Apparently, everyone has specific stressors in their lives. Factors related to job pressure, health, money, and relationships are the most common. Stress can be chronic or acute, and if you don’t treat it, can lead to a much worse condition. Stress can cause fatigue, headache, upset stomach, nervousness, and irritability or anger. One of the most ideal ways to treat stress is to use a stress supplement. Stress victims can use vitamins and any other stress supplement to combat stress. However, you should contact your doctor before using any stress supplement. Some ways to keep your stress levels low include;
a) Regular exercise
b) Adequate sleep
c) Good nutrition
Below are some stress supplements that can help “cure” or combat stress.
This is an herb that sprouts in the cold, mountainous regions of Asia and Russia. It is an adaptogen, a natural, non-toxic herb that stimulates your body’s stress response system to resist stress. Its adaptogenic properties are linked to two of the herb’s potent active ingredients — rosavin and salidroside. Studies show that patients suffering from fatigue get better after using 400mg of Rhodiola extract daily after one week. The symptoms of stress declined throughout the study.
Melatonin is a natural hormone in charge of your body’s circadian rhythm or sleep-wake cycle. Adequate amounts of sleep are vital when combating stress. Since stress can cause insomnia, a sleep disorder, enough sleep can help disprove stress. The hormone level (melatonin) increases at night to promote sleep and decreases in the morning when it’s light to promote wakefulness.
In addition, researchers have proven that melatonin reduced the time it took people to fall asleep. It also increased total sleep time, and improved sleep quality compared with a placebo. One thing to note here is that, although melatonin is a natural hormone, taking melatonin supplements will not affect its natural production. Melatonin is also non-addictive, although in some countries, you’ll need a prescription to get one over the counter.
Glycine is a natural amino acid used by the body to produce proteins. Studies claim that glycine may improve the body’s resistance to stress by encouraging good sleep. It does this through its calming effect on the brain and the ability to lower the core body temperature. Testing 3grams of glycine on patients showed a reduction in fatigue, increased sleep quality, and increased alertness the next day. Other tests came with similar results proving that glycine improves sleep quality and performance on memory recognition tasks.
This is also an adaptogenic herb native to India. It is one of the world’s oldest medicinal systems. With similar functions to Rhodiola , Ashwagandha is thought to enhance your body’s resilience to physical and mental stress. Studies show that supplementing 240mg to an individual with mild stress leads to more significant reductions in stress, anxiety, and depression. The herb also leads to 23% reduction in morning cortisol levels, a stress hormone. Additionally, Ashwagandha has been proven safe, with no recorded side effects.
This is an amino acid mostly present in tea leaves. It has been studied mainly for its ability to reduce stress and promote relaxation without any sedative effects. A study showed that almost 68,000 people discovered that drinking green tea reduces anxiety and causes improvements in memory and attention. Another study showed that supplementing with 200 mg of L-theanine reduced stress levels, such as heart rate, in response to performing a stressful task. L-theanine is well tolerated and safe to use.
This is a tropical shrub native to the South Pacific islands. Pacific Islanders use it to prepare a beverage called Kava or Kava Kava. The shrub, Kava contains active compounds called Kavalactones, which have been studied for their stress-reducing properties. Kavalactones give a calming effect by inhibiting the breakdown of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a neurotransmitter that decreases your nervous system’s activity. You can take Kava with tea, in capsule, liquid, or powdery form.
