There has been a lot of buzz about magnesium lately, and for good reason. Magnesium is required for hundreds of processes in the body, and yet deficiency is common. You may be wondering: Am I getting enough magnesium?

Here are 8 Symptoms That May Indicate a Magnesium Deficiency In Your Body

Magnesium is an important mineral that plays a critical role in activating enzymes, transmitting nerve impulses, regulating hormone functions, balancing minerals in the body and releasing energy on a cellular level.

It is, however, one of the minerals most easily eroded by modern day diet and lifestyle. As our eating habits have gone from freshly prepared food made at home to processed meals and ‘fast foods’ eaten on-the-go, the magnesium content in our collective diet has significantly decreased. For example: The refining and processing of grains reduces about 70% of its magnesium content; modern rice processing depletes around 83% of its magnesium content. As a result of these food processing practices (and others), you are likely missing the recommendation of 375+ mg of magnesium per day. Furthermore, if you -- like most of us -- regularly consume coffee and/or alcohol, here's some not-so-great news: these substances flush magnesium out of your body.

In mild cases, magnesium deficiency often results in muscle cramping, symptoms of insomnia, and an increase in stress and/or headaches. But chronic magnesium deficiency is implicated in a number of health conditions, including osteoporosis, hypertension, diabetes, asthma, cardiovascular disease, lowered immune function, depression, migraine, Restless Leg Syndrome and ADHD.

Checking Magnesium Levels

One way to assess your magnesium levels is to request a detailed magnesium test from your health care provider. However, magnesium assessment is typically done via blood serum testing, and this method can be misleading, as most of your body's magnesium is in the bones and cells. Another way to assess your current magnesium needs is to watch for certain signs and signals of low magnesium levels. Some of the more prominent symptoms of magnesium deficiency are:

Low Energy Levels

Magnesium plays a key role in regulating the conversion of food into energy for use by the body, especially because both carbohydrates and fats use chemical reactions that depend on magnesium. People who regularly feel fatigued and lethargic may be low in magnesium.

Sleep Disorders

Those with low magnesium levels often report having trouble falling asleep. They also tend to find it difficult to fall back to sleep if they wake in the middle of the night. Magnesium has a calming effect on the nerves. When there is a deficiency in this vital mineral, the mental, emotional and physical effects of overactive nerves often contribute to sleep disorders, namely insomnia.

Weakened Bones

Magnesium plays a key role in the proper absorption of calcium in the bones. Without adequate magnesium, calcium ends up being released from the bones and back into the blood stream, which essentially hollows calcium out from the bone matrix. This results in a heightened risk for developing osteoporosis, which in turn makes a person more vulnerable to incurring fractures from even the slightest of injuries.

Occurrence of Kidney Stones

An inadequate magnesium supply forces calcium back into the bloodstream – and that same calcium will eventually end up in the kidneys. Magnesium normally dissolves this calcium into the urine, but kidney stones will begin forming if magnesium levels are not high enough to dissolve the calcium buildup in the kidneys. Not only do kidney stones make urination painful, they are costly to remove.

Emotional Disruption

Studies suggest that low levels of magnesium may cause anxiousness, depression, nervousness and irritability. This is attributed to magnesium’s role in transmitting nerve impulses. One of the more significant disruptions is overstimulation, wherein the nerves are unable to regulate the transmission or reception of signals – effectively over-stimulating the nerves.

Heightened Sensitivity

Magnesium’s role in transmitting nerve impulses has another side-effect: Added sensitivity to external stimuli. Overstimulation of the nerves also heightens the effects of external stimuli. In those who are deficient in magnesium, sounds may seem louder and lights may seem brighter – to the point where it even starts to hurt. Even emotional reactions tend to be more extreme in those who are deficient in magnesium.

Muscle Pains and Cramps

Magnesium is largely responsible for relaxing the muscles, which is why a lack of magnesium often has the opposite effect: Those with low levels of magnesium tend to experience a wide range of muscle-related problems, from cramping legs to chronic headaches. More severe cases of magnesium deficiency may even cause tremors and/or spasms.

Disruption of Heart Rhythms 

The muscle cramping caused by magnesium deficiency can lead to deadlier consequences – especially when the blood vessels and heart muscles start to cramp up. Magnesium normally relaxes the blood vessels and makes it easier for the blood to pass through. Low reserves of magnesium make it more difficult for the blood vessels to relax, leading to abnormal heart rhythms. This disruption can increase the risk of severe heart complications.

Factors Affecting Magnesium Levels

It is possible that you are deficient in magnesium and may not notice some of these symptoms, as they may take a while to become apparent. However, you can take a closer look at your day-to-day activities to see if you may be at risk for magnesium deficiency. These risk factors include:

• Insufficient consumption of dietary magnesium
• High salt, sugar, caffeine, alcohol and saturated fat intake
• Medication (some antibiotics, PPIs, adrenergics and renal excretion stimulants)
• Intestinal malabsorption (chronic loose bowel movement, liver cirrhosis, etc.)
• Endocrine-related conditions (i.e. thyroid, parathyroid)
• Kidney damage
• Pregnancy