Magnesium Deficiency in all ages of individuals can cause stress and sleeplessness. A study published in the Journal of Research in Medical Sciences in 2012 showed that elderly patients suffering from insomnia benefited from supplements of 500 mg per day of magnesium for eight weeks.

Restless leg Syndrome is a symptom of magnesium deficiency. Patients suffering from this disorder cannot get adequate sleep due to the severity of the symptoms when their legs move uncontrollably during the night. Magnesium supplementation has been shown to improve the symptoms of restless legs and leg cramps.

The biology behind understanding the nature of restless leg syndrome is that low magnesium levels in the body create a situation where there is insufficient electrical conduction to the neurons in the muscles.

For those who have never experienced the effects of restless leg syndrome, the symptoms can be severe and life-changing. The patient is awoken repeatedly during the night with cramping in the legs making it impossible to sleep. Patients who present themselves to their doctor with symptoms of exhaustion sometimes do not correlate the interrupted pattern of sleep with their fatigue. Doctors will frequently send patients for sleep studies to see if patients exhibit signs of restless leg syndrome.

Melatonin is a hormone that works to control the sleep cycle. The benefits of the magnesium supplement support levels of melatonin to promote a healthy sleep cycle for the patient.

Patients being treated for insomnia with magnesium supplements often report episodes of vivid dreaming. This is not so much the effects of the magnesium as the results of the deep sleep induced by raised magnesium levels in the body. When the patient is in a deeper sleep and not suffering the effects of insomnia, the deeper sleep cycle allows for more vivid dreaming.

Among other benefits magnesium supplement research has shown that magnesium can reduce cortisol. Cortisol, a hormone released in response to stress by the adrenal glands can be activated so much that the patient can suffer adrenal fatigue.