A report by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) found that people who do not get enough sleep have a higher risk of developing many health problems including issues related to weight, blood pressure, heart health and mental health. According to the report titled, “Are You Getting Enough Sleep?” the CDC says, “Getting too little sleep can also affect your mood, make you less productive, and make you more likely to have an accident”.
There are many factors at play when people get trouble sleeping. The obvious culprits are: stress, irregular sleep patterns, too much exposure to blue light and lack of exercise. All these could be as a result of one’s lifestyle. Fortunately, magnesium is a viable solution to sleeping troubles for millions of people across the world.
Magnesium For Sleep
Magnesium, particularly di-magnesium malate, is involved in an array of various body systems thanks to the key roles it plays in physical and mental health. We’ll highlight more about di-magnesium malate later on in this article. Despite magnesium’s impact of its contribution to a healthy functioning body, we still fall short of sustaining the recommended magnesium levels in the body. This is because of any one or a combination of the following reasons.
Farming lands for most of the foods we take are depleted of magnesium
Processing of magnesium rich foods such as wheat, cuts the mineral’s content by as much as 84%
Stressful lives eat into the little magnesium reserves left in the body
Heavy alcohol intake reduces the amount of magnesium in the body
Ground water is heavily filtered of natural magnesium before it becomes tap water
Consumption of vitamin D also increases the need for magnesium because it is involved in the absorption of the vitamin
Most common diets are deficient of magnesium rich foods required to meet daily requirements
Di-Magnesium Malate
Magnesium malate or di-magnesium malate is a type of magnesium bound to malic acid. This union helps your cells make and use energy.
Di-Magnesium malate plays a role in relieving many issues that contribute to cases of poor sleeping. It does the following:
- Relaxes muscles tension and prevents muscle cramping at night
Magnesium decreases the excitability of nerves and muscles thereby reducing irritability in the nerves and muscles. Through its role in transporting potassium and calcium ions across cell membranes, it supports healthy heart rhythms, muscles and nerves.
- Relieves stress
Magnesium does this by promoting the healthy functioning of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors. These are neurotransmitters which help calm the brain and reduce tension. Increasing your GABA levels promotes relaxation. It also regulates the stress hormone cortisol as was experienced in the participants of a 1984 study published in the Journal of Clinical Chemistry and Clinical Biochemistry.
- Relieves Digestive Disorders
Di-magnesium malate has been found to promote healthy digestion processes. Because of all this, di-magnesium malate stands out as one of the best magnesium supplements on the market today.
Does Di-Magnesium Malate make you sleepy?
This is a common question that often arises among new users of magnesium supplements. What di-magnesium supplement does is to help you relax by activating neurotransmitters that calm the mind. Should you feel sleepy, that is most likely because you are tired or have a sleep deficit. It basically lays for you the ground work to have good quality shut-eye and feel energized and refreshed when you wake up.
Why should I take Di-Magnesium Malate over other forms of magnesium?
The prefix “di” that is used in di-magnesium malate supplement is because of its ability to yield twice the elemental magnesium as other forms. This makes it easier to get enough supplemental magnesium in just a few capsules which are normally taken with evening meals or before bed. So you can say good bye to your magnesium powders drinks. On the other hand, poorly absorbing magnesium like magnesium oxide only absorb by the body at about 4% which can lead to gastric distress and loose stools. You may have heard of “Milk of Magnesia” used as a laxative for treatment of constipation.
By bonding the magnesium to an organic compound such as malic acid, the absorption rate is greatly increased. Bonding is what separates effective magnesium supplements from mediocre ones.