What is Magnesium?
Magnesium, the fourth most abundant mineral in your body, is crucial for over 300 enzyme systems and our overall health. It plays a pivotal role in various bodily functions, from facilitating muscle contractions to contributing to DNA synthesis.
Magnesium is often referred to as the “sleep mineral”, is a natural wonder that plays a vital role in helping us achieve a restful night of sleep.
Magnesium also plays a vital role in overall human health. Research has shown that not having enough magnesium could increase the risk for several conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, depression and ADHD.
What's the Source of Magnesium?
Though it is found in plenty of foods, such as: nuts, avocados, and even dark chocolate, it can still be difficult to get the daily recommended amount. Staggeringly, roughly 90% of the world’s population is believed to be magnesium deficient!
The reason due to the lack of naturally occurring magnesium in soil due to industrialised farming. 100 years ago you’d get all you need from eating a normal diet, but sadly that’s not the case anymore. Although many whole foods like green leafy vegetables, nuts and seeds contain magnesium, up to two-thirds of people in the Western world don’t meet their magnesium needs with diet alone - it’s safe to say that magnesium supplementation is highly recommended, especially for those who suffer from high anxiety and/or poor sleep.
Often poor sleep and/or restless legs in the evenings are symptoms of having low levels of magnesium and supplementing the body can help restore magnesium levels, promoting healthier sleep patterns. It works by calming the nervous system and relaxing muscles, promoting relaxation conducive to sleep. It also helps to alleviate anxiety and depression.
Different Types of Magnesium for Sleep
In order for magnesium to be absorbed by the body, it must be bound to an amino acid, organic acid, or salt. As such there are many different types of magnesium supplements out there and they all offer different benefits and uses.
Ten PM’s Night Drink contains 125mg of high quality Magnesium Citrate. We use this version of magnesium as it is among the most bioavailable forms of magnesium, meaning it’s more easily absorbed into your body. As poor sleep is often linked to low magnesium levels, research has shown that the most bioavailable form of magnesium is essential in order to reverse this shortage and has the greatest positive impact on sleep.
Another form of Magnesium which is often used to improve sleep is Magnesium Glycinate (or bis-glycinate). This is Magnesium combined with the amino acid Glycine, and when these two elements are together the combination can reduce anxiety, depression, stress and insomnia. The great news is that as our Night Drink also contains 3000mg of glycine, so you will also benefit from the combination of these two amazing and important nutrients. So you get the great bioavailability of Citrate and the added sleep benefits of Glycine.
We also recommend to combine any Magnesium supplementation with Zinc as these two minerals have mutual benefits: Magnesium helps your body regulate its zinc levels, while zinc does the job of allowing it to absorb magnesium more effectively. Our Night Drink also contains Zinc as one of the 7 specific sleep inducing ingredients to ensure your body is getting the best supplements it needs to improve the quality of your sleep.
