I think most of us struggle with getting a good night's sleep on a regular basis. Especially when life alters our routine. I know I do! What tends to be the most common denominator with interrupting a healthy night's rest? From what I have seen it is most frequently stress related. When we are anxious and our brain is running a million miles a minute, getting into that healthy circadian rhythm is not only a challenge, it feels impossible.
So how can we support our brains and mental health to exit out of that constant stress response and enter into a state of rest before we go to sleep at night? Obviously there are many factors that can assist but something we all could add to our toolbelt is magnesium.
How does magnesium support the brain?
Magnesium is crucial in inducing a state of calm in the brain. There is a very important brain chemical known as GABA. GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter, meaning its role is to prevent overexcitation so our brain is less overactivated. The more GABA produced, the less anxious we feel. Glutamate is another important chemical that functions as the brain’s excitatory neurotransmitter. If we have too much glutamate production we feel more anxious. Magnesium interacts with both of these chemicals. It helps increase GABA release and prevent excess glutamate release in the brain. Due to magnesium's interaction with these two chemicals it reduces anxious thought patterns, making us feel more calm.
Can I get enough magnesium in the diet?
Magnesium is found in a variety of foods including nuts, seeds, greens, beans and whole grains. Yet, these foods are rich in nutrient inhibitors that when consumed raw prevent us from fully absorbing all of the magnesium within them. In addition, due to mono agriculture and farming practices, soil is becoming increasingly more magnesium deficient. The foods we consume are not as rich in magnesium as we would hope.
This has led to prevalent magnesium deficiency. Approximately 10-30% of the general population is magnesium deficient. The only way to combat this is by integrating supplementation.
What is a good source of magnesium?
There are all sorts of magnesium supplements on the market so it’s hard to know what to buy. Some magnesium supplements, like magnesium oxide, magnesium citrate and magnesium carbonate will often function as laxatives as absorption is lower. Our preferred form at SWW® is magnesium glycinate. In this form magnesium is bound to the amino acid glycine. Glycine is an important amino acid that supports tissue and muscle building. It also helps provide a calming effect to the brain to support better sleep.
Restore for sleep:
Stress, impaired sleep, and magnesium deficiency are some of the reasons we came up with Restore. Restore contains 38% of your daily value of magnesium, in the magnesium glycinate form. This, along with other essential minerals, will help lull you into a better sleep at night due to magnesium’s crucial role in calming the stress response. We recommend taking it approximately 30 minutes before bed so those nagging, anxious thoughts are alleviated and you are able to enter into a deep rest.
