Insomnia plagues as many as one in three people in the UK, but is something so small but vital as a magnesium deficiency overlooked as the cause? According to clinical research and many world-renowned integrative doctors, this is exactly what is going on for many people living with insomnia.
Being a true insomniac means more than just going to bed a little late every night, or pulling the occasional all-nighter. In fact, many living with insomnia struggle to get to sleep well into the early hours of the morning, and this takes place on a regular basis.
Insomnia Explained – More Than a Little Trouble Sleeping
To define true insomnia, a person would live with one or more of the following symptoms on a regular and ongoing basis:
- Difficulty falling asleep
- Difficulty returning to sleep
- Difficulty staying asleep
Having insomnia can then result in the following symptoms being experienced:
- Excessive drowsiness
- Lack of energy
- Anxiety
- Irritability
- Difficulty with tasks, learning and remembering
Lack Of Sleep – More Damaging to Health Than We Realise
When you have experienced a terrible night’s sleep, the resulting next day will leave your body with temporarily raised cortisol levels. Which explains why we are all that bit more easily agitated with others following a poor night’s sleep. But for those that experience poor sleep on a regular basis, like those with insomnia, these cortisol levels will be raised abnormally high daily.
Cortisol is a hormone that yes, we do need sometimes to help us to ‘fight or flight’ from a dangerous situation – but when the situation is not life threatening and when we are are constantly producing cortisol, serious damage to our health can occur such as:
- High blood pressure
- Suppressed immunity
- Fat deposits on the neck, stomach and/or back region
- Reduced libido
- Excess carbohydrate cravings
- Bone loss
- And even sudden death
NB: For some cases of high cortisol, systemic inflammation can be to blame which may be caused by an underlying health problem; in some cases a serious condition called Cushing’s Syndrome can also be to blame for high cortisol levels. No matter what is going on, it is advisable to see a functional doctor to rule out something serious that will be easier to treat the sooner it is identified.
Magnesium, Nature’s Natural Relaxant
When it comes to raised cortisol levels, the mineral magnesium may be able to help. In a trial published in the Journal of Clinical Chemistry and Clinical Biochemistry and based on nine healthy males, each completed a one-hour ergometer exercise before and after a 14-day magnesium supplement. In this particular study, the usual aldosterone and cortisol hormone increased during exercise was not observed.
And in fact, cortisol concentration was significantly lower after supplementing with magnesium. In the conclusion of a study published more recently in The Journal of Research In Medical Science, the following interesting statement was made about magnesium:
“Supplementation of magnesium appears to improve subjective and objective measures of insomnia in elderly people and may become a useful instrument in managing sleep disorders in the elderly, which could also be extended as a helpful aid to the general population.”
Why Supplementation May be the Only Way Forward with Chronic Magnesium Deficiencies
These are some incredible findings and should ignite more of us to address the importance of magnesium deficiencies, which are more prevalent than we realise and could be the reason many people with sleep disorders like insomnia respond so well in trials involving magnesium.
Also, even those of us that rely heavily on good nutrition to help keep our chances of a magnesium deficiency low, may still be vulnerable to it despite the best of intentions. This is largely due to our soil quality suffering in recent years from modern farming practices, and also because magnesium is removed from water when it is treated before being sent to us in our taps.
With so many things against us then, despite our best efforts, the only way forward may be to supplement with a good-quality magnesium supplement to rectify a magnesium deficiency.
Supplement for Addressing Magnesium Deficiency
For those interested in supplementing with magnesium, we would recommend Revitacell Magnesium Citrate. Magnesium Citrate is a combination of magnesium and citric acid which is readily absorbed into the blood stream and body tissues.This supplement is produced in the UK and contain no magnesium stearate or unnecessary fillers.
If you have any questions about this supplement, or indeed any of our supplements, don't hesitate to get in touch. You can get in touch with our friendly team by email and you can also reach us on +44 (0) 1764 662111.
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