When you are sleeping, your body may not be moving, but the brain's metabolism is hard at work. Even when a patient is in a coma, the pace of brain metabolism is still cranking at 50% or more. For this reason, it is of vital importance to optimize the brain’s nutritional support to ensure optimal function.

One of the main nutrients that the brain needs for Optimal function is magnesium. Magnesium is involved in 300 + physiologic activities in the body and brain. With that being said, it is estimated that approximately 80% of our population is deficient in magnesium. Deficiencies in magnesium have been connected to behavioral issues that have been devastating to our society. It has also been shown to be critical for optimal mood and memory. In addition, magnesium is critical for the brain's ability to expel toxins as well as reduce pro-inflammatory free radicals.

It is absolutely essential that we optimize our magnesium levels by consuming foods that are high in this precious mineral. Foods that tend to be very high in magnesium include green leafy vegetables, Himalayan salt, seaweed, seeds, nuts, legumes, avocados as well as fish. Magnesium deficiency has been connected with a wide range of psychological and mental health issues. For optimal brain health, cognitive ability as well as optimal mood, it is absolutely essential that we optimize our magnesium levels.

Optimal N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) Receptors, Your brain needs them. N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors have a protective influence on your brain health and function. As we get older, NMDA receptors tend to decline but also magnesium deficiency can play a role in diminishing their ability to play this optimal role. When our brain is overstimulated by excited toxins as well as other stimuli, for instance, overuse of social media and lack of optimal rest see, if the NMDA receptors are not functioning optimally, this can lead to the premature death of your brain cells. The consequence of this is decreased cognitive ability as well as reduced ability to learn. Making sure that you have optimal magnesium is one simple step in optimizing the NMDA receptors.

Other benefits of optimizing your magnesium levels include optimizing your body's ability to control and reduce inflammatory processes within the body and brain. It also will help keep your immune system in balance. Magnesium also plays a role in reducing oxidative stress in the brain as well as lessening the ill effects of excitotoxins.

Another consequence of magnesium deficiency is it can diminish your ability to get optimal sleep. If your magnesium is deficient, then you will not properly stimulate your Gaba receptors which will not allow you to get into an optimal sleep and rest state. If we lose one hour of sleep, it diminishes our insulin sensitivity by 30%, necessitating our physiology to increase our blood sugar just to get energy into the cell. This will have inflammatory and oxidative consequences and this can be over the long-term devastating to the brain.
The moral of the story is that optimal nutrition and when needed, magnesium supplementation is essential for optimal brain health. You only have one brain, so take care of it.

Live with Vitality,