You wake up in the middle of the night with a painful leg cramp, or perhaps you’ve been feeling unusually tired despite getting enough sleep. It’s easy to blame aging, stress, or an especially busy week, but sometimes these symptoms point to something worth discussing with your doctor: low magnesium. This essential mineral helps regulate muscle function, nerve signaling, blood sugar, and hundreds of chemical reactions throughout the body.
According to the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements, older adults are at greater risk of inadequate magnesium intake because dietary consumption and absorption can decline with age. However, low magnesium symptoms can overlap with many other medical conditions, making self-diagnosis unreliable. Here are eight possible warning signs, along with practical steps to determine whether magnesium deficiency could be contributing to your symptoms.
