Are You Sleep Deprived?

Sleep deprivation is the cumulative effect of a person not having enough sleep. It can be either chronic or acute, with a chronic sleep-deprived state causing fatigue, daytime sleepiness, clumsiness, and weight loss or weight gain. Sleep deprivation adversely affects the brain and cognitive function.

Sleep deprivation has been linked through a host of studies and reports to depression, ADHD, obesity, Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and Alzheimer's. The US Centers For Disease Control have labeled sleep deprivation a public health epidemic, with over 70 million adults suffering from a sleep disorder.

The amount of sleep a person needs varies from one person to another, but on average most adults need about seven to eight hours of sleep each night to feel alert and well rested. Teens need an average of about nine hours of sleep per night, and children need nine or more hours each night, depending on their age.

Magnesium plays a key role in supporting deep, restorative sleep. People with magnesium deficiency may exeperience insomnia, restless sleep, waking frequently during the night, and other symptoms from restless leg to obesity. Magnesium assists by maintaining healthy levels of GABA, a neurotransmitter that promotes sleep.