Feb 2021
Jacqui Lewis - BHSc Nutritional and Dietetic Medicine

Magnesium ‘Magic’ -
Lose Weight, Sleep Better, and Boost Your Mood Easily

Magnesium is required for over 300 reactions in your body.

It affects the way your whole body functions. Many who show very obvious signs of magnesium deficiency quickly feel impressive effects after we correct the problem. When this simple nutrient deficiency is corrected, the benefits are felt very quickly.

Imagine not struggling with your weight, sleeping better at night, and feeling happier after increasing your magnesium intake through food or supplementation.

When you aren’t getting enough it can throw your whole body off. This can leave you struggling to maintain weight, sleep through the night or feeling anxious and depressed.

The most common symptoms of magnesium deficiency

- Unexplained weight gain or difficulty keeping weight off

- Difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep or both
- Daytime tiredness
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Nervousness
- Irritability or mood swings

Low level symptoms can be widespread and confusing, or not severe enough to know something’s wrong. This is why its important to have regular blood tests to watch your levels of all nutrients now your diet is so restricted, and your absorption is affected by the surgery.
A simple blood test with your dietitian or doctor can tell you what important nutrients you’re missing.

Adequate magnesium is likely a solution to many people’s frustrating health problems.

Let’s look at how increasing magnesium intake could improve your weight loss, sleep, and mood.

Magnesium Helps Weight Loss

Here’s a closer look at how magnesium affects your ability to maintain a healthy weight:

Magnesium citrate helps you lose water and stool weight– Magnesium citrate is used as a stool softener to keep you regular. More importantly, it can help maintain healthy magnesium levels if you’re deficient, which improves hormone balance and increases energy production.
Lowers insulin resistance– Magnesium has been shown in numerous studies to reduce insulin resistance. When your body becomes resistant to insulin it can’t keep up with the increased glucose in the bloodstream.

This leads to weight gain, fatigue and other health complications.
Boosts cellular energy – Magnesium is critical in the process that makes cellular energy within your mitochondria. Your cells have an energy currency called ATP that gives them the life they need to complete daily tasks. When you don’t have enough magnesium it lowers your ATP production, which makes you tired and lowers your metabolism.

Magnesium Helps you Sleep Better

If you struggle with getting to sleep at night or staying asleep, it’s quite possible you have a magnesium deficiency (iron deficiency will leave you restless too)

Magnesium helps you sleep because it impacts:

Your circadian rhythm– Keeping you on schedule and releasing the right hormones at the right time of day.
Hormone balance – Magnesium balances hormones associated with sleep such as melatonin and GABA.
Sleep quality – Magnesium helps you stay asleep throughout the night. Studies have found that magnesium before bed can help you sleep throughout the night and when you’re magnesium deficient it impairs your sleep quality by making you restless.

Magnesium deficiency can also keep you awake with racing thoughts because it’s known to cause nervousness and anxiety.

Magnesium improves your mood

Many studies have linked magnesium deficiency to an increased risk of depression and anxiety.

A review of 8,894 American adults found that low magnesium levels increased the risk of depression by 22 percent. Additionally, research has found that adding magnesium supplementation assisted those on anti-depressant medication.

Magnesium directly impacts your neurotransmitters and hormones associated with stress, including cortisol, GABA, and melatonin.

Studies have even found magnesium to be effective in reducing panic attacks.

Due to its impact on the brain and nervous system, magnesium supplements are powerful and effective for influencing your mood.

Download the infographic

Jacqui Lewis
BHSc Nutritional and Dietetic Medicine