Vitamins That Help With Stress

Stress vitamins, or vitamins to reduce stress, are rising in popularity, and with lots of new supplements hitting the market, you might be wondering “do stress vitamins really work?” In this article I’ll take a look at the best vitamins that could help you manage your stress and what stress actually is.

What is Stress?

Stress is a feeling that can be either positive or negative. This feeling is caused by various events. Stress, in turn, has many different types of symptoms.
Some of these symptoms are physical while others are emotional or mental.

The most common physical symptoms are headaches, backaches, stomach aches, high blood pressure, and in some cases, high blood sugar levels.

Emotional effects include moodiness, depression or anxiety. Mental effects can be memory lapses, fatigue and forgetfulness.

Stress is completely natural, and unavoidable. But more recently, we as a society, are getting stressed from reasons we’re not exactly evolved for. Things like money, careers, relationships and even socializing can contribute to a ‘modern’ form of stress.

3 Easy to Use Stress Vitamins

Because stress is physiological and a process, changing your diet to include the right foods can hugely help with stress management. And the best thing about vitamins? Is that you don’t need to be doing anything other than eating the right healthy foods.

Stress and the human diet are so closely intertwined and overlooked.

People who suffer from chronic stress are more likely to have a poorer diet, because they are less likely to have the energy or motivation to plan their food or think about what they are eating. They may also be more inclined to turn to unhealthy foods for comfort, believe me, I’ve been there.

A healthy diet can help relieve some of the symptoms of stress by providing your body with vital nutrients, which in turn reduces the effects of stress on your body.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is an important nutrient that helps with stress. A study found that after two weeks of taking 1000mg of vitamin C, the levels of cortisol (stress hormone) were significantly lower than those who took a placebo. The study also found that it can act as an anti-inflammatory agent and reduce oxidative stress under stressful condition.

Sources: Fruit and vegetables!

Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 is also important for people managing stress levels. It is necessary for creating red blood cells which carry oxygen throughout your body, including your brain. Low levels of vitamin B12 can lead to chronic fatigue and impaired cognitive function which will only increase the level of stress in your life.

Sources: Meats, dairy and fortified cereals

Magnesium
Magnesium is another key nutrient for regulating the nervous system and easing tension and anxiety.

Magnesium is a mineral that helps to control nerve impulses, which in turn calms the central nervous system. It is often used for stress-induced headaches, insomnia, muscle cramps, heart disease and anxiety.

Magnesium is an essential mineral for our bodies. It’s found in leafy green vegetables and beans while some foods are lucky enough to have it added on top of them like cereals. Stress can make magnesium deficiency more likely since the body uses up more magnesium when stress is being activated.

Sources: Nuts, legumes and dark green leafy vegetables

Supplements To Reduce Stress

Going one step further than vitamins to reduce stress, are supplements. Which, depending on the formula can provide an even greater level of nutritional support to.

Stress relief supplements can be a great way to deal with the mental and physical side effects of stress. Stress relief supplements work because they provide a quick and temporary relief to your body.

There are a variety of different types of stress relief remedies, including herbal remedies, homeopathic remedies, and prescription medications. They all work in different ways, but they all have the same goal: to help you feel better.

Vitamins & Herbs That Can Help

If you’re looking for products that will work to reduce stress there’s a handful of remedies that have extremely good and promising results.

Most of these are available with a simple search on the internet or at a local shop.

Here’s the ingredients to look out for in a good stress relief supplement.

Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha has been used for centuries in Ayurvedic medicine to promote healthy living. It is thought that the plant strengthens the immune system and improves cognitive function.

There are many studies suggesting that Ashwagandha can reduce stress levels. One study found that taking ashwagandha daily for eight weeks decreased stress hormone levels, anxiety, and depression in adults with mild to moderate anxiety.

Another study found that people who took ashwagandha had lower heart rates during stressful situations than those who did not take it.

Chamomile

Studies have shown that chamomile extract reduces stress levels by calming moods, reducing anxiety and depression. Chamomile extract has also been found to reduce the effects of inflammation.

The sedative properties of chamomile may be due to its ability to act as an anti-inflammatory, or it may be because of its essential oils that are known to have a calming effect on the nervous system.

L-Tyrosine

L-Tyrosine is an amino acid that the body cannot produce by itself. It is also one of the 20 amino acids that are considered to be “essential” because we need them in order to live and maintain good health.

It is a substance that your brain uses to produce adrenaline and noradrenaline. These hormones play a very important role in your emotional and physical health, controlling things like blood pressure and heart rate. L-Tyrosine can help with issues such as chronic stress, anxiety, depression, ADHD, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), postpartum depression (PPD) and weight loss issues.

Zinc

We all know that stress can cause a lot of health issues, but the last thing we want is to rely on medication for relief. Zinc extract can help reduce stress and improve mood by boosting your immune system.

Even though there are more people who suffer from anxiety or depression, zinc is able to help with both. It is able to manage the hormonal issues of stress and also relieve you from feeling overwhelmed by it.

Do Stress Vitamins Really Work?

Studies and real world examples show the importance of diet and nutrition on stress. So yes, stress vitamins can work. But you need to make sure you get a product that contains good doses of natural and healthy ingredients.

This will allow your body to help reduce levels of stress and promote feelings of calmness.

For stress supplements that contain all of the ingredients and vitamins above, we recommend SRS – The Stress Reduction Supplement. It contains key doses of minerals and herbs that are shown to help reduce stress.