Are you getting enough magnesium? The odds are that you’re not. According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) of 2005-2006 it was found that most people in the United States ingest less than their estimated average requirement (EAR), the amount you need to consume to remain healthy.

Magnesium is present throughout the body, and it’s important in more than 300 enzymatic systems that regulate different biochemical reactions. You need magnesium for energy, structural development of bone, DNA and RNA, and to transport ions for nerve impulse conduction, muscle contraction, and normal heart rhythm.

Magnesium is vital to your health from top to bottom.

Magnesium Recommended Intake

The daily recommended intake of foods is set as a general guideline, but there can be variances for age and gender. The daily recommended dietary allowances for magnesium are as follows:

♦ Birth to 6 months 30 mg

♦ 7-12 months 75 mg

♦ 1-3 years 80 mg

♦ 4-8 years 130mg

♦ 9-13 years 240mg

♦ 14-18 years 410mg males 360mg females

♦ 19-30 years 400mg males 310mg females

♦ 31-50 years 420mg males 320mg females

♦ 51+ years 420mg males 320mg females

Requirements change for women who are pregnant or lactating, and your doctor can help you reach those amounts.

Sources of Magnesium

If you’re looking to add more magnesium to your diet, it’s readily available in a variety of foods and even beverages. Foods that have dietary fiber typically have magnesium, so green leafy vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes are good options.

Other places you can find magnesium are in avocados, potatoes, bananas, salmon, halibut, milk, chicken breasts, apples, carrots, raisins, and even some bottled waters.

While magnesium occurs in a lot of different foods, the problem is that it usually presents in relatively small amounts when you consider how much you need to consume to hit your recommended daily allowance.

Take plain, low-fat yogurt for example. An 8 ounce serving is a nice source of magnesium with 42 mg, but that’s still only 11% of your recommended daily allowance.

Magnesium Deficiency Risk Factors

In addition to magnesium existing in relatively low levels in a wide variety of foods, some other circumstances can lead you to a magnesium deficiency.

People who abuse alcohol or have a poor diet are more at risk. Then there are some people who have gastrointestinal problems or vitamin D deficiencies, and they appear to be more prone to magnesium deficiencies as well.

If you’re concerned you might be one of those who are magnesium deficient, check out our magnesium deficiency risk list:

♦ An insatiable sweet tooth

♦ Regular calcium supplement use

♦ You consume soda, other sugary drinks, or drink a lot of caffeinated beverages

♦ Diagnosis of celiac disease or Crohn’s disease

♦ You eat a lot of processed foods

♦ Drink city water or water that’s been softened

♦ Diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes

♦ You avoid eating vegetables, especially leafy green ones

♦ Taking certain medications

Top Signs of Magnesium Deficiency

If you don’t get enough magnesium in your diet today, you’re not going to see any of the signs tomorrow, but over time you’ll begin to notice a change as your body is working less efficiently.

1. Muscle Spasms and Cramps

You’ve had those Charlie horse cramps that seize you up in pain, magnesium deficiency can cause these cramps, but they can also be responsible for less severe muscle issues. If you feel stiff, heavy, and like it’s hard to move; you might be suffering from lower magnesium levels.

2. Constipation

Not having enough magnesium can cause you to be constipated, as it’s believed to have a laxative effect.

3. You Feel Out of Sorts

If you’re feeling a bit down or your mood and personality just aren’t what they used to be, it could be a sign of magnesium deficiency. There is evidence that magnesium may lead to a rapid recovery from depression.

4. Your Heart Races

Magnesium deficiency also causes potassium levels to drop. Potassium plays a big role in regulating your heart muscle cells and a normal heart rhythm, so if your potassium is off then your heart rhythm may feel out of sync to you.

5. Tingly Extremities

Magnesium helps your nerves relay signals, whereas a lack of magnesium leaves your extremities with strange signals that cause tingling or even numbness like they’ve fallen asleep.

6. Sleep Problems

Magnesium can have a drastic impact on your quality of sleep. The GABA receptors in your brain are neurotransmitters that signal your brain that it’s time to relax and sleep, they need magnesium to do this.

The Solution to Magnesium Deficiency

Obviously, the easiest solution to magnesium deficiency is to consume more magnesium. While choosing to eat more foods that contain magnesium and controlling your alcohol intake are a great place to start, that might not be proactive enough.

If you really want to combat magnesium deficiency and feel better, a easily absorbable high-quality supplement is the best solution. Designed to give you the ultimate amount of magnesium you need and ensure absorption, MagWellTM also features vitamin D3, which is essential for magnesium absorption as well as bone, muscle, immune, and enzymatic health. This proprietary formula will quickly get you back on track to better health and feeling like you should again.

Waking Up To Wellness

Magnesium plays a role in nerve and muscle function, bone health, healthy metabolism, your heart rhythm, enzymatic systems and more. While magnesium is found in many foods, magnesium deficiency is still a prevalent problem, affecting many.

The symptoms of magnesium deficiency do not come on suddenly, so they’re easy to pass off as something else or to ignore them until they progress into something worse. The good news is that they can be quickly remedied by adding magnesium back into your life.

While eating more foods with magnesium is a good start, it’s typically not enough to give you the dietary recommended amounts, which is why adding a supplement is a great solution. A high-quality supplement will give you the amount of magnesium your body requires while adding in other healthy nutrients that promote magnesium absorption and all-over health.