About
STRESS MANAGEMENT
There is no question that in American society today, stress has a major negative impact on the health of the American population. Stress can occur in all levels of life. There are nutritional, physical, emotional, mental, psychological and spiritual stress factors. Even exercise, which is accepted as one of the best ways to minimize stress, can become a stressor if performed too intensely or without adequate rest. Emotional struggles such as anxiety, fear, depression, perfectionism, grief and frustration can be extremely stressful. Medical conditions such as infection, chronic illness or surgery cause tremendous metabolic stress. Change, even seemingly good change, can be stressful.
Finally, environmental and chemical exposures, such as drugs and excessive alcohol, can place stress on the body. Stress can present as either acute or chronic in nature. Chronic stress brings about a wide range of health problems including exhaustion, lowered thyroid function, cardiovascular problems, alterations in blood sugar, weight gain, muscle breakdown, altered immune function and more. It is easy to see how a major precursor for many of the health problems we see in America today is the stress that we all seem to be dealing with.
The hormonal changes brought on by stress can have a major impact on many of the systems in the body. Interestingly, when researchers interview centenarians from around the world, the one aspect that is common in all of these individuals is a lack of stress, or a means of managing their stress before their stress manages them. So how do we manage stress? We need to avoid those things that stress us. However, it is impossible for most of us to leave our jobs, our families and our other responsibilities. Instead, we need to avoid poor dietary choices that often accompany stress. We need to provide ourselves with daily periods of moderate exercise, which is how we as humans are designed to alleviate our stress. We need to obtain adequate, restful sleep EVERY evening (see SLEEP SUPPORT: Natural Options for Sleep). Most of all, we need to lower our response to our daily stress and keep ourselves healthy so that we can better manage our stress and our lives.
Nutritional supplements known as adaptagens have been found to help us better adapt to stress and manage stress. Adaptogens such as Ashwagandha and Relora 250 mg can help one to manage stress during the day. Combination products such as GABA Calm and Relaxation Formula have been found to be helpful in lowering our stress hormones and making us calmer when they are taken during the course of the day. Products taken closer to bedtime such as L-Theanine and Phosphatidyl Serine Complex can help lower stress hormones, and help us to relax and calm down so that we can fall asleep and obtain a restful night’s sleep.
Finally, specialized, high-potency vitamin B formulations like Super Stress Support and Vitamin B Complex can provide us with the solid nutritional support that we need to prevent metabolic breakdown brought on by stress. If you have issues with stress management, do you need to take all of these supplements? No, definitely not. But we can help you put together a lifestyle of diet, exercise, behavior change and supplements that will help you minimize your stress, stay healthy and own your stress before your stress owns you!