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Magnesium is changing the supplement game, and if you haven't added it to your routine, you'll want to after learning the benefits.

A few weeks ago, I was suffering from debilitating cramps. I canceled every meeting and obligation I had planned for the day, got in my bed, and tried my best to fall asleep after eating my favorite PMS meal and watching Girlfriends reruns (Mara, if you ever see this - give the girls a reboot, please! I beg.)


Overall, my menstrual cycle is pretty healthy and normal. After spending years working on my cycle and naturally reversing my PCOS symptoms, I rarely experience cramps. Still, every once in a while, like that period pimple that comes back in the same spot, my cramps resurface. When my cramps come back, they come back with a vengeance, and after a while, I couldn't take it. I remembered my best friend had recently suggested I try magnesium, so I did. I'd heard of the supplement previously and how it helped with energy levels and the onset of tiredness, but not for PMS relief.

An hour later, after taking my magnesium supplement and drinking it along with orange juice, the pain subsided significantly. If my cramps had been on a ten before taking magnesium, they were on a two after taking the supplement. My cramps were almost nonexistent, which changed my mood and energy levels for the rest of my cycle. If you're asking yourself how this happened, don't worry, I got you.

Why Magnesium Is That Girl: The Benefits for Women

Magnesium is a mineral essential for healthy muscles, nerves, energy levels, bones, and blood sugar levels and is a cofactor in more than 300 enzyme systems that regulate diverse biochemical reactions in the body. While magnesium can be found in leafy greens, grains, beans, and certain seafood, 2-15% of Americans are still deficient.

Magnesium is said to increase energy levels, promote better sleep, decrease anxiety, and relieve menstrual cramps, and deficiency can place you at risk for health problems such as heart attack, stroke, diabetes, or osteoporosis.

How Magnesium Supports Menstrual Cramps and PMS Symptoms 

According to a study by the National Library of Medicine, Magnesium is said to help prevent dysmenorrhea (menstrual cramps) in some instances. This is due to magnesium relaxing the smooth muscle of the uterus and reducing the prostaglandins that cause period pain, which explains why, an hour later, the cramps that had me balled up in a corner had subsided.

The Wellness 411: Know the Various Types of Magnesium 

While there are ten types of magnesium, each with its own use and benefits, magnesium citrate is one of the formations you can find in your local pharmacy and online for purchase in supplement form. Educate yourself on the benefits of each formation to ensure that your needs are met with what you purchase.

Now, before you grab your Stanley cup and head to the supplement aisle, know that if you have diabetes, intestinal disease, heart disease, or kidney disease, you should not take magnesium before speaking with your healthcare provider. I'm a wellness girlie, not a doctor, and your primary physician is your best bet before making any decisions.

At very high doses, magnesium can be fatal, and you should know that every supplement affects every body (literally) differently.

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Featured image by Willie B. Thomas/Getty Images

 

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