If you suffer from muscle spasms or cramps, a simple magnesium deficiency may be the culprit. Magnesium is one of the most common minerals in the body and is necessary for many bodily functions. A lack of magnesium, on the other hand, can cause some health problems, including cramps and muscle spasms.
Muscle Spasms and Cramps
Muscle spasms are involuntary movements of a muscle or muscle fiber. These spasms occur especially after exercise, and if the spasm is forceful enough and sustained for a long enough period, it turns into a cramp. According to the National Institutes of Health, such cramps usually occur during the night and can last from a few seconds to several minutes.
Electrolytes
The reason muscle spasms and cramps occur is often due to a lack of minerals known as electrolytes, including magnesium, calcium, potassium and sodium. A lack of electrolytes can be caused by poor diet or heavy exercise. Aerobic exercise particularly results in a loss of electrolytes because they are lost during heavy sweating. Electrolytes must be replaced in the body through foods that are high in minerals. Isotonic sports drinks contain electrolytes, too. According to Mineral Resources International, a National Sanitation Foundation-approved worldwide distributor of nutritional minerals, "an imbalance or deficiency of these electrolytes can cause problems with the body's electrical impulses and lead to muscle cramps and/or muscle spasms."
Magnesium
A deficiency in magnesium can produce muscle spasms and cramps as well as a host of other symptoms. According to the National Institutes of Health, "as magnesium deficiency worsens, numbness, tingling, muscle contractions and cramps, seizures (sudden changes in behaviors caused by excessive electrical activity in the brain), personality changes and abnormal heart rhythms can occur." Magnesium deficiency is also associated with low levels of potassium in the blood and can reduce calcium levels. Potassium and calcium deficiency cause muscle spasms and cramps. An increased risk of muscle spasms can also be caused by low levels of other minerals, such as potassium or calcium, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Other Benefits of Magnesium
Magnesium is the fourth most common mineral in the body and is essential for good health. Magnesium helps regulate blood pressure, blood sugar levels, metabolic rate and protein synthesis and is needed for more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body. Magnesium must therefore be replaced in the body, especially after heavy aerobic exercise. Foods that contain magnesium include green vegetables such as spinach, and beans, peas, nuts, seeds and whole-grain breads.
