据最新研究报道，镁补充剂(magnesium supplements)可以增加睡眠时间，提高自然褪黑激素水平。而且新的研究发现，直接作用于皮肤的镁可以比摄入的补充剂更快，更有效地将矿物质输送到身体。日常生活中镁主要存在于坚果和绿叶蔬菜中，而已经有公司开始着手研发含镁润肤露。

Do YOU suffer from insomnia(失眠)?

You may be lacking in MAGNESIUM: Mineral can boost sleep time if applied directly to the skin as expert reveals the 12 signs you are deficient

If you can't sleep, then chances are you've racked your brains[1] and probably raked[2] Google more than a few times, for what may be behind it.

[1]rack your brains: to think very hard 绞尽脑汁，搜肠刮肚

I've been racking my brains all day but I can't remember her name.

我搜肠刮肚想了一整天，却怎么也记不起她的名字来。

[2]rake: to search in a container by moving the contents around quickly 搜寻；搜翻；搜索

Consuming too much caffeine after 3pm, not enough exercise or an overload of stress hormones are most often the culprits[3] of insomnia[4].

[3]culprit: a fact or situation that is the reason for something bad happening 问题的起因；罪魁祸首

Children in this country are getting much too fat, and sugar and sweets are the main culprits.

该国儿童过于肥胖，糖和甜食是罪魁祸首。

[4]insomnia: the condition of being unable to sleep, over a period of time 失眠（症）

Holly suffered from insomnia caused by stress at work.

霍莉因为工作压力失眠了好几个月。

But an array of recent trials have pointed the blame at a magnesium deficiency[缺镁] for thousands of people who toss and turn[5] at night, Healthista reports.

[5]toss and turn: to move about from side to side or turn a lot in bed, especially because you cannot sleep （尤指因无法入睡而）翻来覆去，辗转反侧

I was tossing and turning all night.

我整晚辗转反侧，无法入睡。

Studies have shown magnesium supplements can increases sleep time, efficiency and natural melatonin[6] levels - a hormone critical for the regulation of normal sleep.

[6]melatonin: a hormone in the body that produces changes in skin colour and is involved in controlling biorhythms such as our sleep pattern 降黑素（体内的一种激素，能刺激肤色变化，与日常睡眠等生物节律有关）

Now, new research has found magnesium applied directly to the skin can deliver the mineral to the body quicker and more efficiently than ingested supplements - and help improve sleep quality in 92 per cent of deficient people.

What is insomnia? 

Insomnia is a huge global problem, affecting around a third of men and women in their 30s and 40s and nearly half of women over 65.

There are two types, Type 1 insomnia where you can't get to sleep and Type 2, where you can get to sleep okay, but tend to wake at least once during the night.

And if you have either type, the chances are you have heard a million and one[7] remedies: get black out blinds[遮光帘], eat some peanut butter[花生酱] before bed, get a sleep mantra[8], take a Valium[镇定剂;安定]. Actually don't. The latter is addictive and the formers, well, they're hit and miss[9] at best.

[7]a hundred/thousand/million and one: very many 非常多的，许许多多的，极多的

I can't talk right now - I have a hundred and one things to do this morning.

我现在不能闲聊——今天上午我有一大堆的事情要做。

[8]mantra: a word or phrase that is often repeated and expresses a particular strong belief 口号，还有另一个意思“（尤指印度教和佛教中的）曼特罗，咒语”。

[9]hit and miss: If something is hit-and-miss, you cannot depend on it to be of good quality, on time, accurate, etc. 没准的，碰运气的

Magnesium: The facts

Indeed, waking in the small hours is often associated with stress, anxiety or depression and these are conditions that can be exacerbated by magnesium deficiency, said nutrition expert Greg Weatherhead. But there are many more.

'Magnesium is one of the most abundant minerals in the body and all our cells rely on adequate levels being maintained,' said Mr Weatherhead. 

Magnesium is predominantly found in nuts, wholegrain seeds and green leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale

'It's responsible for over 300 biochemical functions in the body and sufficient amounts allow us to be more flexible, develop stronger bones, produce energy more efficiently and be better able to resist disease.'

While magnesium is predominantly found in nuts, wholegrain seeds and green leafy vegetables such as spinach[菠菜] and kale[羽衣甘蓝], decreasing levels in our Western diets have long been reported and amounts in our most common foods have declined by about 20 per cent since the 1950s, Mr Weatherhead added.

In fact, the most recent government funded UK Diet and Nutrition Report updated in March this year, showed more and more of us have below optimal intakes of magnesium, with teenage girls and the over 60's being at particular risk of deficiency.

Moreover, diets that include an excess of processed foods and bad fats such as those found in takeaways, donuts and commercial vegetable oils as well as refined sugars can all decrease our magnesium levels.

节选自：DailyMail

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