Relax and calm your brain with these apps that help relieve stress
Life can be stressful! Here are some simple technical solutions that will help you take a little time for yourself.
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When it comes to preventive health recommendations, few people are more common than warnings to lower stress levels. These recommendations make sense given that experiencing too much stress is associated with many unfavourable health outcomes such as premature aging, poor sleep quality, hair loss for digestive problems, a weakened immune system, and even cardiovascular disease.
There are many ways to measure how much stress a person is dealing with, but the most reliable biomarker for stress estimation is cortisol levels.
What is cortisol? And how can it be reduced or better regulated through lifestyle modifications and dietary changes related to food and supplies?
What is cortisol?
Cortisol, often referred to as a “stress hormone,” is an important hormone produced by the body in the adrenal glands above the kidneys. It is often thought in a negative way, as the chemicals are triggered every time you experience a stressful event and support a body’s fight or flight response.
However, cortisol “regulates metabolism, improves focus and provides energy,” so its production could also be good. Sports Nutrition Playbook. It also maintains healthy blood pressure and stabilizes blood sugar levels.
The thing that bothers you the hormones when they are released too often or for a long period of time. “Cortisol is good in the short term, but if the level of cortisol is too long, it can start to have harmful effects,” says Mark Dinman, biobiharial health scientist at Pennsylvania State University.
How to lower cortisol
Avoiding overproduction of cortisol begins with avoiding stress-inducing and employing relaxation techniques such as “deep breathing, meditation, mindfulness.” She adds that engagement in moderate intensity exercise regularly also helps regulate hormones, and prioritizing quality sleep for 7-9 hours each night can also help balance cortisol levels.
Dingman adds that increasing the amount of social interactions with psychotherapy, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), has also been proven ways to lower cortisol levels. Effective time management skills, listening to soothing music, spending more time naturally and learning positive self-talk are other examples of “many stress-relieving techniques that are effective in managing stress.”
What supplements lower cortisol?
Balanced diet choices and supplementation can also play a role in reducing stress. This starts by reducing sugar and caffeine intake and “avoiding substances like alcohol and nicotine.”
It is also important to eat more foods related to stress reduction. “Foods that may help lower cortisol levels include peppers because they are rich in magnesium and vitamin B, which means dark leafy greens, fatty fish with high omega-3S, citrus fruits, peppers, and vitamin C, and complex carbohydrates like whole grains, which help stabilize blood sugar. She also praises probiotic foods like Greek yogurt and kefir to support gut health, and recommends getting enough dairy products, lean meat and eggs.
These nutrients in supplement form can be useful to take if recommended by your primary care provider or nutritionist. “Omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil supplements can help regulate stress and inflammation and lower cortisol,” says Goodson. “And taking magnesium can also play a role in relaxation, and can help reduce cortisol levels, especially in defective individuals.”
She adds that vitamin B, such as B5, B6, B9 and B12, support adrenal function and neurotransmitter production, “helps regulate cortisol levels and reduce stress.” Dingman then points out supplements such as phosphatidylserine and ashwagandha, helping to regulate the body’s stress response.
Taking such supplements may help, but “supplying should not be the first or only approach to managing stress,” advises Goodson. “Supplements are not a substitute for healthy habits, so it’s best to focus on improving your diet and changing your lifestyle first.”
