5 Reasons You Should Be Taking Magnesium

30 September, 2019

If there’s one mineral we love here at JSHealth Vitamins, it’s magnesium.

That’s because it’s important for many functions in the human body and acts as a co-factor for more than 300 different enzymes. Not only does it assist with energy production, but magnesium plays a role in muscle contraction, glycaemic regulation, blood pressure and nervous system function. Essentially, it’s great for our overall health and wellbeing. 


As a dietary source, magnesium is naturally found in many of our favourite foods, including legumes, nuts, seeds, leafy greens and whole grains. However, a large proportion of the Western population isn’t consuming the recommended daily intake (RDI) of magnesium, which is between 400-420 grams per day for men, and 310-320 grams for women, according to the Australian Government’s National Health and Medical Research Council. This says a lot about the Western diet, which is heavy in processed and packaged foods, demineralised water and deficient soil. 


In light of this, we’ve worked to make magnesium easier to consume, which is why it stars in our PM multi-vitamin. We’re so passionate about the many benefits of magnesium, so we’ve rounded up five reasons to get your daily RDI of magnesium.  


  • It assists with relaxation: Magnesium helps to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for helping our bodies to enter into a calm, relaxed state. That’s why magnesium, in addition to lavender, is a key ingredient in our PM Vitamin, which is designed to assist with sleep and calmness.

  • It reduces stress: Supplementing with magnesium can help to regulate the body’s central stress response system. Activation of this system initiates a behavioural response which allows us to handle the challenge of the stressor. In addition, supplementing with magnesium has been shown to regulate the activity of the central stress response system.

  • It aids sleep: Magnesium helps to influence our sleep through regulating specific receptor systems. It can also influence the neurophysiologic and neuroendocrine mechanisms involved in sleep. A deficiency can diminish these actions and negatively affect the quality of our sleep. Poor sleep has been negatively linked with sleep disorder symptoms such as daytime sleepiness, difficulty falling asleep and snoring. 

  • It eases anxiety: Did you know that anxiety is one of the most common health conditions? Adequate magnesium levels are linked to subjective anxiety. Magnesium is essential for the activity of receptors that regulates the amino acid Glutamate, the GABA system and the neuroendocrine system which have all been involved in the response of fear, anxiety and panic. Magnesium may also further influence anxiety via the regulation of the stress response. 

  • It supports nervous system function: Magnesium maintains and supports nervous system health and function. Additionally, magnesium maintains muscle function, bone health, and cardiovascular system health. 

    • To get the most out of our PM Vitamin, we recommend taking one with dinner, which allows the body plenty of time for the magnesium and lavender to take effect. It’s a beautiful way to prepare your body for a restorative, deep sleep. 




    References:


    1. Al Alawi A, Majoni S, Falhammar H. Magnesium and Human Health: Perspectives and Research Directions. International Journal of Endocrinology. 2018;2018:1-17.
    2. Cao Y, Zhen S, Taylor A, Appleton S, Atlantis E, Shi Z. Magnesium Intake and Sleep Disorder Symptoms: Findings from the Jiangsu Nutrition Study of Chinese Adults at Five-Year Follow-Up. Nutrients. 2018;10(10):1354.
    3. Boyle NB, Lawton C, Dye L. The Effects of Magnesium Supplementation on Subjective Anxiety and Stress-A Systematic Review. Nutrients. 2017;9(5):429. 
    4. Niswender C, Conn P. Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors: Physiology, Pharmacology, and Disease. Annual Review of Pharmacology and Toxicology. 2010;50(1):295-322.
    5. Nielsen F. Relation between Magnesium Deficiency and Sleep Disorders and Associated Pathological Changes. 2015; 291-296
    6. nrv.gov.au/nutrients/magnesium