Magnesium Deficiency And Its Effects On The Body

Magnesium deficiency may not always be alarming, but if it’s left untreated, it can escalate to chronic health issues and affect the body’s calcium and potassium levels altogether. Since the human body is unable to produce it on its own, we need to consume it through our meals or supplements. Diagnosing magnesium deficiency can be hard because, aside from not being included in routine blood work, it shares similar symptoms with many other illnesses.

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Quick Facts About Magnesium

Magnesium is essential for hundreds of biochemical reactions (e.g. blood pressure regulation, RNA and DNA synthesis, energy production).
It can help manage premenstrual symptoms.
Some of the most common magnesium-rich foods are: avocados, dark chocolate, legumes, green vegetables, nuts, seeds, tofu, and fatty fish (e.g. tuna, salmon, mackerel).
Taking magnesium supplements, such as a magnesium sleep tablets may help you long term if a deficiency is causing issues with your health or sleep patterns.

Possible Causes of Magnesium Deficiency

Magnesium deficiency, or hypomagnesemia, generally occurs when a person’s diet significantly lacks magnesium. People who suffer from anorexia and bulimia consequently suffer from malnutrition, resulting in hypomagnesemia. However, it’s unlikely the culprit for those who are otherwise healthy. Other possible causes include:

Age: Aging makes it harder for a person’s body to absorb magnesium.
Diarrhea: One-time bouts may not really be a cause for concern, but people who are dealing with chronic diarrhea are likely to suffer from an electrolyte imbalance.
Alcoholism: Like chronic diarrhea, alcoholism can also lead to electrolyte imbalance, making the body release more magnesium than it should.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding: These increase the body’s magnesium requirement, so it uses more of it than usual.
Diabetes: People with diabetes have high glucose levels in their kidneys, which results in the body releasing more magnesium. Insulin resistance and diabetic ketoacidosis can also cause hypomagnesemia.
Organ failure: Organ failure, particularly kidney failure, can also cause the release of too much magnesium.
Medications: Particular medications may lead to the loss of huge amounts of magnesium. Some examples include: diuretics, antifungal drugs, proton pump inhibitors, chemotherapy drugs (e.g. cisplatin), and certain hormonal therapies (e.g. thyroid hormones and vasopressin).

Signs of Magnesium Deficiency

Magnesium deficiency leads to various health symptoms that can be reasons for huge concerns. It can range from mildly uncomfortable to distractingly painful. In any case, if you regularly experience any of the following symptoms, you should consider talking to a health professional so you can address the root cause of the problem.

Muscle Pains and Cramps

A glaring lack of magnesium can cause pains like muscle cramps, twitches, and spasms. One of magnesium’s main purposes is to maintain muscle and bone health. Hence, if your muscles are feeling more tired and weaker than usual, it might be because of magnesium deficiency.

Digestion Problems

Magnesium is essential in digestion because it helps maintain a healthy balance of gut flora. Hence, hypomagnesemia may significantly disturb the normal function of the gut, to the point that you may start to experience obvious changes in your mood.

Mood Swings and Depression

Who would have thought that the simple lack of a certain mineral can be enough to wage wars? Well, that might be an exaggeration, but magnesium deficiency does indeed affect one’s mood. Sometimes, it can be so severe that a person’s whole personality may be affected. It can even cause someone to be depressed, or fall further into depression.

Anxiety and Stress

Magnesium plays a role in the regulation of a neurotransmitter called GABA. Reduced levels of GABA have been associated with anxiety, depression, and chronic pain. Additionally, GABA imbalances have also been linked to sleep disorders and panic attacks.

Poor Sleep Quality

All of the aforementioned symptoms may also lead to sleep disorders. Instead of being able to rely on sleep to take the pain and discomfort away, the other symptoms prevent a person from relaxing and falling asleep properly.

Having a hard time sleeping isn’t exactly unique to magnesium deficiency. However, if your doctor does indeed confirm that it’s the cause, he or she may recommend a diet filled with leafy greens or even prescribe magnesium if the symptoms are really that bad.

There are many convenient methods that can help you increase your body’s magnesium levels. You can start by eating one square of dark chocolate after a snack and focus on a magnesium-rich diet until your symptoms subside. If you’re going to take supplements, make sure that it’s recommended by your doctor to ensure that it doesn’t negatively affect your health any further.