Magnesium deficiency, or hypomagnesemia, symptoms may include muscle twitches and high blood pressure or mental health conditions, among other mental and physical signs. It’s often hard to detect until levels are very low.

Symptoms of Magnesium Deficiency
In this video, you'll learn what to watch out for in magnesium deficiency.
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While about 2.5% to 15%Trusted Source of Americans experience magnesium deficiency (hypomagnesemia), that percentage is far greater for certain populations.

People with diabetes, low absorption, chronic diarrhea, and celiac disease are associated with magnesium loss. People with alcohol use disorder are also at an increased risk of deficiency.

Magnesium deficiency may be underdiagnosed since the signs commonly don’t appear until levels become severely low.

Twitches, tremors, and muscle cramps are signsTrusted Source of magnesium deficiency. Rarely, magnesium deficiency may cause seizures or convulsions.

A greater flow of calcium into nerve cells, which overexcites or hyperstimulates the muscle nerves, may causeTrusted Source these symptoms.

Involuntary muscle twitches may have many other causes. For example, stress or excessive caffeine may cause involuntary muscle spasms.

Muscle twitches may also be a side effect of some medications or a symptom of neuromuscular disease such as:

Mental health conditions are another possible symptom of magnesium deficiency. Research suggestsTrusted Source one example is apathy, characterized by mental numbness or lack of emotion.

A 2023 systematic review of randomized clinical trials indicates an association between magnesium supplementation and improved depression. Deficiency may also contribute to other mood disorders.

One 2024 systematic review found that supplementation with magnesium may benefit people with mild anxiety and insomnia. More research, however, is needed.

Magnesium deficiency is a risk factorTrusted Source for osteoporosis. Deficiency might weaken bones directly, but it also lowers the blood levels of calcium, the main building block of your bones.

Other factors influence the risk of developing osteoporosis, including:

General fatigue and specific muscle weakness are symptomsTrusted Source of magnesium deficiency.

Low magnesium levels affect multiple body processes, including nerve signaling and potassium levels in muscle cells, which may cause fatigue and weakness, respectively.

Magnesium deficiency may increase blood pressure and promote high blood pressure (hypertension), a strong risk factor for:

While evidence is lacking, the Food and Drug Administration announced that inconsistent and inconclusive evidence suggests an associationTrusted Source between diets with adequate magnesium and a reduced risk of high blood pressure.

The United States Department of Agriculture suggests magnesium may benefit women with high blood pressure before, during, and after pregnancy.

Oral magnesium supplements may be an effective treatment for those with chronic asthma, according to a 2019 systematic review. This may be due to magnesium’s anti-inflammatory and airway-opening (bronchodilating) properties.

However, evidence for the effectiveness of dietary magnesium supplements in individuals with asthma is inconsistent, and more is needed.

A healthcare professional may administer intravenous magnesium or via nebulizer in the emergency department. But studies on nebulized magnesium didn’t show a benefit.

Heart arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeat, is a potentially severe effect of magnesium deficiency.

A 2018 systematic review found that when compared to a placebo, supplementation with magnesium sulfate was associated withTrusted Source a:

Causes of magnesium deficiency may includeTrusted Source:

The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA)Trusted Source or adequate intake (AI) of magnesium for people in the United States in milligrams (mg) is:

AgeMaleFemalePregnancyLactation
Birth to 6 months30 mg*30 mg*
7 to 12 months75 mg*75 mg*
1 to 3 years80 mg80 mg
4 to 8 years130 mg130 mg
9 to 13 years240 mg240 mg
14 to 18 years410 mg360 mg400 mg360 mg
19 to 30 years400 mg310 mg350 mg310 mg
31 to 50 years420 mg320 mg360 mg320 mg
51+ years420 mg320 mg

Magnesium is found in both plant- and animal-based foodsTrusted Source. The richest sources are seeds and nuts, but other good sources include:

If you have a health condition that causes your body to lose magnesium, such as diabetes, it’s important to eat plenty of magnesium-rich foods or take supplements.

Talk with your doctor or a dietitian about increasing your magnesium intake in a way that works well for your needs.

Speak with your doctor before trying magnesium supplements to avoid unwanted side effects or possible medication interactions.

The symptoms of magnesium deficiency are usually subtle unless your levels become severely low. Magnesium deficiency may cause:

  • fatigue
  • muscle cramps
  • mental health conditions
  • asthma
  • high blood pressure
  • irregular heartbeat
  • osteoporosis

If you believe you may have a magnesium deficiency, you should speak with your doctor.