If there is one key nutrient your brain needs to function well it’s magnesium. The connection between magnesium and migraines is especially strong, but that’s not the only thing that can be caused by a magnesium deficiency. Even the smallest deficiency can also cause:

  • Brain fog
  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Poor memory
  • Insomnia
  • ADHD

Magnesium is needed to complete over 300 critical biochemical functions in your body, and 50 of those functions occur in your brain. Even though magnesium is crazy powerful, it is perhaps one of the most overlooked nutrients. In fact, it is estimated that close to 80% of our population has a magnesium deficiency.

I recently got a front row seat to see how magnesium can quickly cause a debilitating health problem. My 15-year-old son started getting migraine headaches. He had just been selected for the varsity soccer team at his high school and the headaches became so bad, his coach would have to pull him out of a game because he couldn’t function.

Now, in our household, we attack all health problems with natural remedies. So I put together a strategy that I thought would cure his problem quickly. I started adjusting him daily, increased his water intake, made sure he got extra sleep and encouraged him to eat at home more so I could make sure he was getting the healthiest food.

But the migraines kept coming. So I went researching.

That’s when I discovered the connection between magnesium and migraines.

It turns out magnesium is the calming mineral, especially to the brain. It relaxes muscles, maintains normal bone density, keeps your heart beating at the right rhythm, and even plays a key part in normalizing blood glucose.

It is also responsible for electrical activity in the brain. If you have a magnesium deficiency, the electrical signals in your brain can speed up too quickly; this is the causal link between magnesium and migraines.

What causes a magnesium deficiency?

Well, it’s pretty much the lifestyle choices that many Americans make today…

  • Eating a diet high in inflammatory fats and sugar
  • Medications like anti-inflammatories, antibiotics, and anti-depressants.
  • Chronic stress
  • Alcohol, caffeine, and soda intake

An increase in strenuous exercise can also cause a magnesium deficiency. The extra sweating depletes the body of minerals, especially magnesium. It turns out my son was deficient in magnesium and migraines were the result.

How do you get more magnesium in your diet?

Food is medicine. And when my kids are not feeling their best, I always go to their diet to help their bodies heal. The new plan was to add foods high in magnesium and the migraines will disappear. So we started adding in foods that were high in magnesium such as…

  • Raw nuts like almonds and cashews
  • Raw seeds, especially pumpkin and sunflower seeds
  • Dark chocolate (organic and low glycemic)
  • Spinach
  • Avocados
  • Broccoli
  • Quinoa
  • Black and kidney beans
  • Lentils

What magnesium supplements should you take?

Because of the severity of my son’s migraine headaches, I wanted to add in some supplements. But the magnesium you need to soothe your leg cramps is different than the magnesium you need to stop migraine headaches. It’s not as simple as taking a magnesium supplement that you find on Amazon or at your local health food store. You can determine which type of magnesium is best for you by looking at your symptoms.

Magnesium malate – energy and muscle soreness (MIN)
Magnesium threonate – memory and brain (Neuro Mag)
Magnesium oxide – constipation (BIND)
Magnesium citrate – relaxation (MIN)
Magnesium chloride – absorption (topical: digestion and mineral depletion) (MIN)
Magnesium sulfate – relax and detox (Epsom salts)
Magnesium glycinate – sleep

If you have watched any of my videos you know I am a fan of cycling supplements. I don’t believe our bodies do well taking the same supplement over and over again. So I cycled my son’s supplements between NeuroMag, MIN, CalMd. I even made sure he took some Epsom salt baths.

The connection between magnesium and migraines is real: the minute I put my focus on adding in more magnesium, his migraines went away.

Your body is a miracle! If it is giving you pain over and over again, it’s trying to talk to you. I see far too often that we chalk up any brain symptom as stress. But stress can have a damaging physiological effect on the brain. And if you fix that damage, your brain will be better equipped to handle the stress that keeps coming.

So cheers to more magnesium in your diet. Never forget your body always wants to heal and repair. If you are struggling with your health, ask yourself, what is my body trying to tell me? What nutrients does it need? If you suffer from migraines, you will be amazed at how a simple nutrient like magnesium can be the answer.

Hope that helps! Have an awesome day!!

Dr. Mindy