Insomnia is an increasingly common medical condition. So much so that Statistics say that 50% of people over 55 suffer from it. years. And hence the increase in sales of magnesium pills during this time.
But what do we mean by insomnia?
Briefly, it is difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep. And it is not only a problem of personal discomfort, but it has consequences that represent a high health and economic burden.
1 Health because insomnia in adults older is related to:
The loss of memory cognitive impairment
Dementia As well as the consequent increase in falls and a worse quality of life.
2 Economical because the Annual cost For an older adult with insomnia, it is estimated that it is 1,143 times greater than that of a person without insomnia.
Constant search for solutions for insomnia
For these two important reasons, solutions for insomnia are constantly sought.
And one of the most used is magnesium.
Especially attractive for these 4 reasons:
It is natural Economical Easy to find And theoretically it gives good results.
insomnia 1522 (1) / Photo by cottonbro studio: https://www.pexels.com
Is magnesium the antidote to insomnia?
Magnesium is often touted as a remedy to enjoy a restful sleep and a good rest.
And the truth is that most doctors do not objectand many of them even consider that It is okay to take it in a complementary way.
But if we want to have demonstrated security, The reality is that the evidence for its sleep-inducing benefits is unclear..
Above all because Most people already have sufficient levels of magnesium.since it is an easy mineral to obtain if you follow a relatively healthy diet.
We find magnesium in:
Green leafy vegetables Unrefined grains Legumes Nuts Vegetables Seeds Yogurt Fish…
And the reality is that It is strange to find people with magnesium deficiencies.
But as this mineral in reasonable doses has no contraindicationsmany doctors assure that nothing is lost by taking a supplement and trying, since experience ensures that there are people who help.
insomnia 0707 / Photo by cottonbro studio: https://www.pexels.com/es-es
What is magnesium for?
Magnesium plays a very important role in many physiological functions:
Helps maintain immune health, Improves blood sugar regulation, Maintains nerve and muscle function.
And since a shortage of this mineral in the body can alter the levels of sleep-inducing hormones such as melatonin, some scientists believe that its deficiency contributes to lack of sleep.
But the question is:
Can taking a magnesium supplement help us improve sleep?
The answer is not so simple.
If we want scientific data we could say that There is not enough evidence to guarantee the effectiveness of taking magnesium pills. to sleep better.
But it is also true that There are studies on its effectiveness against insomnia, that come close to answering the question affirmatively.
In this 2012 study Researchers recruited 46 older adults with chronic insomnia and divided them into two groups. One was prescribed 500 milligrams of magnesium every day for eight weeks, and the other was given a placebo.
At the end of the study, the researchers found that people taking magnesium were more likely to notice improvements in “subjective” measures of insomniasuch as how quickly they fell asleep every night and the number of times they woke up.
But Regarding total sleep time, no differences were found between those taking magnesium and those taking placebo.
With everything, Scientists do not consider most of these studies to be sufficiently conclusive.as stated in a recently published review.
Many doctors are favorable
In general, magnesium appears to have minimal side effects and taking low doses is unlikely to cause harm.
And although it is not good to exceed that dose, because it can cause diarrhea, several doctors assure that within those limits and as much as the evidence that it can help against insomnia is weak, trying it does not hurt.
“I tell my patients that they can try it and see if it helps them. Because it may not help, but it doesn’t hurt».
Restless legs syndrome
One case in which magnesium is recommended is for patients who have he Restless Leg Syndrome.
It’s about a nervous system disorder that causes people to have an irresistible urge to move their limbs, usually at nightand that usually greatly disturbs sleep.
Given this ailment, as Magnesium helps nerves correctly transmit electrical signalscan be very effective.
And although scientific evidence of its benefits is still limited, it is not uncommon for doctors to advise it.
2024-05-11 03:26:43
#doctor #magnesium #pills #sleep
