Central nervous system magnesium deficiency symptoms often seem “neurotic”: anxiety, excessive emotionality, fatigue, head­aches, insomnia, light-headedness, dizziness, nervous fits, the sensation of a lump in the throat, and impaired breathing.

Peripheral nervous system signs are common: pins and needles of the extremities, cramps, muscle pains.

Functional disorders include chest pain, shortness of breath, chest pressure, palpitations, extrasystoles (occa­sional heart thumps from an isolated extra beat), abnormal heart rhythm and Raynaud’s syndrome.

Autonomic nervous system disturbances involve both the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, often causing hypotension on rising quickly. In aged people excessive emotionality, tremor, weakness, sleep disorders, amnesia, and cogni­tive disturbances are important signs of magnesium deficiency.