Most people can readily identify with the tired, listless feeling that comes after a poor night's sleep. It takes little imagination to picture how you might feel if this occurred night after night. However, those suffering from insomnia experience this on a daily basis. Magnesium may help overcome the problem. Confer with your doctor before you begin taking magnesium for your insomnia.
Definition
Insomnia as an inability to fall asleep or stay asleep throughout the night, or waking up too early without having gotten sufficient sleep. Between 30 and 40 percent of adults experience the symptoms of this condition in any 12-month period, and categorize their insomnia as either acute or chronic. Acute episodes refer to short-term problems with sleep, while any issue lasting longer than a month is categorized as chronic. Sufferers of insomnia generally experience fatigue and reduced mental clarity during the day.
Magnesium
Magnesium plays a role in more than 300 enzymes in the human body, making it an extremely valuable mineral in a variety of the body's organ systems. Charles Poliquin, the strength and conditioning coach who wrote "The Poliquin Principles," believes magnesium remains one of the most common deficiencies in the Western population; he tests the mineral status of all clients entering his clinic and finds that it crops up almost every time. This can have negative consequences on hydration, energy production and sleep.
Effects on Sleep
Your magnesium status affects your ability to get to sleep in a several ways. The body requires a supply of the mineral to relax the muscles; if you are deficient, you will struggle to rid yourself of tension in the evening and may also suffer from cramps. Magnesium also reduces the release of adrenaline from the cardiac muscle, which allows the central nervous system to relax fully and deep sleep to begin. This becomes difficult without adequate magnesium supply; insomnia may result.
Evidence
Scientists from the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at Albert Ludwig University looked into the effects of magnesium of individuals suffering from insomnia. In a 1998 experiment, they measured the amount of limb movement and incidents of waking both before and after magnesium supplementation. Their results, which featured in the "Sleep" journal, showed that use of the mineral showed significant improvements across the group of volunteers. The scientists concluded that magnesium helps reduce insomnia.
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