Magnesium is Essential to Balancing Hormones Magnesium is one of the most essential minerals to help balance hormones. While you can take a supplement, and even spray your skin with magnesium spray, there's no better way of getting the magnesium you need than from the foods you eat.
I most often recommend magnesium glycinate or bis-glycinate. This form of magnesium has an affinity for nervous tissue, is highly absorbable and is very well tolerated. It has the least laxative effect of all forms of magnesium.
The benefits of magnesium
Cortisol regulation – magnesium calms your nervous system and prevents the creation of excess cortisol, the stress hormone. When your stress hormonal system is in balance your levels of progesterone, estrogen, testosterone, FSH and LH will be too.
These findings emphasize that Mg deficiency may lead to decreased uptake of iodine by thyroid cells, thereby causing thyroid hormone disorders. Mg helps in the balanced secretion of thyroid hormones and also plays a key role in the secretion of the active form of thyroid hormone T3.
Magnesium deficiency is diagnosed via a blood test and sometimes a urine test. Your doctor may order the blood test if you have symptoms such as weakness, irritability, abnormal heart rhythm, nausea and/or diarrhoea, or if you have abnormal calcium or potassium levels.
Magnesium has been shown in many studies to be a regulating mineral. If your estrogen levels are too high or too low, then magnesium can help bring them back to stable levels, which will positively impact testosterone and progesterone.
Magnesium can relieve symptoms of perimenopause and menopause. Magnesium can ease symptoms of the menopause transition (1). For example, in one study, magnesium reduced the menopausal hot flashes of women who were undergoing breast cancer treatment and could not take hormone replacement (11).
Magnesium for sleep
Some studies have found that magnesium supplements can: Make it easier to fall asleep. Improve sleep quality. Reduce symptoms of restless legs syndrome, which can interfere with a good night's sleep.
Symptoms of hormonal imbalances that affect your metabolism include: Slow heartbeat or rapid heartbeat (tachycardia). Unexplained weight gain or weight loss. Fatigue.
There is an important functional link between magnesium and calciotropic hormones. PTH stimulates magnesium reabsorption in the renal tubule, absorption in the gut and release of the ion from bone.
Hormone creation – magnesium actually makes your hormones progesterone, estrogen and testosterone, so if you're getting into peri-menopause or just off the Pill and your levels are low, it can be your best friend.
The Importance of Vitamin D
Estrogen imbalance: Vitamin D deficiency may lead to lowered estrogen levels, which can cause depression, hot flashes, mood swings and more.
How long does it take to balance hormones? As you can imagine, this varies. However, research shows that by taking a holistic, well-rounded approach, you can balance your hormones in less than four months. In fact, you can significantly reduce the amount of chemicals and pesticides in your body in one week.
Most women today are juggling so many responsibilities that stress and fatigue is not uncommon. To make matters worse, the body uses more magnesium when under chronic stress, making the need for magnesium even greater. The Recommended Daily Allowance for magnesium for adult women is 320 milligrams.
Too much magnesium from foods isn't a concern for healthy adults. However, the same can't be said for supplements. High doses of magnesium from supplements or medications can cause nausea, abdominal cramping and diarrhea.
Generally speaking, you will find that magnesium supplements start to work after one week of using them. After one week of regular magnesium supplementation, individuals may experience benefits such as improved energy levels, reduced muscle cramps, better sleep quality, and reduced anxiety.
Promotes healthy estrogen levels: By supporting detoxification pathways in the liver, magnesium promotes the healthy excretion of estrogen, which may reduce the risk monthly breast tenderness, fibroids, heavy periods, and even endometriosis symptoms.
How magnesium affects the thyroid. We need magnesium to convert the inactive thyroid hormone T4 into the active thyroid hormone T3. Without this conversion, cells do not receive the more potent form of thyroid hormone. Therefore, when magnesium levels are low, our thyroid is not able to function correctly.