When your body becomes severely deficient in magnesium – a condition called hypomagnesemia, things start going wrong at a cellular, nerve, heart and hormonal level, because magnesium is needed to control electrical activity, muscle relaxation, energy production and stress regulation. Severe deficiency can become dangerous.
Magnesium is a co-factor in 300+ enzyme systems
Biochemistry textbooks and medical references consistently state:
‘Magnesium is required as a co-factor for more than 300 enzymatic reactions’.
These include enzymes involved in:
- ATP (energy) production
- DNA and RNA synthesis
- Protein synthesis
- Blood glucose control
- Nerve signaling
- Muscle contraction
- Detoxification
- Vitamin D activation
These are direct enzyme binding sites — magnesium literally sits in the enzyme so it can function.
So 300+ is the conservative, universally accepted number.
Total Magnesium-Dependent Processes = 600+
Magnesium-dependent biological processes increase that number to 600+, that includes:
- The 300+ enzymes
- Plus magnesium-regulated ion channels
- Plus ATP-dependent pumps
- Plus hormone signaling
- Plus DNA repair & transcription
- Plus mitochondrial functions
These are not always enzymes — they are magnesium-dependent biological processes.
For example:
- The sodium-potassium pump (nerve firing)
- Calcium channels (muscle and heart rhythm)
- NMDA receptors (brain excitability)
- Insulin receptors
- Stress-hormone signaling
When all of those are included, the total exceeds 600 magnesium-dependent functions.
What Can Happen When You A Severely Deficient in Magnesium?
1. Your nervous system becomes electrically unstable
Magnesium is the body’s natural calcium blocker. Without it:
- Nerves fire too easily
- Muscles can’t relax
- Stress hormones stay elevated
This leads to:
- Anxiety, panic, agitation
- Insomnia
- Sensitivity to noise/light
- Tingling, numbness
- Tremors or twitching
- Seizures in severe cases
Many people misdiagnose this as “just anxiety” — when it’s actually neurons misfiring.
2. Your heart rhythm becomes unstable
Magnesium stabilizes the electrical rhythm of the heart.
Low magnesium can cause:
- Palpitations
- Skipped beats
- Atrial fibrillation
- Ventricular arrhythmias
- Sudden cardiac death (in extreme deficiency)
Hospitals give IV magnesium for heart rhythm disturbances for this reason.
3. Muscles lock instead of relax
Magnesium allows muscles to release after contraction.
Low levels cause:
- Cramping
- Tight calves
- Neck and jaw tension
- Restless legs
- Muscle spasms
- “Vibrating” or buzzing sensations
This includes smooth muscle → constipation, bladder spasm, uterine pain.
4. Your cells can’t make energy
Magnesium is required to activate ATP, the body’s energy molecule.
Without it:
- Mitochondria fail
- Fatigue becomes profound
- You feel weak, heavy, slow, foggy
This is why magnesium deficiency mimics chronic fatigue syndrome.
5. It wrecks potassium, calcium & vitamin D
Magnesium controls:
- Potassium inside cells
- Calcium flow into muscles
- Activation of vitamin D
So deficiency leads to:
- Low potassium (dangerous for heart)
- Calcium leaking into cells → cramping
- Vitamin D not working → bone loss, immune issues
Doctors often miss this because they only test calcium or potassium — not magnesium.
6. Mental health can collapse
Low magnesium is linked to:
- Panic disorder
- Depression
- OCD
- ADHD
- PTSD
- Derealization
Magnesium controls:
- GABA (calming neurotransmitter)
- Glutamate (excitatory neurotransmitter)
- Cortisol (stress hormone)
Low magnesium = brain stuck in threat mode.
Who Becomes Severely Deficient In Magnesium?
Magnesium deficiency is very common in people who:
- Have chronic stress
- Drink coffee or alcohol
- Exercise hard
- Have IBS or reflux
- Use PPIs (omeprazole, Nexium)
- Use diuretics
- Eat processed food
- Have low vitamin D
- Are over 40
Your body burns magnesium under stress.
Blood Tests Often Lie
Only 1% of magnesium is in blood.
You can be severely deficient with a “normal” serum magnesium.
The best test is:
- RBC magnesium
- or magnesium loading test
Most doctors never order them.
The Takeaway
Severe magnesium deficiency creates a state of:
- Electrical instability
- Stress hormone overload
- Muscle spasm
- Heart risk
- Nervous system hyper-excitability
It literally puts the body into biological panic mode.
Why Magnesium Deficiency Feels So Extreme
Because magnesium controls:
- Energy
- Electrical stability
- Stress response
- Muscle relaxation
- Brain calm
- Heart rhythm
- Hormone signaling
When it drops, hundreds of systems destabilize at once.
That’s why magnesium deficiency mimics:
- Anxiety disorders
- Heart disease
- Chronic fatigue
- Fibromyalgia
- IBS
- Insomnia
- ADHD
- Panic disorder
It’s not psychological — it’s biochemical.
How Hypnotherapy Can Help You
Many chronic conditions including anxiety disorders, panic disorder, insomnia, IBS, fibromyalgia, ADHD and chronic fatigue, are now understood to be deeply connected to stress, nervous system overload and depleted mineral balance, including magnesium.
Hypnotherapy offers a powerful way to calm the nervous system, reduce stress hormones, improve sleep, and support the body’s natural ability to restore balance and heal. By guiding the mind into a deeply relaxed, focused state, hypnotherapy can help break cycles of anxiety, tension and exhaustion that interfere with the body’s ability to absorb and use nutrients effectively.
If you’re struggling with ongoing symptoms that haven’t fully responded to conventional treatments, a hypnotherapy session can be a gentle yet transformative way to support your body, restore calm, and move toward lasting wellbeing.