(And Why So Many of Us Have It)
It’s 11pm, you’re staring at the ceiling again, and your left eyelid has been twitching since dinner.
It’s so easy to blame the day. You spent all day staring at a screen and you probably shouldn’t have had that coffee at 3pm. Maybe the stress of the week is finally catching up.
Those are all fair guesses, but what if your body is actually asking for something much simpler?
Magnesium is involved in more than 300 processes in your body, from muscle relaxation to nerve function to sleep regulation to keeping your heart beating steadily. It’s one of the hardest-working minerals you have, and also one of the most commonly short-changed. It’s the single most common deficiency I see in my practice, and most of my clients are genuinely healthy eaters. Modern life just drains magnesium faster than most of us can replace it.
Why We’re All a Little Short
Even a fairly healthy diet may not be enough anymore, and that used to surprise me too.
Decades of intensive farming have stripped magnesium from the soil that grows our food, so the broccoli on your plate today has less magnesium than the same broccoli did in your grandmother’s kitchen. Research comparing crops now to those from the 1950s backs this up. There has been a real and measurable drop in vegetables’ mineral content, magnesium included.
Add in the everyday realities of stress, coffee, alcohol and food that leans processed more often than we’d like to admit, and it’s easy to see why deficiency is so widespread.
Why Your Blood Test Might Miss It
A standard blood test often can’t catch it: only about one percent of the magnesium in your body circulates in your blood. The rest lives in your bones, muscles and tissues.
Your muscles, including your heart muscle, need magnesium to work properly, so your body works really hard to keep that blood number normal even when your stores underneath are running low. Which means you can be dealing with a real deficiency and still walk out of your doctor’s office with a completely normal result. I’ve seen it happen over and over.
Signs Your Body Might Be Waving a Flag
So what does deficiency actually feel like? It’s rarely one dramatic symptom. Instead, it’s usually a handful of small, easy-to-dismiss things showing up together:
- Tight muscles or knots in your shoulders
- An eyelid or little muscles that twitches on their own
- Restless legs (especially at night)
- Sleep that feels light
- A low hum of anxiety
- Tension headaches
- Constipation
- Cravings for dark chocolate (it’s very high in magnesium)
In more pronounced cases, people notice an irregular or fluttery heartbeat.
None of these symptoms are proof on their own. They overlap with plenty of other things, but when several show up together and stick around, it’s worth getting curious about what your body might be trying to tell you.
The Stress Loop
Stress depletes magnesium, and low magnesium makes it harder for your nervous system to handle stress, so these two can feed each other. It’s one reason the wired-but-exhausted feeling so many people describe doesn’t always resolve with more sleep or a lighter schedule. Sometimes the missing piece is nutritional, not just circumstantial.
Who’s Most at Risk
Some people are more likely to run low than others. Most people in my practice tick at least two or three boxes without realizing it. Anyone under regular stress burns through magnesium faster, since your body uses more of it when cortisol is elevated.
People with digestive conditions like Crohn’s, celiac disease or ongoing gastrointestinal issues often absorb less magnesium, regardless of how well they eat. Coffee and alcohol both increase how much magnesium your body loses. Certain common medications, including some acid reducers and diuretics, can lower your levels over time.
Older adults tend to absorb less and excrete more, even on a good diet. Athletes and anyone who exercises heavily or sweats a lot, whether that’s marathon training or a physically demanding job, loses more through sweat than the average person.
Lastly, because magnesium shifts with hormones, people going through pregnancy or hormonal transitions like perimenopause are also more prone to running low.
Where to Go From Here
Magnesium is easy to find once you know to look for it. Leafy greens, pumpkin seeds, almonds, black beans, avocado and dark chocolate are all solid sources, and working more of them into your meals is a reasonable first step for almost anyone.
If your symptoms are more persistent, or you suspect food alone isn’t cutting it, it’s worth considering a supplement. In today’s world, it can be hard to get enough magnesium just through your food. I’ve tried eating my way there with dark chocolate and cocoa alone. (Delicious plan, but it didn’t work.)
None of this needs to turn into another thing to manage or worry about. Sometimes the fix for feeling not quite right isn’t complicated—it starts with a little curiosity about what your body has been trying to tell you.
Not All Magnesium Is Created Equal
Walk down a supplement aisle and you’ll find magnesium in half a dozen different forms, and they aren’t interchangeable. Here’s a quick guide to what’s what.
Bisglycinate: for calm and sleep
Bound to the amino acid glycine, which has its own calming effect and can help with sleep, it’s also gentle on your digestion, so a good pick for a higher daily amount.
Citrate: the everyday all-rounder
Common, affordable and well-absorbed, at higher doses this has a mild laxative effect, making it a popular choice specifically for constipation.
Malate: for energy and muscle support
Paired with malic acid, it’s involved in cellular energy production so it’s often used for fatigue or muscle soreness.
L-Threonate: for brain and focus
This newer form has been studied for crossing into the brain more effectively than other types. Early research points to benefits for memory and focus.
Oxide: budget option, limited absorption
Inexpensive and widely available, but poorly absorbed, this is not the best choice for correcting a true deficiency, although it’s helpful for short-term constipation.
Chloride: through the skin
Found in topical sprays, oils and Epsom salt baths (magnesium sulfate), this is a good option if digestive absorption is a concern.
Lisa Kilgour, rhn After years of being frustrated with her own health issues, she began looking at her health like a puzzle, searching for the missing pieces that would help her heal. Today, as a Registered Holistic Nutritionist (RHN), Lisa helps others piece together all the ways they care for themselves—emotions, gut flora, sleep, stress and food—to inspire health and healing.
Learn more: lisakilgour.com
