Importance of Magnesium for Sleep.
I wanted to shine the spotlight on magnesium today. It’s a really important mineral and one that is ready for the taking in our diets.
How can we make sure we eat enough magnesium though and is it a case of more is better?
We’ll look at magnesium and sleep, but also it’s many other roles. We have about 30g of magnesium in our body – most of this is in bones, followed by muscle and soft tissue with only 1% found in our fluids as an electrolyte where it helps to control fluid balance.
Are we eating enough magnesium?
Diet and nutrition survey data shows most women in their 40s and 50s eat enough. This is at a population level though, so it’s important to consider needs and intakes on an individual level. Younger adults are doing worse on the magnesium front with around 20% of people in their 20s falling short.
What do we need magnesium for?
Its roles within the body include: Hundreds of metabolic pathways, including releasing energy from our food. Muscle contraction and blood clotting. Nerve transmission. Formation of strong bones and teeth Immune function Beating of heart muscle Supporting psychological function Although there are no official legal health claims that can be made around magnesium and sleep, it is frequently touted as a sleep aid because of its role in muscle relaxation. So, let’s look at this in more detail.
What does the research tell us about magnesium, diet and sleep?
Magnesium plays a role in activating the parasympathetic nervous system, which is the one associated with ‘resting and digesting’. This Includes supporting the regulation of melatonin which guides sleep/ wake cycles in body. A recent systematic review looking at all the evidence in this area compiled results from 9 studies and over 7000 people. Observational studies show a positive link between higher magnesium intakes and blood and urine levels of magnesium being associated with better sleep quality. These sorts of studies can’t prove a causal link though, so let’s look to the gold standard randomised controlled trials for those answers…
One trial showed 500mg Magnesium supplementation increased sleep time and efficiency when compared to placebo. Other trials were a bit inconsistent and couldn’t show statistical significance. Back in the real world, statistical significance might not mean much though, as within all studies there will be people right across the spectrum, some of whom find benefit and some who won’t. There’s enough of a sniff here I think, to consider magnesium supplementation alongside a broader nutritional and holistic approach. For some, they could prove to be a helpful piece of the sleep puzzle. My ethos is always to look at food first. There are many reasons for this, not least because food always brings with it non-nutritive compounds called phytochemicals which protect our bodies at a cellular level, and as it stands at the moment, we can’t bottle those or put them in a pill effectively. How to get magnesium from your diet. Our requirement is around 300mg per day. Each food serve will give us about a fifth of this.
Symptoms of magnesium deficiency will not be obvious and whilst intakes are certainly lower than they should be for many and therefore far from optimal, full-blown deficiency would be considered rare, especially if someone has a varied diet. Rich sources include dark green leafy veg such as spinach, kale and broccoli. It also found in abundance in nuts and seeds and wholegrains. Just one of the many reasons it’s not a good idea to shun carbohydrates all together, especially in the evening. As an aside, carbohydrates release insulin which helps with the transport of the amino acid tryptophan across the blood, brain barrier. Once inside the brain it is used to make serotonin, which in turn converts to melatonin – the hormone we need for sleep. For clarity on carbs and how you can navigate this food group to support your health download my free ebook on Gaining Clarity with Carbs. Meat and dairy contain less magnesium, and you won’t find much of it in refined carbs which have had the nutrient-rich outer layers removed.
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