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Wednesday 8 October 2014

Best Vitamins For Stress and Anxiety

Everybody knows that vitamins are a good thing for our bodies and that they help us to function normally and properly. However, are there any vitamins that can be used to relief stress and anxiety? The answer is yes. While all vitamins help the body to produce, manufacture and synthesize the many chemical substances which are produced by our brains, there are a few vitamins which are particularly associated with the relief of stress. Other vitamins promote the production of neurotransmitters within the brain, while different vitamins can contribute to a lifting of mood. Let us take a look through the vitamins more connected to the relief of stress and anxiety.

B Vitamins

Vitamin B consists of many B vitamins, and most are directly linked to mood, stress levels and feelings of anxiety. Under the umbrella of B vitamins, there are:
  • Vitamin B – taken as a single vitamin rather than a compound of different vitamins- containing the substance inositol has been shown, clinically, to help depression and anxiety. In fact, with much fewer side effects than a prescribed course of treatment, it was adjudged that consuming up to eighteen grams of inositol per day significantly reduced depression and anxiety.
  • Vitamin B1 helps to control and balance the body’s blood sugar levels. It has long been noted that an unbalanced blood sugar level can lead to mood swings and anxiety, and taking B1 vitamins helps to level any discrepancies.
  • Vitamin B3 plays a key role in helping the brain to synthesize many chemicals needed by the brain to maintain a steady mood. In particular, it is used to produce serotonin, which is a very important substance as it helps to control anger and aggression, and can also life a person’s mood. At doses of 1k -3k milligrams per day, it can also help to reduce anxiety.
  • Vitamin B5 is used by the brain in the adrenal process, and therefore can help the brain to control feelings of stress, making it easier to maintain a constant mood, without too many ups or downs, which itself can be stressful.
  • Vitamin B12 and folic acid are vital for pregnant women, and this is because the brain used the folic acid to construct neurotransmitters in the brain, which enables clear signals between different parts of the brain. This is critical for babies who are being formed in the womb. B12 is also used to alleviate depression in fully grown adults and the links have been well studied over the years.
As one can see, it is very important to give the body enough of this particular group of vitamins, as most of them are in some way connected the production of brain chemicals, which can reduce levels of stress and anxiety significantly. Most people will take these vitamins in a compound, that is to say, as a supplement containing a mix of all these vitamins together, although it is possible to obtain and consume individual vitamins on their own, if a preferred effect is desired. Foods rich in B vitamins include:
  • Whole grain foods, such as pasta, breads and cereals
  • Turkey
  • Liver
  • Potatoes
  • Bananas
  • Chilies

Vitamin D

Recent research has indicated that many people have low levels of vitamin D in their bodies, and this can contribute to an increase in the levels of stress and anxiety. The studies also suggested that a lack of this vitamin in the winter months (our bodies can produce vitamin D from the sunlight that hits the skin) can lead to higher levels of depression and anxiety at this time of the year. Additionally, vitamin D is used by the body for a wide variety of things, such as playing a role in the maintaining of a healthy gut, and same for the livers. Vitamin D is also used by the body to help to regulate the immune system, and if there is a deficiency of this vitamin, it could weaken the immune system, leading to easier contraction of illnesses, which of course bring their own stresses and anxieties.

Vitamin C

Your body relies on your diet for the input of this vitamin, as it cannot be made by the body on its own, which is why having fresh orange juice as part of a healthy breakfast is important for setting you up for the day ahead. Vitamin C is known to reduce stress by flushing away any excess amounts of cortisol, which is a stress hormone that increases sugar in the blood, and this result can be achieved just a short while after ingesting the vitamin. Higher levels of cortisol can also suppress appetite, and prevent the digestive system from working properly, so when you do take some vitamin C, it can help to regulate an overall steady mood, preventing sharp rises and falls in mood. This vitamin has also been identified as playing a role in the production of neurotransmitters in the brain, ones which are directly connected to our mood.

Do These Vitamins Really Work?

If you were to go onto some pages of the internet, you will find some people who have been tested saying that they noticed no difference, and that some of these vitamins are not the be-all and end-all of anxiety and stress, but the majority of people report an improvement. Your own lifestyle will affect how the body is able to uptake these substances and activities such as smoking and drinking will reduce the body’s ability to be properly supplied – and make use of- some of - the vitamins you are using to try to help. If you are serious about using vitamins to help you in your attempt to lower stress and anxiety, it makes good sense to try to cut out, or seriously limit any activities which may contribute to this. Even better, make a couple of small changes to your eating habits and lifestyle to see an effect that you can note down, and actually see progress on.


2 comments:

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