Stress, heat and dehydration all increase how much magnesium the body loses through urine (a state known as hypermagnesuria). Under sustained stress this becomes a cycle, low magnesium makes the nervous system more reactive, which triggers release of more stress hormones, which burns through even more magnesium.

Calcium and magnesium work opposite to each other in every muscle in the body, including the heart.

Calcium triggers the contraction, whilst magnesium supports the release. Research has closely linked magnesium deficiency to disturbances in heart rhythm, and hospitals use intravenous magnesium to help stabilise irregular heartbeats in clinical settings.

A meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials found magnesium supplementation was associated with a measurable reduction in blood pressure in people with insulin resistance or prediabetes.

Separately, the Framingham Offspring Study found higher intakes of magnesium and potassium were linked to reduced cardiovascular risk, independent of sodium intake.

Magnesium plays a role in dampening the stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol. Research has shown magnesium can block the release of adrenal catecholamines triggered by stress. Magnesium can directly dampen down the stimulating effects of adrenalin. When magnesium runs low, the nervous system tends to stay switched on for longer than it needs to, unable to move from the sympathetic mode of flight or flight to the parasympathetic mode of rest, digest, recover.

Magnesium is essential for mitochondria to produce ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the energy currency your cells run on. Research links ongoing magnesium deficiency to chronic fatigue, brain fog and disrupted energy metabolism which stalls the recovery phase and speeds up the ageing process.

Deep sleep is when most of the body's repair work happens, and getting there depends on stress hormones settling down first. If cortisol is still high when you go to bed, the pineal gland doesn't make the powerful detox hormone of melatonin in deep sleep. Cortisol keeps the body too stimulated. Melatonin helps clean up metabolic wastes accumulated in the brain during the day's activities, and when you don't produce enough you wake up feeling like you have a hangover from alcohol (without having drunk alcohol). Magnesium supports relaxation and movement into parasympathitic mode of the wind-down process before sleep, which is part of why it's commonly included in evening routines. But any time of the day is good to supply magnesium, as the body can replenish its stores with more to save up for a rainy day (ie. when you have extra stress).

Swallowed magnesium has to survive digestion first, and studies show even the best oral supplements are only around 40% absorbed. Natural concencration of magnesium in food and water where magnesium chloride salts are dissolved, is the best way to absorb magnesium orally, as the gut wall cannot cope with high concentrations of magnesium at one time, most of which is lost in the toilet. However, research on transdermal application shows magnesium chloride can raise serum and urinary magnesium levels when applied to skin, without relying on digestion. As your blood is the last place that shows magnesium deficiency, your muscle and bone, where 99% of magnesium is stored, may still have low and sub-optimal levels which don't show up in blood tests, and which can also cause magnesium deficiency symptoms (like heart arrhythmia). With transdermal magnesium absorption your body can take up much higher amounts faster than via digestion. Many people use high concentrations of magnesium applied as massage to the muscle areas that feel tight and stressed, to quell over-stimulation, hyperactivity and the stress response - naturally.

When you're stressed, your adrenal glands release cortisol and adrenaline. These stress hormones are part of the normal "fight or flight" response, and they naturally raise your heart rate and can make it feel like it's racing, fluttering, or skipping a beat. On a mechanical level, they push calcium into your cell membranes, which is what causes muscle fibres, including heart muscle, to contract.

This is a normal stress response. But if it's happening too often even when there are no stressful activities, it's worth understanding why, rather than just pushing through it.

Magnesium is essential for the recovery phase after normal muscle contraction and nerve signalling (via calcium) throughout the body. The heart is the most important muscle that has to work 24/7. Where calcium contracts a muscle fibre, magnesium is what allows it to release and relax again, it's a constant push-pull between the two minerals.

A 2013 meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies found dietary magnesium intake was associated with reduced cardiovascular event risk, with the greatest risk reduction observed as intake increased. A separate analysis of the Framingham Offspring Study found higher magnesium and potassium intake were both associated with reduced cardiovascular risk. There are many more studies that confirm this most important relaxation and calcium controlling role for magnesium - as well as being essential for mitochondrial metabolism and electrical energy production.

A terrible fright or shock (as in an accident or fall from a great height) can stop the heart (cardiac arrest), which is more likely to happen in cases of very low magnesium, which weakens the heart's stamina and resilience. There's also a recognised medical condition called stress cardiomyopathy, sometimes nicknamed "broken heart syndrome," where excessive emotional stress affects rhythm. It's a striking, well-documented reminder of just how physically real the stress-heart connection is, and not something that's just "all in your head."

Tablets and powders have to survive your digestive system before they reach your bloodstream, and that's not always reliable. Stress, age, gut health, and certain medications all reduce how much magnesium the gut actually absorbs. Even a healthy gut has its restrictions and can only deal with uptake of low concentrations of dissolved magnesium, as found typically in mineral water and natural foods.

Transdermal magnesium, applied directly to the skin, bypasses the gut entirely. It absorbs into the outside layer of the skin (epidermis), where it can easily and quickly be accessed by the body to take up what it needs. The skin is an organ with a larger capacity to store magnesium compared to the gut lining. Your body self-regulates the uptake, so it never overdoses itself with magnesium via skin. Sometimes the magnesium gets taken up faster and sometimes slower, but eventually all is used up and not wasted as with tablets in the digestive system.

The ability to absorb dissolved magnesium salt via skin is effectively demonstrated by swimming in the magnesium-rich ocean, where it leaves you feeling energised, calm and relaxed, like your biological batteries have been charged up to provide regulated electrical flow. Elektra Magnesium brings that same natural mineral delivery into your daily routine, without needing to swim in the ocean every day.

Daily use is ideal. Consistency matters more than quantity. There's no risk of using too much topically. All tissues and membranes of the body can absorb magnesium ions, but the gut lining is more sensitive, thinner and has less capacity for high uptake or storage compared to the skin reservoir. When good fats are present in the skin, absorption and storage is enhanced because the skin relies on a certain ratio of salts to fats for optimal uptake of magnesium. In younger skin there are more of the naturally produced skin oils, but in mature skin (or those prone to dermatitis type conditions), the natural oils are less, making the skin dryer. Dryer skin is more resistant to magnesium salt uptake, but no problem when well lubricated and conditioned. The Elektra Magnesium product range caters for various skin types and needs so you can taylor the right routine for you.

A good starting point:

• Morning or night: Apply Elektra Magnesium Cream or Charge Lotion after your shower as your daily moisturiser
• Evening: Use Elektra Magnesium Oil before bed on legs, shoulders or wherever you carry tension
• Weekly: Add Elektra Magnesium Chloride Salt Flakes to a bath or foot soak for detox cleansing via skin, and a relaxing, deeper magnesium replenishment
• Daily: Add Elektra Magnesium Mineral Drops to filtered drinking water at concentrations that mimic natural spring water from the mountains, and sip throughout the day to stay well hydrated. Because cells aborb water better when magnesium is present, magnesium water travels through the body more thoroughly and slowly, compared to water lacking minerals that is expelled quickly by the digestive system without providing optimal cell hydration.

Product Layering: . Many customers use both Elektra Magnesium Cream as the body moisturizer foundation product, and adding optional Elektra Magnesium Oil (a few sprays) on top of tight spots to alleviate discomfort, relax and soothe more acute muscle or joint issues. Or massage extra on chest and upper body area for calming heart stress, hyperactivity or anxiety before bed to facilitate more restful sleep. Use the combination that you need to feel relief, and let your body responses be the guide. If you don't have a dry skin condition needing the moisturizer, you can use Elektra Magnesium Oil on its own. But most women love the combination. Some even like to make the moisturizer extra fatty like a rich night cream by adding another layer of a plant oil on top of their magnesium cream application.

During menopause it is generally recommended to supply 600-1000mg+ of elemental magnesium per day, depending on levels of stress. After some trial and error practice you will find your own ideal daily rhythm of use to feel great, sleep well and look beautiful!