Low magnesium levels have been associated with a number of conditions that have been characterized as having a chronic inflammatory stress component. Some animal studies have shown that mild magnesium deficiency, similar to what appears to be common in humans, can increase inflammatory or oxidative stress induced by other factors, including disrupted sleep/sleep deprivation. Thus, an experiment was conducted with 100 adults (22 men and 78 women), 59 ± 8 years of age (range 51 to 85 years), who had a Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) score greater than five and poor sleep quality. Participants were randomly assigned to two groups based on their gender, age, and overall PSQI score. Following baseline assessments (week 1) of body mass index (BMI), dietary, blood and urine biochemical variables, and sleep quality, one group received 320 mg of magnesium supplementation daily in the form of magnesium citrate, and the other group received a sodium citrate placebo for 7 weeks. Final assessments were conducted five and seven weeks (combined for statistical analysis to reduce within-subject variability) after the start of supplementation in the 96 participants who completed the study as planned. Based on food diaries, 58% of participants consumed less than the US average. Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) for magnesium. Consumption below the EAR was associated with significantly higher BMI and plasma C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations. Only 40 participants had plasma CRP concentrations greater than 3.0 mg/L (a marker of chronic inflammatory stress). Overall PSQI scores improved and erythrocyte magnesium levels increased regardless of magnesium or placebo supplementation. Magnesium and placebo supplementation did not significantly affect serum magnesium when all participants were included in the analysis. When only the 37 participants with serum magnesium concentrations < 1.8 mg/dL (indicative of deficient magnesium status) were analyzed, magnesium supplementation, but not placebo, increased serum magnesium concentrations. Magnesium supplementation reduced plasma CRP compared with placebo in participants with baseline values >3.0 mg/L. The results indicate that many individuals have low magnesium status, which is associated with increased chronic inflammatory stress, which may be alleviated by increased magnesium intake. Since dietary magnesium intake did not change during the experimental period, another factor, possibly a placebo effect, improved sleep quality, resulting in increased erythrocyte magnesium levels. This factor prevented the determination of whether magnesium deficiency contributes to poor sleep quality. However, the results suggest a relationship between magnesium levels and sleep quality, which requires further investigation to determine whether low magnesium status is a cause or consequence of poor sleep quality.
Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21199787/
