The role of magnesium in supporting healthy, restful sleep
Everyone needs sleep in order to function and stay well. The number of hours you need to sleep to function optimally varies from person to person. But experts suggest a minimum of 7 hours a night is the magic number for most folks.
Although we all know how important sleep is to our well-being, sometimes achieving that sweet spot of restful slumber can feel impossible. Understanding the role magnesium plays in supporting rest and rejuvenation can be a real sleep-changer.
Your circadian rhythm
The sleep-wake cycle is based on the circadian rhythm. Over a 24-hour cycle, you’ll notice certain patterns in your mental, physical, and behavioural processes. Much like the sun and moon, you run on a cycle too: one that is defined by waking hours and sleeping hours.
Your internal body clock regulates bodily processes like recovery, rest, and digestion. The circadian rhythm is governed by the pineal gland (which releases melatonin, the sleep hormone) and the endocrine system. But many modern factors can harm the circadian rhythm and throw off your sleep-wake cycle. Sleep deprivation affects our mood, slows our reflexes, undermines decision-making abilities and can often leave us feeling exhausted and foggy throughout the day.
Factors that harm healthy sleep
Common activities like too much screen time in the evening can throw off the circadian rhythm. Other culprits include not seeing enough natural light during the day, caffeine, stress, and alcohol. Additionally, factors like jet lag from travel or irregular shifts in work schedules can further disrupt your circadian rhythm. Those who work late nights have to sleep during the daytime. This confuses your body’s internal clock and lowers melatonin production.
How can magnesium help with better sleep?
Magnesium plays a key role in supporting deep, restorative sleep by regulating certain neurotransmitters that soothe the nervous system and enable the brain to drift off into a relaxed state. It helps the body maintain levels of GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), a neurotransmitter that is responsible for powering down wakefulness.
Magnesium is also involved in the production of melatonin, the hormone that helps control sleep and wake cycles. When magnesium levels are low, the delicate balance of melatonin production is disrupted, potentially leading to sleep disturbances.
Similarly, the more stress you experience, the lower your magnesium levels, resulting in a higher possibility of sleeplessness. This is because stress has been shown to significantly increase our urinary excretion of magnesium. Who knew that the stress we carry by day stows away, disrupting our night’s rest?
But the role of magnesium doesn’t stop there. Muscle tension due to lack of magnesium will also prevent good sleep. Magnesium’s calming effect on the nervous system helps alleviate muscle tension, promoting relaxation and paving the way for more restful sleep.
A gentle formula for restful nights
Getting good sleep is more accessible than we might imagine. And creating the perfect conditions for healthy, dreamy sleep, can be supported by incorporating natural solutions like magnesium.
Our Magnesium Sleep GABA 120 v-caps is designed to help people relax, reset their circadian biological clocks, and get better sleep while reducing the time needed to fall asleep. This extra-gentle formula contains a therapeutic blend of magnesium bis-glycinate, GABA and melatonin in every vegetable capsule.
