Login Sign up
Every 28 days or so us women get a reminder of how amazing our bodies are, but for some that natural cycle can bring a range of unwanted symptoms.
Cramps, breast tenderness, extreme irritability, bloating, headaches, digestive problems, disturbed sleep, worse hangovers! – or if you’re really unlucky, you might suffer from all of these at once!
Most of us seek relief, but few of us are able to truly find it. A heating pad or hot water bottle might make cramps slightly more bearable and over the counter painkillers can numb the symptoms but they don't deal with the causes. Thankfully, scientists have discovered an effective natural solution in the form of magnesium.
Magnesium deficiencies are extremely common. The British Nutrition Foundation reports that more than half of all teenage girls, 20 per cent of women between the ages of 19 and 34, and 53 per cent of women overall fail to get enough magnesium in our diets.
It is believed that this condition can exacerbate PMS symptoms like period pain thanks to the increased contractility in smooth muscles and raised prostaglandin levels it causes.
Some studies into magnesium for PMS have found the following
Women taking 400 milligrams of magnesium per day noted reductions in the nervous tension, headaches, weight gain, sugar cravings, breast pain and dizziness that come with PMS.
A study in PLOS Onefound that adults who took just 248 milligrams of magnesium per day noted significant improvements in depression and anxietylevels after six weeks, and this is likely due to its ability to regulate neuronal function.
Taking 500 milligrams of magnesium before bed each day improved people’s insomniain just eight weeks, making it great for the exhaustion that often accompanies PMS.
In a randomized and controlled trial, women reported improvements in both mood and PMS pain after magnesium treatment for two months.
HOW TO GET MORE MAGNESIUM
The good news is that there are many ways that we can increase our Magnesium levels. While some are more efficient than others its also about what fits in with your lifestyle. Eating the natural state foods that are enriched with the magnesium may be better than taking a supplement, but if you are unlikely to spend the time researching the foods then the supplement is better than not having any at all.
SOME FOODS RICH IN MAGNESIUM ARE
Spinach, Quinoa, Buckwheat, Avocados, Black Beans, Almonds, Peanuts, Cashews, Bananas, Chis Seeds, dark chocolate, edamame, cultured yoghurt.
MAGNESIUM ABSORBTION
Topical Magnesium therapy allows for rapid absorption through the skin, allowing the magnesium to bypass the digestive system which can sometimes prevent the optimum absorption due to digestive issues.
Magneium oils can be sprayed directly on the skin and in specific areas of muscle issues.
Magnesium flakes and Epsom salts in a bath allow for topical absorption all over whilst also getting the relaxing benefits of the bath, especially if you add some essential oils and light a beautiful candle.
SUPPLEMENTS
Busy lives mean many of us feel we don't have the time we wish we had to research foods to eat and cook. Many of us are so tired by the end of the day we don't have the energy to have a bath or rub oil on our ski, we simply fall into bed in a coma of exhaustion! Thankfully we have amazing companies that are formulating supplements for us using the best ingredients that they can find. To facilitate our bodies in absorbing the magnetism the most efficiently we now have an amazing range of Food-Grown supplements.