So one of the best ways to get around this deficiency is to ensure you’re getting adequate amounts of magnesium. With modern conveniences like lights and television, melatonin production is at an all time low. Normally, melatonin increases as the sun goes down. Obviously, with a relaxed brain, it’s much easier to go to sleep.Īnd the third is by regulating melatonin, the sleep hormone.
The second way it improves sleep is by a working in a way that positively affects brain chemicals like GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid).
This is where magnesium comes in - it helps to clear cortisol. High cortisol levels may be responsible for insomnia. However, with heightened levels of stress and worry from modern living, cortisol can remain in your system even at night. It’s called the stress hormone because it generally only gets elevated when you go into fight or flight mode. The first is by reducing our stress hormones – more specifically, cortisol.
Magnesium works in three different ways to help us get to sleep each night. Sleep will become difficult as the body starts to detox, inhibiting restfulness. Taking the right dose is extremely important - take too much magnesium and it has the opposite effect. Studies show magnesium can help you get to sleep quicker, sleep longer, and make it through the night without waking up. Could a magnesium deficiency seriously be the reason I can’t sleep? Magnesium Bis-Glycinate, meanwhile, has the highest bioavailability and of all the forms of magnesium and provides a high level of absorption. Magnesium citrate is absorbed very easily. For instance, magnesium oxide provides the most elemental magnesium, but has a lower absorption rate. We recommend these because they provide different absorption rates. The specific ones we recommended for are: There are a few magnesiums that benefit sleep. There is also strong clinical evidence that its beneficial in easing depression. Yup - there are at least 7 different types of magnesium and whilst it is often hailed as a cure for everything - there are differing levels of evidence around its effectiveness.įortunately, the evidence from clinical trials around magnesium as an effective aid for both sleep and anxiety is strong. So, there’s different types of magnesium? Which one do I need to aid sleep? We’ll also give you some tips on which foods to eat to boost your intake. In this article, we’ll explain the different types of magnesium needed and why it’s so beneficial for treating both sleep disorders and anxiety. He goes on to explain that whilst there is no routine test to diagnose a deficiency, it is very easy to increase your intake with both food and natural supplements. If you’re regularly struggling to get a decent night’s sleep, it could be that you are amongst 10% of the population with a serious magnesium deficiency.Īccording to Dr Michael Mosely, speaking on BBC Radio 2 Breakfast it’s very easy for us to become deficient in magnesium, therefore, it’s likely many more of us are likely to be deficient.Īfter suffering from insomnia himself, Dr Mosely found compelling research evidence on the benefits of magnesium, not just as a sleep aid but for depression and anxiety too. In other words, it’s one of the most important nutrients the body needs on a daily basis. It is used in over 300 enzymatic reactions.
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