Five Supplements That Could Help Lower Your Stress Levels

Let's face it, we live in a busy and high-stress world. Between dropping kids off at school, maintaining a healthy diet and exercise routine, maintaining friendships and relationships as well as careers, we all seem to have a lot on our plate these days. As hard as we try to breathe deep and stick to our yoga routine to maintain those stress levels, sometimes it just might not be enough. This is where the help of a few essential supplements comes in. A little extra help in the form of a daily vitamin can sometimes make all the difference. Such as the difference between losing your temper at another driver on the road, or the ability to take a deep breathe and realize that we will all get to where we need to go eventually, wishing the other driver well on their journey. Keep reading to learn more about what vitamins will help you maintain your very best state of Zen. 

1. B-Complex Vitamins

Vitamin B is so well known to help with stress and anxiety that some brands even add the word "stress" to their labels, advertising "Stress B Complex.” Many B vitamins are found in a variety of foods, including grains, meats, eggs, dairy products, leafy greens, and legumes. There are quite a few B vitamins necessary for optimum health, and each one has a role in helping the body run smoothly. They are required for your nervous system, cell metabolism, red blood cell production, and converting food into energy. Several studies have linked high doses of the B vitamins with reduced symptoms of stress. Even though you can get vitamin B from food sources, it can be really good for your system to take a B complex vitamin as you know you're getting everything your body needs. Especially women on birth control pills or women who don't eat a lot of meat or animal products should take a B Complex Pill daily. 

2. Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha is a well-known herb that originated in India and has been popular in Ayurvedic medicine for quite a long time. It's thought to bolster the body's ability to resist mental and physical stress and help with an overall feeling of peace and well-being. According to www.everydayhealth.com, "The science behind ashwagandha for reducing stress and anxiety is promising, and there’s reason to think it might also be useful for improving sleep. In a study published in September 2019 in the journal Medicine, 30 adults were given 240 milligrams of the extract a day, and 30 were given a placebo. After two months, those who’d taken the ashwagandha reported feeling less anxious, depressed, and stressed. A similar study, published in December 2019 in Cureus, followed 60 stressed, healthy adults for eight weeks. Each day, one-third of the group received 250 mg of ashwagandha, one-third received 600 mg of the supplement, and one-third received a placebo. The result: Participants who were given ashwagandha reported sleeping better and feeling less stressed compared with those who took a placebo." Hey, sounds good to us!

3. Magnesium

Magnesium has been growing in popularity lately and is becoming more well known for its various health benefits. More and more findings are coming about how many bodily functions it’s connected to and its power in helping people with their day-to-day stress levels, as well as sleeping better at night. Also, it can be a tricky one to get adequate amounts from diet alone. Magnesium is a mineral the body uses to regulate many processes, from the functioning of nerves and muscles to the synthesizing of protein and bone. Very important things! The research also points to magnesium as possibly being helpful in people who have mild anxiety, so go ahead and take one of those nightly as you're about to doze off. You might be surprised by the results.

4. Kava

Kava Kava is an herb that has been used medicinally for centuries. Originating in New Guinea and growing with popularity throughout the Pacific Islands and eventually the world. The main active ingredient in Kava is kavalactones, hence its name. The herb, when studied, appears to alter levels of the neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin in your brain, which are two chemicals that promote a happy mood and feelings of pleasure. This plant medicine has been around for a long time, and has been used to treat many things, including use as a pain reliever, treat anxiety and stress, promote mental and physical relaxation, and treat attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder well as helping reduce premenstrual pain. If you are currently suffering from anxiety and the stress of day-to-day life, it might be worth adding some Kava to your routine. If your symptoms of depression ever feel like more than you can bear, please be sure to make a phone call to your doctor as Kava does not replace any needed medications that could be prescribed. 

5. Melatonin

If you've ever had trouble sleeping at night, you've likely had someone recommend melatonin to you. But, it turns out there is more benefit to it than just that. Melatonin is a hormone that your body naturally produces at night when it gets dark to help your body prepare for sleep. Because we humans are surrounded by so much artificial light these days, TV, cell phones, laptops, sometimes our body gets confused on how much Melatonin to produce and when. It turns out that it may also help lower anxiety levels as well. According to www.everydayhealth.com, "A review published in April 2015 in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews of more than 770 people found that melatonin may be as effective at reducing anxiety pre surgery as midazolam, a sedative. Melatonin supplements are easy to find as tablets, capsules, and drops; most come in doses of 1 mg or 5 mg."

In conclusion, we hope that you’re able to see that there are quite a few vitamins out there that could help with your stress levels and mental health. Please remember that these suggestions are in no way a replacement for a visit to your doctor, and if you are experiencing symptoms of depression, please do not hesitate to reach out for help. Our mental health is so very important, and supplements play a vital role in how our body can function. Try and make a daily habit of taking a few daily vitamins and take note of the results. We would love to hear more about which ones have helped you the most!