How Magnesium Can Support a Healthy Response to Stress*
- Stress is normal, but there’s plenty we can do to keep it in check.*
- Magnesium is the second most abundant essential mineral in the body.*
- Magnesium is found in food, but many people aren’t consuming enough.*
- It promotes a soothing slumber, allowing for more effective rest.*
- Magnesium also balances the body’s natural stress response to maintain calm and ease.*
- Not all forms are the same – the body simply can’t “unlock” some supplements.”
- Patented ATA Mg® is magnesium formulated for 24% faster absorption.*
- New Magnesium Mind and Magnesium Motion offer this “feel better faster” form.*
When we are under stress, our bodies produce adrenaline and cortisol. Magnesium can help keep these hormones in balance, which can help reduce the negative impact of stress on our everyday lives. In this blog post, we will discuss the role of magnesium in stress management, and how you can make sure you are getting enough magnesium to stay healthy! Plus, you’ll learn why not all magnesium has the same impact – and how to pick the best form if you’re taking a supplement (since even healthy diets might not provide enough).
What is the Purpose of Stress?
While stress can feel like a huge hassle, there’s a biological purpose to it. We are actually hard-wired to experience stress, as a way to help ourselves get out of dangerous situations safely. Ideally, our healthy stress response evolved to work like this: Danger happened (such as encountering an animal in the wild). Our bodies released a flood of hormones to give us the energy to hightail it to safety. Once we had escaped, our bodies returned to their normal state of calm and balance. We stayed there until the next time danger crossed our path.
This normal response means the brain shifts into “fight-or-flight” mode (by firing up the sympathetic nervous system) to deal with stress, then goes back to “rest-and-digest” mode (by letting the parasympathetic nervous system take the reins).
But, life doesn’t always go according to plan, does it? Instead, in today’s busy modern world, those dangers may not be real – but our body responds to “perceived” stress the same way it does actual stress. And sometimes those stressors come at you faster than nature intended (like being in a batting cage versus playing in a real baseball game).
Stress is always going to be part of the human experience, and everyday stressors are normal. The trick is to learn to keep yours in balance – and understand the normal, healthy stress response. Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to keep your cool and not let stress get the best of you.
7 Ways to Deal with Daily Stress
Think of stress management as you would any other task on your self-care checklist, from brushing your teeth and wearing sunscreen to drinking water and eating your vegetables. As with so many things in life, we can’t always control the stress we encounter, but we can control our response. Here are some tips for dealing with daily stress.
- Move your body. Exercise is a great way to boost your overall health – and release hormones that make you feel good and manage stress. You don’t have to run marathons or lift heavy weights, either. Even a brisk walk around the block can help!
- Take a deep breath. When you exhale, you can turn on your parasympathetic nervous system, which is in control of your relaxation, rest and digestion. When you feel stress rising, focus on slowing down your breath, with an emphasis on the exhale part. Researchers suggest that the optimal amount is eight breaths a minute. Try to make your exhales twice as long as your inhales.
- Laugh about it. Have you ever laughed at a weird time, like when you felt upset or nervous? It’s not inappropriate – it’s a way to calm down! Studies support laughing as a way to buffer daily stressors.
- Go outside. Breathing fresh air and feeling the sunshine on your face can help you feel calmer and less stressed, according to research. If you’re stuck inside, you can still reap the benefits, look at photos of nature to elicit a similar effect.
- Make time for rest. Sleep is a great way to “fill your cup,” to better prepare you for what life throws at you. If you feel overwhelmed during the day, take a nap! (Hey, if it works for cranky toddlers…) Naps can boost feelings of calm and focus, and even astronauts use naps to help manage feelings of overwhelm.
- Dance or sing. There’s a reason why singing and dancing make us feel good, even if we’re not “good” at them. Taking a dance class is actually a studied form of dealing with occasional anxiety. Singing also offers perceived emotional and spiritual benefits, even if your pitch isn’t perfect!
- Reach for magnesium. This mineral is the second most abundant one in your body, and it’s sometimes called the “relaxation mineral.” Among the seemingly countless roles it plays is helping to balance out your stress response!*
How Magnesium Offers Support for Stress*
Magnesium balances the body’s natural stress response to maintain calm and ease.* It also promotes a soothing slumber, allowing for more effective rest – and when you’re properly rested, you are better equipped to handle whatever life gives you.*
Back in 2020, a research review focused on the cycle of magnesium shortages and stress. Researchers cited both clinical and pre-clinical studies that point to a two-way relationship between stress and magnesium levels. Magnesium “plays an inhibitory key role in the regulation and neurotransmission of the normal stress response,” so we need adequate amounts for proper upkeep of that stress response.
In the body, the HPA axis takes the lead on assessing stress and dealing with it. The “A” stands for adrenals, the pair of almond-shaped glands that sit on top of your kidneys on the back of your body. They regulate stress by controlling the release of hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. Your adrenal glands also use cortisol to manage your sleep-wake cycle. They get help from your hypothalamus and pituitary gland (the “H” and the “P” in the HPA axis).
Magnesium also plays a role. Adequate levels helps maintain balance of the HPA axis, to promote a steady mood and help you maintain your calm.
However, since 2015, the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee concluded that many American adults under-consume this essential nutrient. That’s where supplements come in – but they are not all the same quality and efficacy.
Why Not All Magnesium Supplements are the Same*
Magnesium is an essential mineral that supports vital processes of both the mind and body. The body relies on magnesium for over 300 enzyme reactions, and it’s the second most prevalent mineral in every cell. While it is available through food, today’s modern diets lack adequate supplies – and many supplements contain forms the body can’t unlock easily. Most people aren’t getting nearly enough magnesium – or feeling its full effects!
About Magnesium Mind
Magnesium Mind is magnesium formulated so you can actually feel it! It has been uniquely formulated to support soothing slumber, calm stressful days and promote quick thinking.* It includes ATA Mg® for 24% faster absorption.
Magnesium Mind helps relieve tension and improve well-being, so you can get the rest you deserve to show up as your best self, every single day.* It also helps calm your natural stress response, to bring ease to stressful days and challenging times.* ATA Mg® gets right to your brain, while supporting your memory, learning and overall cognition.*
About Magnesium Motion
Magnesium Motion combines three highly bioavailable forms of magnesium to target daily aches, muscle and bones. ATA Mg® is formulated to help you feel better faster, and it is ideal for both women’s health support and for brain health.* In this formula, we pair ATA Mg® with magnesium malate and magnesium glycinate.
Together, these three forms of magnesium can soothe daily aches, promote healthy muscle function and recovery while also supporting healthy bones and cardiovascular function.* Magnesium glycinate is known to support restful sleep, the nervous system, healthy bones and heart function.* Magnesium malate helps soothe daily aches and promotes healthy muscle function and recovery. *
About ATA Mg
Enzymedica’s new Magnesium Mind and Magnesium Motion supplements feature patented ATA Mg®. This form of magnesium offers superior absorption to the brain and cells, compared with many forms of magnesium (including common types found in lower-quality supplements, such as magnesium citrate and oxide magnesium). Only ATA Mg® combines this essential mineral with taurine. This is unique because taurine is an amino acid that the body uses to deliver magnesium ions to the cells. This unique combination has been clinically proven to absorb 24% faster – for a difference you can actually feel. So, not only do we use the right forms of magnesium but, by combining them with taurine, it’s like giving them a road map and the exact location of where they are needed!
Taurine plays important roles in supporting healthy brain function. It also helps out with both neuromodulation and relaxation. Taurine serves as a potent antioxidant, helping to reduce free radicals that are produced in the brain. ATA Mg® has been proven to cross the blood-brain barrier and modulate excitatory neurotransmitters.* The blood-brain barrier maintains balance (homeostasis) in the brain. It is in charge of letting things in – and keeping them out!
Resources
https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/minerals/magnesium
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Magnesium-HealthProfessional/
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12011-018-1351-9
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7761127/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6037091/
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0235851
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00722/full
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4690962/
https://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2005/03jun_naps