Ciao -
Welcome back to Supplements! Let’s get into Episode 3.
In a world of go - go - go, high stress demands, high stress people, high stress… everything sometimes, magnesium is one of my favorite bio-hackers to have in my tool belt to help relax and mitigate the lingering feelings of stress.
So what is magnesium?
Magnesium is a mineral found in every cell of the body that accounts for over 300 biochemical essential functions our bodies carry out every single day; converting food into energy, muscle contractions, nervous system regulation, and firing neurotransmitters for brain processes, to name a few big ones.
Many different studies in the world of magnesium have shown an estimation that most adults are deficient in magnesium, varying in degrees from slightly to extremely deficient. With so many large as well as small processes taking place in the body every day (remember - about 300!) requiring magnesium, it is no wonder that most of us are low. Not to mention the addition of chronic stress some of us feel on a daily basis!
Let’s talk about what I like to call a stress hangover - feeling extremely depleted and exhausted on a whole body level after a stressful day, night, event, or week. Know the feeling? This stress hangover so to speak not only comes from the emotional and mental fatigue, but more specifically from the body literally being wiped of mineral storages as stress of any kind burns through minerals at an extremely taxing rate. When these storages are not built back up through diet and supplementation, the stress becomes a perpetuating cycle that can feel overwhelming. While stress management is one the most powerful things we can do to help mitigate the negative effects, magnesium is an incredible tool we can introduce into our self care practices to aid in stress management.
Some common symptoms of low magnesium can be headaches and light headedness, low muscle function and spasms, mental and physical fatigue, and racing heartbeat after walking up the stairs or standing up quickly. My personal telltale sign that I need to up my magnesium is the adrenal burnout feeling of exhaustion but not being able to fall asleep or not sleeping well and waking up feeling as tired as the night before.
Through food, good sources of magnesium include pumpkin seeds, cashews, coffee, bananas, pears, avocados, spinach, and orange juice. Dark chocolate is also very high in magnesium. That's the best news ever, right? Our bodies are so intelligent, and sometimes craving a nice big chunk of a high quality chocolate is something you can happily honor to help replace magnesium when you are feeling extra stressed.
While focusing on a nutrient rich diet is of the highest priority regardless of your goals, fighting a chronic level of low minerals levels like magnesium can be hugely benefited with supplementation, especially considering the recommendation of about 320-420 mg per day, and more if the body is depleted to build that storage back up. One of my absolute favorite ways to support my body with magnesium is to take a full body or foot bath with magnesium flakes; I always feel amazing, calm, and ready for the best sleep of my life. I encouraged my parents to take a magnesium bath after gifting them some magnesium flakes and they could not believe how much more relaxed and re-centered they felt afterwards. They are now both advocates of magnesium baths as well! Check out the link below for my favorite clean and sustainable brand:
If baths are not your thing, there are many other forms of magnesium such as oils, lotions, and pill capsules that are just as effective. Magnesium oil can be very helpful for period cramps, lotion is an easy way to get your minerals in before bed to support a good nights sleep, and a magnesium capsule in the morning can boost mental clarity and energy.
There are so many wonderful options out there in our modern world to enhance quality of life and wellbeing, ready at our fingertips to utilize. Chronic stress is a huge issue in our everyday lives that can bleed in every area of our health and wellness. I encourage you to recognize in what areas you could use a little boost, and to capitalize on that, because remember, we are meant not just to survive, but to thrive.
Food for thought,
Lai