You’ve got a lot on your plate and may be feeling overwhelmed and stressed. You’re not alone.
About 61% of American adults say their stress is at an all-time high. Busy lives, juggling work and family needs, and the 24/7 bombardment of media — from all our devices — contribute.
Depending on how stressed you are, symptoms of this can vary — from poor mood, fatigue, and sleeplessness to a racing heart, sweaty palms, shortness of breath, and muscle tension. But what doesn’t vary is the impact of stress on the body.
Short-term or acute stress allows the body to return to a state of balance and rest. Chronic or long-term stress is stress that doesn’t ever stop. This type of stress affects the body — and our health. And, unfortunately, this is the type of stress more and more people are experiencing today.
Effect of stress on the body
Chronic stress takes its toll on the body. Some ways chronic stress can affect the body long term include:
- tension or migraine headaches
- chronic pain
- asthma attacks
- high blood pressure
- heart attack or stroke
- depression
- insomnia
- chronic fatigue
- obesity
- bloating
- diarrhea or constipation
- reduced immunity
- chronic inflammation
Chronic stress can also deplete essential nutrients from the body, according to research.
How to better cope with stress long term
Learning how to manage stress — and stay calm during difficult situations — is key to living better with stress. For some relaxation hacks that work, click here.
And to help the body better cope with stress, you may want to replenish stores of key vitamins and minerals that can be depleted from the body over time. Doing so may be able to soothe the nervous system and make you feel more relaxed.
These essential nutrients include:
✓ B vitamins are super important for the body’s stress response and anxiety. They’re also easily depleted when you’re chronically stressed.
These B vitamins include: vitamin B1 (thiamin), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B4 (pantothenic acid), B6 (pyridoxine), vitamin B7 (biotin), B9 (folate), and B12 (cobalamin). Inositol and PABA, commonly referred to as B8 and B10 despite not being vitamins, can also benefit the stress response.
These nutrients are all essential for optimal functioning of neurotransmitters. These are the chemical messengers that can help activate reactions in the body during stressful times or calm the body during periods of relaxation. They also help to regulate mood.
Supplementing with B vitamins can help during times of stress, say researchers. And what’s more, taking B vitamins together is often better for the body’s stress response and mood than supplementing singular vitamins on their own. The reason: B vitamins work synergistically together in the body.
Give your body the B supplement support, and more, it needs during stress with Stress Away.
✓ Vitamin C is a nutrient, and potent antioxidant, is essential for the production of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine, which gets activated during times of stress. This is the neurotransmitter that causes, during stressful times, your heart to pump faster, your breath to get shallower, and you to get a burst of energy.
But if stress is chronic, this vitamin can quickly get depleted from the body. Since the body can’t make vitamin C, we need to get it from either our diet or supplementation. Studies have shown that supplementing with vitamin C may help the body during periods of stress.
✓ Calcium is most known for strong bones, but it plays other roles in the body. This includes the role it plays in keeping the body calm during times of stress. Researchers have found that the higher levels of calcium you have in the body, the lower your stress and better your mood overall.
✓ Choline is neither a vitamin nor a mineral. But this nutrient plays a role in many different processes in the body. When it comes to stress, it’s necessary for the production of a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine. It’s this neurotransmitter that, among other things, helps to slow down your heart rate to calm you down after a stressful situation.
We don’t make enough choline in the body for our needs. This is why getting it through diet (egg yolks and peanuts are high in choline) or supplementing is important for general health — and during times of stress.
✓ Magnesium is an essential mineral critical to many processes in the body including healthy muscles, nerves, bones, and immunity. But magnesium also increases levels of GABA, or gamma-aminobutyric acid, in the body. This is a calming neurotransmitter and amino acid. Having higher levels of GABA has been shown to improve symptoms of anxiety.
✓ Zinc is an essential mineral critical for overall health in the body. It plays a key role in many aspects of the body including immune function. But it’s also essential to help to calm the body during times of stress as it’s necessary for optimal functioning of GABA.
Zinc is also essential for the proper function of norepinephrine. This neurotransmitter is involved in the body’s stress response: it increases a state of alertness in the body, helps maintain blood pressure, and is involved in sleep, mood and memory.
For a complete multivitamin with stress support, try Multi-Guard+
Plants can help too
Adaptogens are active ingredients in plants that may help your body better deal with stress. They’ve been used for thousands of years for this purpose. Common adaptogens include Ashwagandha and rhodiola.
✓ Ashwagandha is an antioxidant herb that’s been shown to reduce stress and anxiety.
For important adaptogens that can help you relax and get better sleep, try Power Down
Everything you can do to support your body during times of stress is important. This includes healthy lifestyle habits, relaxation practices, and good nutrient support.
