Do you eat chocolate like it’s going out of style? You might have a magnesium deficiency.
Editor of Eat Live Glow Phoebe Cleghorn explains why we need magnesium in our diets… and seven signs that you might not be getting enough!
***
While many of us are now far more conscious of the foods we’re consuming, thus leading to a surge in the superfood industry, magnesium is a nutrient we so often overlook. We’re the first to admit that, until recently, we didn’t realise quite how essential a mineral it is. Affecting over 300 different enzymatic processes, sufficient magnesium helps your body to function at its best. Without enough, your body will start to struggle in numerous ways – here’s how.
1. Cramp & Muscle Spasms.
Muscle spasms are so common – that twitch you get behind your eye if you’re feeling a little tired, or seriously sore calves and cramping after a particularly intense session at the gym – and it’s all due to a lack of magnesium. Of course, you will experience a little cramping occasionally, but if you have sufficient magnesium, your muscles are able to better relax.
2. Restless Nights.
With the stresses of working and family life, it’s no surprise that such a large quantity of us struggle with getting to sleep (and staying there). Magnesium plays an integral role in the central nervous system – without it, you may experience insomnia. What’s more, levels of the mineral drop at night, meaning if you’re already deficient, you’ll sacrifice on the quality of sleep, meaning you’ll wake up feeling tired even if you have had enough sleep.
3. Intense Chocolate Cravings.
While much of the reason for chocolate cravings will obviously be because it’s utterly delicious, it can also be down to a physiological reaction caused by a lack of magnesium. Dark chocolate is high in the stuff, and one square provides around a quarter of your recommended daily intake. If you often feel as though you simply must have some chocolate (and it’s not that time of the month, a day when you’re hungover or post-break-up), you could have a magnesium deficiency.
4. Anxiety.
Just as magnesium helps to relax your muscles, it also plays a key role in soothing the mind. If you experience anxiety, it could just be that you need more magnesium in your diet. Try taking a magnesium supplement or having a square or two of dark chocolate next time you feel anxious, and monitor its effect on the way you feel.
5. High Blood Pressure.
Blood pressure is so important to your heart health, so it’s essential that its kept at an optimum level. If you have a healthy lifestyle, exercise often and don’t drink or smoke excessively but still suffer from high blood pressure, you could simply have a deficiency in magnesium. This is because the mineral plays an important role in relaxing and dilating your blood vessels – when you don’t have enough, they constrict more, causing high blood pressure. It also helps to balance your electrolytes, and an imbalance in these can, too, lead to increased blood pressure.
6. Irregular Heartbeat.
It’s easy to forget that the heart is a muscle at times – an important muscle, of course, but a muscle nonetheless. This naturally makes the cardiovascular system highly dependent on magnesium for proper function, so if you’ve got an irregular heartbeat, it could simply be because you don’t have enough magnesium in your diet.
7. Constipation.
If you’re regularly struggling to go to the toilet, it could be down to the fact that you’ve got a deficiency in magnesium. Again, this is all down to muscle function – when you’re low in the mineral, your intestines contract more, making it harder for you to pass a stool. Enough magnesium will relax your bowl to enable a regular movement, as well as softening stools.
This article was originally published on Eat Live Glow.
0 comments :
Post a Comment