Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Many health-conscious people are beginning to recognize the importance of magnesium supplementation as a part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. What many do not yet realize, however, is that magnesium supplementation can be achieved through topical administration and doesn’t necessarily mean taking a pill or capsule.1
Magnesium is a nutrient in the body that is responsible for many vital chemical processes. It is therefore found in every cell of the body in small amounts. We receive significant amounts of magnesium through a balanced diet, but many find that supplementing with extra magnesium can have beneficial effects on their health.
Of the multiple reasons for consideringmagnesium supplementation, in my experience, the most common include muscle soreness and cramps, difficulty relaxing, and insomnia. For many of my patients, simple magnesium supplementation has helped with these symptoms and conditions.
Over my years in practice, many of my patients have reported struggling with muscle soreness and cramps. Sometimes this was related to vigorous physical activity as part of their efforts to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Still, often it was simply an annoying reminder to the patient that they were growing a little older.
Hundreds of my patients have reported difficulty with relaxation and sleep over the years. In fact, this is one of the top reasons patients seek help from a healthcare professional in the first place. I found, after ruling out other important possible causes for their anxiety and insomnia, that a simple evening magnesium supplement could produce relaxation, better sleep quality, and a reduction in muscle cramps and soreness in many of these patients.
Magnesium is an inexpensive, more natural approach to these problems and can be obtained with minimal difficulty for the patient.
And this wasn’t a discovery I made on my own. Evidence suggests that magnesium supplementation can help achieve healthy sleep patterns and overall relaxation, and can assist with post-workout muscle recovery and muscle pain. So, it is possible that adding magnesium supplementation to your nightly routine might have some significant benefits.
I found that many patients in my practice were reluctant to take oral supplements. For some people, a nighttime magnesium supplement is yet another thing they have to remember to take by mouth — another addition to their medicine cabinet or bedside table — and they didn’t like the idea of adding another pill to an already-too-long list of daily pills. For others, oral magnesium didn’t make them feel well. Often, it was an unpleasant sensation in their stomach after taking the evening magnesium dose. Still, there are many reasons a particular patient may not care for an oral tablet or capsule.
Fortunately, people are no longer limited to oral supplementation. Topical magnesium, professionally and carefully blended into a non-greasy cream or lotion, can address the desire to supplement magnesium without requiring another oral pill.2And magnesium isn’t just for adults. Under parental and physician supervision, topical magnesium can even be safe for children.5
Let’s discover how you can easily incorporate topical magnesium lotion, cream, and magnesium-containing herbal blends into your family’s overall health-conscious lifestyle.
It is believed that magnesium helps people sleep through its natural balancing effect on neurotransmitters — the chemicals released by nerves in the brain that play a significant role in our mood. This is also the chemical mechanism through which it is thought to promote relaxation, making falling asleep easier.
Magnesium has long been known for its gentle muscle-relaxant properties; it is through this mechanism that it is thought to also help with muscle soreness, especially post-workout soreness.3,4Incorporating a gentle magnesium lotion as part of your post-workout routine may reduce cramping and soreness and may speed recovery.
Evidence indicates that frequent insomnia is a problem for up to 20% of American adults, and up to 10% of U.S. adults struggle with insomnia most nights.6But many are understandably reluctant to take strong medicines, particularly controlled substances, for their sleep disorder, and are looking for a less drastic and more natural approach.
Topical magnesium for sleep may be an excellent option for many people seeking a more natural way to promote bedtime relaxation and more consistent rest.
Another attractive feature of using topical magnesium cream for sleep is the possibility of incorporating other proven sleep-encouraging ingredients, such as lavender, to formulate a topical lavender magnesium lotion or cream. These soothing and non-greasy topicals can become a wonderful part of one’s bedtime routine.7Many of my patients have discovered that having a consistent nighttime routine, like using a special magnesium recovery cream every night before bed, can help them develop consistent sleep habits.
A sample nightly routine for relaxation and better sleep might involve taking a warm shower or bath, followed by a gentle application of a topical lavender magnesium lotion, then lying down in a cool, dark, quiet room free of distractions like TV or smartphones.
For many health-conscious adults, muscle soreness can become an unpleasant part of the wellness lifestyle. Especially as we age, our workouts seem to cause more persistent muscle soreness, which reduces the frequency with which we can comfortably work out.
Of course, it is best to consult your physician before starting any new workout, particularly if it is significantly strenuous. Studies show that a slow and steady increase in physical activity, rather than starting with radical exercise, is a healthier and more sustainable way to achieve lasting wellness.
But even gentle workouts can cause muscle soreness. Fortunately, topical non-greasy magnesium creams or lotions can be part of the strategy to reduce post-workout downtime, especially when combined with other proven ingredients like arnica. The gentle physical rubbing of muscles after a workout has a soothing effect by increasing blood flow to the area, which can help reduce post-workout inflammation in the muscles. The topical application of a magnesium lotion or cream (especially with the addition of arnica) may further reduce discomfort after a workout.
Muscle soreness and cramps aren’t just a problem for the athletes among us, though. Many of us experience age-related muscle soreness even without engaging in vigorous exercise. Magnesium creams and lotions can be effective for this kind of muscle soreness as well.
Kids are not immune to the insomnia or muscle soreness that their parents experience. While it is always best to be cautious when giving anything to children, topical magnesium creams or lotions can be part of their nighttime routine when supervised by parents and healthcare professionals. The formulas for kids are gentle, non-greasy, and go on smoothly, just like the ones for their parents.
Topical magnesium for kids can also be formulated without added scents. It is recommended to use the kids’ lotions or creams on clean, unbroken skin, just like other topical products for children.
Topical magnesium creams, lotions, and herbal blends are safe, natural, gentle, and non-greasy, and can make an excellent addition to the healthy family’s nighttime routine.
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