Top 3 Stress-soothing Supplements

Everybody suffers stress and anxiety throughout their life. It happens when we are sitting exams, going for job interviews and even the daily grind of life in general. And while stress is absolutely normal and sometimes healthy, there are many instances where we overthink situations and develop stress and anxiety that is not proportional to the stress at hand. Stressful situations were a normal part of life when were in Africa evolving to escape lions. But today, stress can be long-term and chronic such as financial stress or relationship stress, which humans weren’t evolved to deal with. While there is nothing you can take to get rid of this stress out of your body, here are the top three supplements you can consider if you are suffering excessive stress. Ideally, you wont need any of them!

Ashwagandha

This amazing herb is actually classified as an adaptogen which means it will help you adapt and resist excessive stress throughout the body. From a scientific point of view this herb regulates the HPA axis meaning it can help reduce excessive cortisol that is made in the body when you are suffering excessive stress. It also helps with GABA (a sedating brain chemical) which helps reduce stress in the body. It also helps your brain by increasing levels of brain derived neurotrophic factor which is a chemical that helps you become more resilient to stress and inflammation. 

Magnesium threonate

This is a type of magnesium that has an amazing impact on the brain. Keep in mind magnesium on its own is good for reducing stress and is the key mineral in over 300 biochemical responses in the body. Magnesium threonate specifically crosses the blood brain barrier which means it can get into your brain and help increase the before mentioned chemical GABA. This helps regulate stress and anxiety in the body. Along with ashwagandha, this nutrient also helps support the HPA axis in the body which will help reduce excessive cortisol. Everybody needs over 300 milligrams of magnesium per day anyway so you may as well get a form that helps your brain as well. 

L-theanine

When we think of amino acids, we don’t normally think of drinking tea, but l- theanine is found in green tea and positively affects the brain chemistry. While this amino acid modulates the now famous chemical GABA, it also increases serotonin and dopamine which are neurotransmitters involved in reducing anxiety and helping to regulate your mood. The other benefit of l- theanine is its ability to increase Alpha wave brain activity. This gives you that relaxed but alert mental state. It also helps to reduce the stress hormone cortisol in the body. 

Remember, stress is a normal part of life and everybody experiences at some point of their life. Excessive or chronic stress can be dangerous to your health as increasing cortisol levels break down muscle mass and also reduces your healthy sex hormones. These supplements can help you cope with stress, so consider taking one or more of these if you are showing signs of excessive stress. None of these nutrients help remove stress from your life but they will help you overcome the stress get that can adversely affect your body.