morning to night I was relying on painkillers , nothing help at the end I was crying in pain and helpless. My dentist mentioned a condition called Trimiginal Nuralgia which I’ve never heard of before, the dentist felt I had all the signs for it so I was referred to my doctor who prescribed me epileptic medicine to ease my pain( Nuralgia is linked to nerves in brain that sends shooting pains into facial area and head etc). I refused-to take the meds as I read it had so many side affects and also as I’m a mother of two young children I didn’t want to rely on meds that would make me sleep and be Zombie- like! Luckily with the help of google I started reading upon very interesting articles about magnesium deficiency and also the nervous system. I have been taking magnesium supplement with zinc and vitamin D and I can say thanks to God I am not in any pain, I am sleeping well at night and my head and facial pains are gone, I hope it stays away. Also I have been taking a teaspoon of raw organic coconut oil as it has many benifits.
Gillian
February 12, 2015 at 10:38 pmI believe I became extremely magnesium deficient during my recent pregnancy. I can’t be sure if I was beforehand, or if it all began during pregnancy. I have had debilitating heart problems, and only once did a cardiologist mention magnesium although my blood levels were fine. Only today did I discover that only 1% of magnesium is in your blood serum. During pregnancy I suffered with morning sickness which turned into debilitating headaches for 20 weeks which turned into Ventricular Tachycardia for the last 11 weeks of my pregnancy. I spent time in the hospital, was forced to take a category c beta blocker, became high risk and was forced to have a c section at 39 weeks all because of this heart rhythm disorder. I am now 5 weeks postpartum and completely frustrated. The tachycardia is gone, and my heart rate has come down from over 100 to the 60s, 70s, and 80s, but I still felt thousands of PVCs a day. Today I randomly thought I’d drink 2 glasses of water, eat a banana and take a magnesium supplement just to see if the pvcs improve. Well, they went from almost every other beat to about 1 PVC per minute. It was incredible! I felt like I finally had progress. I’ve decided to take a supplement every time the PVCs increase. So far it has helped all day. I do feel very achy. Does the body feel symptoms when fighting a deficiency? Also, could there be any adverse effects which may have harmed my baby from a deficiency during pregnancy? I am sad that doctors didn’t really look into mineral deficiencies for my heart issues which began out of the blue, but I am hopeful that this may be all behind me soon.
Maryann
April 5, 2015 at 1:27 amWhat do you know about magnesium deficiency and eczema. I’ve suffered from dishydrotic eczema on and off now for 15 years. I’ve started a powder regimen and can’t wait for the results. My eczema has ran my life and I’m tired of it! I’ve been told it can take up to three months. So have patience…
Katy
September 16, 2015 at 8:48 amHi there, not sure if anyone will see this but the author of the article or blog at the top mentions that she gets lots of sunlight to make sure her body metabolizes magnesium. Just wanted to clarify that the source of vit D should be from the sun and not supplements because fake vit D depletes magnesium even more.
Also organic produce does contain more of certain vitamins but not magnesium, non-organic produce from what I have read anyway contains more because non-organic farmers add something to the soil that contain magnesium.
There is magnesium in the soil, the issue is that topsoil has become so acidic that the soil cannot hold onto it. So the magnesium along with other organic matter is 50 cm under, where the most roots don’t reach.
Thanks for spreading the word about magnesium, it helped my child with apraxia speak again. :)
Danny
December 22, 2015 at 3:35 pmMagnesium deficiancy can lead to heart arrythimias, which is not on the list.