Why Magnesium Matters When You’re Stressed, Tired or Not Sleeping Well

Why Magnesium Matters When You’re Stressed, Tired or Not Sleeping Well

by Dr Cherie Haigh

Magnesium sits quietly in the background of our biology, yet it shapes so much of how we feel. Stress. Muscle tension. The depth of our sleep. Even the way we recover after long days or heavy emotional load. When magnesium dips too low, the whole system feels tighter. Thoughts move faster. Muscles hold on when they should release. Sleep becomes light. Many people describe it as being tired but wired, and honestly, that picture fits the physiology more than they realise.

What we see often at Health Shack is a pattern. Life gets busy. Stress rises. The nervous system stays switched on and magnesium stores fall. And suddenly the body is running without the minerals it needs to regulate the stress response. Research supports this cycle. Higher magnesium intake is associated with better sleep quality in large cohort studies. Supplementation can soften cortisol responses during stress. A recent pilot RCT even showed improvements in sleep efficiency and mood within just two weeks of daily magnesium intake. None of this means magnesium is a magic bullet. It simply supports the systems that help us settle, repair and rest.

What makes magnesium so interesting is how it fits with chiropractic, massage, and Bowen. Bodywork helps unwind the physical side of the stress story. Muscles soften and breathing deepens. The nervous system starts to shift from fight-or-flight toward rest-and-repair. Magnesium supports the internal side of that shift. It steadies neurotransmitters and quietens tension. It helps the body hold on to the calm that therapy creates.

If you want to feel that change in your own body, speak with your practitioner to see if magnesium is something you might be lacking. We stock Bioceuticals UMCalm, MuscleEze and Muscleze Night. We can help you choose the right supplement and pair it with chiropractic, massage or Bowen so your body has every chance to reset and recover.

References

Arab et al., Sleep Health, 2022 Zhang et al., CARDIA Study, 2021 Systematic Review on Magnesium and Stress, 2024 Pilot RCT on Magnesium and Sleep Quality, 2024