Vitamin A And Vitamin E
Vitamin A and Vitamin E play an important role in stress reduction by both fighting the bodys harmful hormonal and biochemical reactions to stress and by inhibiting toxins that make our body feel fatigued. Vitamin A is naturally found in milk, eggs, spinach, carrots, and apricots and vitamin E is naturally found in almonds, mangoes, broccoli, and corn oil. Vitamin A and E when combined with Selenium exhibit greater effectiveness.
Best Cbd Tincture: Fab Cbd Oil
Format: Tincture
Use for: A healthy endocannabinoid system*
Hemp-derived CBD helps ease stress due to the way it interacts with the body’s endocannabinoid system . Though there’s still a lot we have yet to discover about this mysterious system, it seems to help regulate many body processesincluding the stress response. The compounds in hemp plants interact with the ECS and its receptors in a healthy way, helping it do its job as a master regulatory system.*
Full-spectrum blends that contain many different types of hemp plant compounds, like Fab’s, seem to do this the best. We also appreciate that their tinctures come in a portfolio of different flavors and strengths, making it easy to customize your calming experience.*
Best Overall For Calm: Mindbodygreen Calm+
Format: Gelcap/Softgel
Use for: Science-backed stress relief*
mindbodygreen’s freshly renovated stress supplement, calm+, contains three relaxing botanicalsfull-spectrum USDA- and E.U-certified organic European hemp oil, lavender oil, and ashwagandha root and leaf extractin doses supported by the latest cutting-edge science. When combined, the trio promotes next-generation mood support. Each gelcap contains 20 mg of nonpsychoactive hemp-derived CBDa sweet spot that eases stress without leaving you feeling drowsy, making this a good pick to take any time of day or night for a quick hit of calm.*
Recommended Reading: How To Avoid Stress At Work
Are Anxiety Supplements Safe For Everyone
While these supplements are generally safe, there are some groups that may be at higher risk for side-effects or other concerns:
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Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding: It is best to avoid these supplements since we do not have enough safety studies for these critical periods of early development.
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Infants and young children: They should only take supplements under the supervision of a licensed medical professional.
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Those on prescription medications: Before starting any supplements, consult with your doctor to make sure that there are no harmful interactions.
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Those with chronic medical conditions: For conditions that affect liver and kidney function, consult with your doctor before starting any supplements.
Other Tips For Managing Stress
Taking herbs and vitamins isn’t the only way to manage stress. From getting a good night’s sleep to meditating more often, there are simple modifications you can make to feel better. The bottom line is that you should find what is really at the root of your stress and take action to reduce it. Experiencing stress over the long term can have detrimental impacts on various aspects of your health, so take it seriously. Here are a few ideas:
- Go for a walk outdoors
- Get more exercise
- Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine
- Talk to a counselor
If you’re not able to manage stress on your own and it’s affecting your ability to enjoy life, please reach out to someone you trust for help.
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The Impact Of Stress On Your Health
Stress can be defined as the bodys reaction to any change that requires an adjustment or response. While feeling stressed has certain protective roles, too much stress can also do scary things to our health.
What are some common experiences or thought patterns that can cause the body to feel stress, including some that you might never have associated with stress before? Things like financial pressure, a lack of sleep, emotional problems in your relationships, overtraining or doing too much exercise, and even dieting can all send signals to the body that its under stress.
Stress can either be perceived as feeling good/positive or bad/negative depending on the context, and the body reacts differently to both kinds. However, where the body isnt so clever is distinguishing between very serious threats and events that are stressful but not actually life-threatening. Unfortunately, whether a problem is very serious or not, the body usually has no way of knowing the difference anything that causes you to worry, anticipate, regret, overthink or panic can send your stress levels through the roof.
Stress can result from changes in your lifestyle , your environment or even simply recurring negative thoughts.
Dozens of studies have shown that chronic stress is related to health conditions and stress symptoms, including:
- eating disorders
- addiction
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Best Supplements For Stress Relief
The content and opinions on Top10Supps are meant to be informative only. They are not medical advice or intended for the diagnosis, prevention, and/or treatment of any health problems. We may receive a commission if you buy something using a link on this page.
As a Registered Dietitian, you may reasonably infer that I believe diet is the most important aspect of health.
Although its definitely important there is one thing which, in the long term, can impact your health way more than how many burgers you eat or dont eat.
That one thing is: how well you are managing your stress.
Now, you may have different triggers, but everyone experiences stress.
Its simply part of living day to day in the modern world, stuff happens! But, how well you are dealing with your stress is what can really make or break your health.
Im not suggesting diet doesnt play a role. . . after all, Im a Nutritionist!
In fact, as youll see below, good nutrition coupled with tailored herbs and supplements can be a tool to help manage the stress monster more effectively.
Also Check: What Does Stress Do To The Human Body
Unplug From Your Devices And Connect With Nature
Technology is entwined with our daily lives, but too much screen time can lead to increased stress and feelings of anxiety. Step away from your computer or phone at regular intervals throughout the day. Spending time outdoors offers numerous health benefits, including improved mood and reduced stress levels. Cant escape into nature? Research suggests that simply looking at photos of nature can help improve your mood.
Achieving Better Mental Health Through Diet
Be sure to talk to your doctor if your anxiety symptoms are severe or last more than two weeks. But even if your doctor recommends medication or therapy for anxiety, it is still worth asking whether you might also have some success by adjusting your diet. While nutritional psychiatry is not a substitute for other treatments, the relationship between food, mood, and anxiety is garnering more and more attention. There is a growing body of evidence, and more research is needed to fully understand the role of nutritional psychiatry, or as I prefer to call it, Psycho-Nutrition.
Read Also: How To Treat Stress Hives
The Gift And Power Of Emotional Courage By Susan David
In this TED talk, Susan David challenges our culture that prefers false positivity over true emotions. She talks about the fact that how people choose to deal with their emotions shapes everything about their lives, including their actions, their careers, their relationships, their health, and their happiness.
Emotions are seen as being either good or bad, and positive emotions are deemed correct. Because of this, people lockdown on their false positive emotions and become rigid in their thinking. People are often told to stop being angry, or those who are sick are told to think positively. But depression affects more people than any other illness worldwide.
When emotions are ignored, they grow stronger. It is important to not only learn to accept your emotions but also to accurately label them so you know what you must do to fix the problem. People must be open with their difficult emotions to help pave the way to their best selves.
This is what emotional agility is all aboutbeing able to be with your emotions and have compassion and courage for yourself. The only certain thing in our fragile lives is uncertainty, so having emotional agility is paramount to the ability to walk with fear.
In this talk, David makes the strong argument that if you have emotional agilityor emotion courageyou will be more equipped to handle the stressors that life sends your way. Instead of ignoring the negative things that come up, embrace them and deal with them so you can move on.
Best Magnesium Supplements For Stress Relief
There are many forms of magnesium supplements to choose from and the one you pick really does matter.
A good general purpose form is magnesium glycinate.
It has a calming effect and is considered one of the best forms for correcting a magnesium deficiency.
Theres evidence that a relatively new form of magnesium, magnesium l-threonate, could be particularly helpful for anxiety disorders because it more readily enters the brain.
The RDA for magnesium is 320 mg for women and 420 mg for men.
However, many people benefit from higher amounts.
Its fairly easy to determine when youve taken too much magnesium since it will generally cause loose stools.
If you have trouble sleeping, taking magnesium before you go to bed can help you relax and sleep better.
Another way to de-stress with magnesium is by soaking in a hot tub of magnesium sulfate, commonly known as Epsom salts.
Theres evidence that a measurable amount of magnesium is absorbed through the skin this way.
Caution:DO NOT take Epsom salts internally.
Magnesium sulfate is a harsh laxative that can have you running to the bathroom.
There are reports of magnesium sulfate taken internally causing memory loss, vomiting, kidney failure, and cardiac arrest.
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Vitamin C Food Sources
Almost all animals synthesize their own vitamin C, except humans.
So we must get it from food or supplements.
The top vitamin C fruit sources are citrus fruits, strawberries, and the tropical fruits pineapple, papaya, and kiwi.
The best vegetable sources are peppers of all kinds , tomatoes, and cruciferous vegetables .
But typically these foods contain less than 100 mg per serving.
So, you have to regularly eat a lot of these foods to meet the amounts considered therapeutic, generally 500 to 1,000 mg per day.
Stress And Mental Health
The problem is that although these stressors are not immediately deadly,
. . . being under chronic stress is of significant concern.
A chronic state of stress can eventually lead to things like weight gain, poor digestion, feeling drained and exhausted all the time.
Additionally, exposure to stress hormones can:
- and increase the risk of substance abuse, anxiety, and depression.
The reason these hormones are so impactful on our mental health is that they are able to bind to receptors in the brain changing both structure and function.
Research backs up the impact of chronic stress on our health and shows that long-term, stress can be the underlying cause for chronic diseases such as heart disease, heart attacks, weight gain/loss, high blood pressure, etc. Left unmanaged, it can really impact your sleep too, causing excessive sleepiness or insomnia.
Chronic stress can also lead to other negative health behaviors such as drinking, smoking, and overeating as a way to cope . All of these symptoms, whether mental or, physical are interconnected.
Stress hormones are a major trigger of systemic inflammation . Inflammation is the underlying cause of almost every chronic disease. To help you avoid these issues as much as possible, Ive put together this list of some of the most useful supplements whose ingredients have been shown by science to naturally fight stress.
Read Also: How Do You Deal With Stress
Best Magnesium Powder: Megafood Relax + Calm Magnesium Powder
Format: Powder
Use for: Drinkable calm*
If you prefer to drink your way to calm, this powder contains three forms of magnesium to promote muscle relaxation and a sense of mental ease. While there’s no clinical scientific consensus, 100 mg of magnesium or more is thought to have a calming benefit.*
This powder contains 300 mg per scoop, and it’ll give your glass of water a hit of slight sweetness thanks to its monk fruit extract.
Best Hemp Gummies: Cornbread Full Spectrum Cbd Gummies
Format: Gummies
Use for: Tasty in-the-moment calm*
If you’re looking for a palatable but powerful treat, these tasty chews from Kentucky-based company Cornbread contain 10 mg of USDA organic hemp-derived CBD per serving . Unlike many gummies on the market, they’re free of high-fructose corn syrup, gelatin, and artificial colors. They’re also vegan and sweetened with organic tapioca syrup and organic cane sugar.
“The natural berry flavors are made from USDA organic blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries, while the color comes from organic beetroot,” mbg’s Ferira says of what makes them a cut above the rest. “That’s one clean gummy.”
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What Kind Of An Effect Can Vitamins Have
The best approach to handling stress is to maintain a healthy lifestyle that supports optimal health.
Vitamins can serve as good complements for other emotional stress management strategies such as exercise, progressive muscle relaxation, naps, a good nightâs sleep, and deep breathing, but are not a substitute.
You may notice an increase in your energy level within a short period of beginning supplementation and this could help how you perceive emotional stressors. It is important to remember, however, that it generally takes a few months to build up levels of nutrients in the body that are high enough to experience noticeable results. Emotional stress management techniques usually provide noticeable results sooner.
However, in terms of combating chronic oxidative stress, antioxidant supplements immediately begin silently providing many benefits to enhance health. Ultimately these benefits enhance long-term vigor in ways you can feel and even in those you canât.
To Aid Those With Acute Anxiety: Rescue Remedy
Rescue Remedy, a combination of five flower essences, is designed for immediate relief from stress or some kind of trauma, says Lindsay F., former homeopath at our Santa Fe store. The formula includes essences of rock rose, clematis, impatiens, cherry plum and star of Bethlehem and is designed to restore a sense of balance to the body.
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How Long Does It Take For Anxiety Supplements To Have An Effect
Some herbs, including passionflower and valerian root, have demonstrated immediate calming effects in research studies. Patients who were given these herbs 30 – 60 minutes before stressful events experienced fewer physical and emotional symptoms of anxiety. These herbs may be helpful for patients who need immediate relief for anxiety symptoms like panic attacks.
Research also shows that taking these herbs over a longer period may reduce overall anxiety in patients. For other supplements like magnesium and chromium, it may take some time for levels to build to a sufficient amount to feel benefits.
While we do not have enough information to say exactly how long each of these supplements will take to start working, patients often report benefits after about 2 weeks.
Best Lemon Balm: Life Extension Enhanced Stress Relief
Format: Capsule
Use for: Bedtime relaxation*
Another calming botanical, lemon balm also has sedative properties, and you’ll often find it steeped into sleepytime teas. At 600-mg doses, it’s been shown to increase self-reported calmness and support memory. However, it tends to decrease alertness, so it’s best taken before bed.*
This blend from Life Extension combines lemon balm with L-theanine, a stress-relieving amino acid found in green tea, to double down on its benefits.*
Life Extension Enhanced Stress Relief
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How Vitamin C Fights Stress
Low levels of vitamin C have been linked to anxiety and depression.
Vitamin C plays several important roles in counteracting stress.
First, vitamin C is required to produce norepinephrine, a chemical that acts as both a stress hormone and a neurotransmitter.
It also suppresses the formation of the major stress hormone cortisol.
Those with adequate levels of vitamin C are more resilient to stress they bounce back faster from stressful situations.
Researchers tested vitamin Cs impact on acute psychological stress by choosing the #1 fear of all, public speaking.
Those given vitamin C had lower cortisol levels and lower blood pressure and also reported feeling less stressed than those who took a placebo.
The study concluded that vitamin C should be considered an essential stress management tool.
Lastly, vitamin C is an essential cofactor needed to synthesize the mood-boosting neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine.
When study participants with generalized anxiety disorder took vitamin C supplements, they experienced a significant reduction in anxiety and depression symptoms.
Zinc: For A Healthy Nervous System
Zinc is another mineral required for overall health and mental well-being.
Its found in the highest concentrations in the brain, especially in the hippocampus.
It plays a vital role in modulating your response to stress.
Zinc is required to synthesize GABA and balance the activity of this calming neurotransmitter.
Along with vitamin B6, zinc is also a cofactor in the production of serotonin.
In fact, zinc can be taken as either a standalone treatment for depression or in conjunction with antidepressants.
Zinc enhances the effects of SSRI antidepressants together, they work better for major depressive disorder than antidepressants alone.
Zinc deficiency is a well-known factor in central nervous system and mental health disorders.
Low levels of zinc have been linked to anxiety, depression, memory loss, dementia, bipolar disorder, and Alzheimers.
Unfortunately, zinc deficiency is surprisingly common an estimated 2 billion people are deficient worldwide.
On the other hand, too much zinc can also be problematic.
Zinc intake of 50 mg per day or more can result in copper deficiency.
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