12 Signs You May Not Be Getting Enough Magnesium (And Some Foods That Will Fix It)
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The role of magnesium in your body is a critical one. A magnesium-rich diet ensures that your muscles and nerves function as they should, your heart beats steadily, and your bones stay strong and healthy. Magnesium also keeps the glucose levels in your blood in check and helps your body in producing protein and energy. All in all, your body needs magnesium to carry out 300 biochemical reactions in total (1). So, we guess you can now fully understand its importance!
That said, your body may lack magnesium if you don’t follow a proper diet. In that case, your body will give out signals, which you should pay attention to and act on immediately. Here are 12 signs you lack magnesium.
1. Lack Of Energy
As we mentioned before, magnesium aids in the production of energy. If your diet doesn’t fulfil your magnesium requirements, you feel tired and low in energy almost all the time, despite getting enough rest (2)!
2. Cramps And Muscle Twitches
Magnesium controls the function of your muscles, including its expansion, contraction, and relaxation. Not having enough magnesium can make your muscles contract involuntarily, causing unnecessary twitches and cramps (3).
3. Frequent Headaches
Frequently suffer from throbbing headaches for no apparent reason? An insufficient magnesium intake might be the cause. Low levels of magnesium in your diet can hamper serotonin production in your body, which can lead to the constriction of the blood vessels in your head, causing headaches (4).
4. Insomnia
Magnesium deficiency can hamper your sleep cycle and lead to sleep deprivation. This happens because a lack of magnesium can lead to stress, increased heart rate, and blood pressure, which make it difficult to fall asleep (5).
5. Irregular Heartbeat
Magnesium keeps your heart functioning normally and even regulates your heartbeat. However, without the requisite amount of magnesium in your body, your heart may act up and beat irregularly. Mostly, doctors treat an irregular heartbeat with magnesium supplements.
6. Heightened Sound Sensitivity
Although loud sounds can make anyone’s heart jump, you may experience particular sensitivity to high as well as moderate decibels if you don’t have enough magnesium in your diet. That’s because a lack of magnesium can weaken your nervous system and make you more sensitive.
7. Seizures
Seizures are not a very common or obvious symptom of magnesium deficiency, but they’re surely a very serious one and as such require immediate medical attention. As we already discussed, low magnesium levels in your system can make your nervous system weak. This can make you prone to seizures (6).
8. Low Bone Density
Magnesium directly controls the formation of your bones as this mineral is heavily concentrated in the latter. If you have a magnesium-rich diet, your bone density will be much higher. If not, the opposite will happen and your bones will become weaker and more fragile (7).
9. Constipation
It’s not just the lack of fiber in your diet that can lead to constipation. If you have don’t have enough magnesium, you can expect yourself to spend more time on the toilet seat in vain. Irregular bowel moments are a sign of magnesium deficiency. In fact, the importance of magnesium is proved by the fact that most laxatives contain magnesium.
10. High Blood Pressure
Your blood pressure level can touch dangerous highs if your diet does not contain sufficient amounts of magnesium. The only way you can control your blood pressure is by having foods that are loaded with this very essential mineral (8).
11. Type 2 Diabetes
While obesity and genes are commonly held as the prime culprits behind diabetes, magnesium deficiency is no less of a cause of this silent disease (9). Magnesium helps in the breakdown of the sugars in your blood, thereby maintaining your blood glucose levels. In fact, a diet high in magnesium can actually reduce the chances of getting diabetes.
12. Anxiety And Depression
If your brain doesn’t get its daily dose of magnesium, it can suffer from various kinds of psychological issues such as anxiety and depression (10). Besides, studies show that insufficient magnesium in the diet can also lead to the development of phobias.
Which Foods Can Fix A Magnesium Deficiency?
Although magnesium supplements are available at your local drugstore, doctors advise against them as they can have some serious side effects. So, the only option you’re left with is to attain this mineral from natural sources. Fortunately, they are plenty of them:
- Dark chocolate
- Avocado
- Nuts such as cashews, almonds, etc.
- Legumes such as lentils, peas, beans, etc.
- Tofu
- Seeds such as pumpkin, flax, and chia, etc.
- Whole grains such as wheat, barley, oats, etc.
- Fatty fish such as halibut, salmon, mackerel, etc.
- Bananas
- Leafy greens such as spinach, kale, etc.
Most of these foods are quite delicious so you really don’t have an excuse to not follow a magnesium-rich diet. Especially when this mineral can effectively keep the doctor away!
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