Magnesium is essential for muscle health and recovery

Intense exercise imposes a lot of strain on your muscles. To restore those important tissues to their healthiest state at a faster pace, an article in Sports Injury Clinic suggests increasing your intake of magnesium through food, drinks, and supplements.

Magnesium plays a significant role in maintaining general muscular health. It speeds up the recovery of sore muscles. It is also vital for muscle relaxation.

Its benefits are not just limited to the muscles. Magnesium possesses significant anti-inflammatory activity so that it can prevent the onset of inflammatory diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and arthritis.e

It improves the body’s ability to absorb calcium into the bones, ensuring the strength of the skeleton. The nerves that crisscross the entire body also use up magnesium at a constant rate.

Rigorous physical exercise can deplete magnesium levels in the body — a severe magnesium deficiency results in muscles that are perpetually locked in a contracted position. This unpleasant state could prolong bouts of distressful pain and even cause severe injuries.

Furthermore, calcium levels in the blood will rise because of the lower absorption rates. This weakens bones, cause osteoporosis for women, and contribute to the onset of heart problems. (Related: The surprising link between magnesium and brain health.)

The signs and symptoms of magnesium deficiency

Most Westerners are suffering from mild cases of magnesium deficiency. This is attributed to the “modern” methods used to grown foods, as well as the industrial techniques used in food processing.

More than 60 percent of the western population is believed to be suffering from varying levels of magnesium deficiency. In the U.S. as well as the U.K., at least 30 percent of the population is not getting enough magnesium in their daily diet.

Many symptoms of mild magnesium deficiency involve the muscles. Patients reported experiencing cramps, spasms, and long bouts of soreness and tension. These muscular symptoms will not go away until magnesium levels are back to normal.

Other symptoms of minor magnesium deficiency include anxiety, fatigue, a lack of appetite, restless sleep, vomiting, and bouts of weakness. Signs of severe deficiency include abnormalities in the heartbeat, coronary spasms, numbness, tingling, seizures, and even abrupt changes in personality.

The most severe level of deficiency disrupts the mineral homeostasis of the body. Rock bottom amounts of magnesium could cause severe drops in both calcium and potassium, another essential electrolyte mineral that gets depleted by strenuous physical exertion.

Eat these foods to replenish magnesium

The best way to replenish magnesium is to eat the right foods. Spinach and other dark green leafy vegetables are bursting with the mineral. Apricots, bananas, dark chocolate fish, legumes, natural yogurt, nuts, and seeds are other good sources of magnesium.

Always consume organically-grown produce and animals. These are much healthier and safer sources of needed nutrients. Remember that conventional farming and excessive food processing is partly to blame for low levels of magnesium in commonly-available food.

Some people have digestion-related issues that prevent them from absorbing magnesium from food. They are recommended to take oral supplements of the mineral.

Sports and fitness practitioners need to replenish their magnesium levels as fast as possible to speed up the recovery of their tired muscles. They use an increasing number of transdermal products that include bath salts, lotions, and sprays.

These topical products apply magnesium directly upon the skin. The mineral is quickly absorbed by the sore muscles that need it. They are prescribed for people who perform intensive weight training, sprinting, and other forms of physical exercise that impose severe stress upon their muscles.

Nutrients.news has more helpful articles for those who want to know how to improve their magnesium levels naturally.

Sources include:

SportsInjuryClinic.net

ODS.OD.NIH.gov