Tag Archives: Stress

B Vitamins for Stress

Posted on March 25, 2022 by | Leave a comment

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The health benefits of B vitamins are well known. Our bodies use them in countless ways to function.

The B vitamins include the following:

  • B1
  • B2
  • B3
  • B5
  • B6
  • B7
  • B9
  • B12

We get B vitamins through diet and foods such as protein (fish, eggs, poultry, and other meats), dairy products, leafy green vegetables, beans, peas, and some fortified bread and cereal.

B vitamins play a critical role in helping our bodies turn the foods we eat into energy. They’re also essential in the formation of red blood cells. Other roles that B vitamins play include:

  • Cell growth and metabolism
  • Nerve function
  • DNA production
  • Keeping digestive system healthy
  • Keeping skin healthy
  • Brain health
  • Immune system health
  • And more

Another meaningful way that B vitamins benefit our health? B vitamins can also have a positive effect on stress and mood.

B Vitamins for Stress

B vitamins have many potential benefits when it comes to combatting stress as well. One study examined the benefits of B-vitamin supplements on depressive symptoms, anxiety, and stress in both “healthy” and “at-risk” populations.

The study showed that regular B vitamin supplementation had a notably positive effect on stress for healthy and at-risk participants. The study noted that their research found B vitamin supplementation may be particularly beneficial against stress in those at risk due to poor nutrient status due to ow B vitamin intake in a diet for any number of reasons, or poor overall mood status.

Another study found that B vitamins had a positive effect on stress and performance. The study looked at the effect of a high dose vitamin B complex supplement (along with vitamin C) on a group of healthy adults. Those who utilized the high dose vitamin B complex supplement reported significant improvements in mood, general health, and perceived stress. They also rated themselves as higher for energy or vigor and as experiencing less mental fatigue.

Those who experience anxiety and depressive symptoms from diagnosed depression have benefited from B vitamins. Another study found that those who utilized a vitamin B complex supplement showed consistent and continuous improvements in anxious and depressive symptoms compared to those who did not take the supplement.

If you’re interested in B vitamins for stress, consider these supplements from Designs for Health, Vital Nutrients, and Neurobiologix.

Homocysteine Supreme – Designs for Health

Homocysteine Supreme from Designs for Health is a dietary supplement that contains a proprietary blend of active isomer naturally-occurring folates known to facilitate the efficient metabolism of homocysteine. Its potential benefits include helping in tissue formation, the functioning of the liver, skin, and immune system, and helping in forming red blood cells. B vitamins have also been found to aid in metabolizing carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. It also supports biochemical reactions like detoxification, healthy immune function, joint and cartilage structure, and brain and cardiovascular health.

B-Complex – Vital Nutrients

B-Complex from Vital Nutrients is a balanced, high-potency dietary supplement containing B vitamins, including thiamin, riboflavin, folate, biotin, pantothenic acid niacinamide, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12. This comprehensive B complex supplement supports a healthy nervous system, helps to maintain protein, fat, and carbohydrate metabolism, and promotes homocysteine conversion.

Methyl Folate Plus – Neurobiologix

Methyl Folate Plus from Neurobiologix is a professional-grade dietary supplement for those who need support overcoming deficiencies in the cellular delivery of methyl folate. Those who have methylation deficiencies due to genetic weaknesses may have difficulty absorbing folic acid, or those who need additional nervous and immune system support. Each serving of this supplement contains vitamin B2 (as Riboflavin-5-Phosphate), Vitamin B3 (as Niacinamide), and folate (derived from L-5-Methyltetrahydrofolate calcium salt and Folinic acid calcium salt).

Do you use B vitamins for stress?

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How to Fall Asleep More Quickly

Posted on April 28, 2021 by | Leave a comment

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Getting a good night’s sleep is one of the most important aspects of health, happiness, and productivity. However, it’s also one thing in life that many of us struggle with. Stress, unhealthy habits, and concerns about health crises affecting the world don’t help.

In fact, reports of sleep difficulties spiked during the early months of the coronavirus pandemic. Health researchers are still examining the long-term impacts of these and other issues.

Fortunately, there are ways to improve sleep that any of us can practice. You may have to change some habits, and perhaps suffer a couple of pretty weary days, but these methods can and will have you sleeping better without too much effort.

Sleep Basics

Think of your body like a battery. Sleep is the charger.

If at the end of the day there is still a charge, you will have a harder time shutting down – you still have energy left to discharge. However, if you run your battery out each day, your body (battery) will want to plug into sleep (charger) at night.

So, how do you make sure that your energy is depleted at night, and you are fully recharged in the morning? Let’s talk about it!

Be Consistent

One of the easiest ways to make sure that your energy is depleted by day’s end is to simply wake up earlier, and be consistent about it! Your body has a biological clock known as the circadian rhythm.

This system learns how and when you go to bed. The more you fall asleep and wake at the same time, the more effective your body’s biological clock will be. That means you need to resist the urge to hit the snooze button, and don’t nap throughout the day. Also, start saying no to late-night activities. Schedule things for earlier in the day, so you are home and in bed on time.

The first time you wake up on a new schedule may have you feeling weary. But you will find it easier to sleep that night. Over the course of days and weeks, this work will start to pay dividends. You will start to fall asleep faster and wake with a feeling of focus and energy you may not be used to!

Exercise

Exercise is another great way to deplete your energy during the day. It also has numerous other health benefits, which could improve your overall state of mental health and wellness.

To put it more simply, exercise wears out the mind and body. It also pushes your heart, speeds digestion, and challenges your lungs and your brain. If you feel the burn during the day, you’re much more likely to fall asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow – it is such an amazing feeling to stretch out in a cool bed after a hard workout and refreshing shower.

Practice Sleep Hygiene

Sleep hygiene includes a whole list of behaviors that promote sleep just before bed. Among these are not using your phone, not watching tv, and only using your bed for sex or sleep.

Keep a neat bed and make it each morning. Try showering before bed each night, so you feel nice and ready for slumber. Change your sheets regularly and especially your pillowcases to prevent discomfort and allergic reactions.

Finally, keep the room cool and at the right humidity levels. You can use a fan, humidifier, or dehumidifier, or use an air conditioner (consider a window unit or a small fixed unit that installs into the wall).

Avoid Caffeine and Limit Alcohol

Many of us love caffeine, but drinking coffee or tea too late in the day can affect sleep. Caffeine is a stimulant, meant to work against the parts of the brain that enable sleepiness. If you wonder whether your coffee habit is affecting your sleep, go a couple of days without any caffeine at all and see how you sleep those nights.

Likewise, alcohol disrupts many systems in the body and can contribute to physical discomfort that makes sleep difficult. Worse of all, even if you find you sleep deeply after drinking, you may still wake up feeling tired and unfocused. If you are consuming alcohol, stop several hours before falling asleep, and make sure to rehydrate and eat a healthy meal.

Manage Stress

Stress, anxiety, and worry are sleep-killers. It’s important for you to find ways to take care of worrisome problems during the day so that you can be free from worry at night. If you can’t get rid of all the stressors in your life, try meditation and journaling before you go to bed. This can help you organize your thoughts on the page, which will keep your mind from cycling through your troubles while you try to get some shut-eye.

Take a Sleep Supplement

If all else fails, there are some great natural sleep-promoting supplements on the market. We can specifically recommend three. Each contains a different active ingredient and mechanism of action. Choose the one you feel most confident trying. None are habit-forming, they contain no artificial ingredients, and are considered well tolerated by most people when compared to some competing formulas.

  • Melatonin 20 mg by Bio-Tech Pharmacal contains the natural hormone melatonin, which is produced in the pineal gland of the human brain. People who may benefit from taking a melatonin supplement include those with altered sleep schedules due to jet lag, shift work, or with busy families that affect healthy sleep cycles. The natural production of melatonin from the amino acid L-tryptophan may decrease with age, so those who are older may potentially benefit too.
  • 5-HTP 100 mg (5-Hydroxytryptophan) by Pure Encapsulations seeks to support brain serotonin levels for overall emotional well-being, healthy eating habits, and healthy sleep. This formula may be ideal for those who struggle with sleep due to issues related to feelings of stress, anxiety, or worry.
  • PharmaGABA – 250 (SP662) by Thorne Research is formulated with gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA,) which is a neurotransmitter found throughout the central nervous system. Those who experience irritability, restlessness, sleeplessness, and spasmodic movements may have an imbalance of hormone levels in the body. GABA is thought to help act like a “brake” during times of runaway emotions, stress, and anxiety. Furthermore, GABA supplementation may promote relaxation and a healthy sleep cycle.

It’s hard to get a good night’s sleep, but there are ways to change this. Try the above suggestions and supplements and see if you notice a difference in your sleep!

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Stress: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Posted on April 11, 2019 by | Comments Off on Stress: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

StressSusan Brown Health and Wellness Editor

The Good: Stress is most often viewed negatively, but an appropriate amount of “good” stress provides the stimulation that keeps us engaged from moment to moment. Situational stress happens when we feel a sense of control over challenges and experiences we face on a daily basis. It’s a fact of life that everyday stressors, though unnerving, have become normalized and unavoidable. We live in a very stressful world, complicated by family responsibilities, work performance and social obligations, as well as serious, often unexpected life events. In immediate short-term stressful situations, the body’s acute stress response allows for the release of adrenalin, cortisol and neurotransmitters that enable the mind and body to cope with momentary challenges. This survival response results in a quickened heartbeat, rapid breathing and a rush of oxygenated blood to the heart, muscles and other organs, as well as a heightened ability to perform during stressful, yet manageable situations.

The Bad: Per the National Institutes of Health (NIH), all creatures face threats to homeostasis, which must be met with adaptative responses. Under proper functioning, once the threat or perceived fear has passed, bodily systems should return to normal balance. When stress is chronic, the central nervous system stays in a heightened alert mode, resulting in prolonged exposure to cortisol and other stress hormones. Long-term activation of the body’s stress response can cause a variety of symptoms that take a toll on overall wellbeing and put physical health at risk. This can include digestive issues, anxiety, depression, weight gain, memory and concentration issues, as well as high blood pressure, stroke and heart disease. Some of us have become so accustomed to chronic stress, that it begins to feel “normal,” and we don’t realize the huge impact stress has on our physical and mental health.

The Ugly: Although stress evolved as an adaptive response, prolonged stress can lead to tissue damage, disease and a shortened lifespan. Consequences of stress have been identified as increased harmful behaviors, such as smoking, substance abuse, and eating disorders. Chronically elevated blood pressure forces the heart to work harder and can lead to damaged arteries and plaque formation. Elevated levels of stress hormones are associated with suppressed immunity, slower wound healing, increased susceptibility to viral infections and compromised antibody response to vaccinations, including influenza, pneumonia and other infectious illnesses. Prolonged stress is also associated with heightened inflammation, as well as exacerbation of autoimmune diseases, atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. Perhaps even more alarming, attachment of surplus cortisol to certain memory-enhancing receptors in the brain negatively affects memory and the ability to remember.

There is no simple fix to resolve all stress inducing situations, nor any uniform proper amount of stress, as each person has an individual stress threshold, or the actual degree of stress needed to cause benefit or harm. What matters most is how one responds emotionally and physiologically to stressors. A broad based approach to stress reduction includes strategies to increase coping skills, as well as reduce pressures. Finding ways to eliminate or diminish stressors that we can control, as well as cope with stressors that are out of our control, can result in improved mental health and physical wellbeing. This can include strategies like getting proper amounts of sleep, engaging with friends or family members, being physically active, spending time in nature and taking 10 minutes of “me time” daily, to quietly sit and focus on the breath to trigger the body’s natural relaxation response.

Stressed? We can help!

Stress SuppressStress Suppress by Diamond Formulations: Our customers overwhelmingly support Stress Suppress to address symptoms of daily stress and frustration. This unique nutraceutical is formulated with specific ingredients known to support healthy levels of calming neurotransmitters that enhance the body’s ability to cope with stress, elevate mood and support relaxation without inducing drowsiness. Stress Suppress aids the body in returning to homeostasis by encouraging balanced stress and inflammatory responses, providing nutrients to improve symptoms of stress and supporting a general sense of wellbeing. Free of wheat, yeast, soy, gluten, animal and dairy products, fish, shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts, eggs and artificial colors, sweeteners and preservatives. Non-GMO kosher formulation.

References:
Lower Stress: How does stress affect the body?  https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/lower-stress-how-does-stress-affect-the-body
STRESS AND HEALTH: Psychological, Behavioral, and Biological Determinants. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2568977/
Stress Effects. https://www.stress.org/stress-effects
The Perfect Amount of Stress. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/201203/the-perfect-amount-stress

 

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