The Top Three Supplements for Stress
To properly manage stress, it’s important to adopt healthy habits. One of them is getting enough sleep. In addition, there are some supplements that you can take to reduce stress, thus helping control your tension and anxiety.
Remember, when taking any kind of supplements, it’s important to also have a balanced diet. Otherwise, you won’t really feel the benefits.
Next, we’ll explain which supplements you can take in order to improve your well-being and reduce stress.
Melatonin, a supplement to sleep better and reduce stress
Melatonin is a neurohormone secreted in the pineal gland that’s responsible for regulating your sleep-wake cycles. You can take it in the form of supplements, which cause an increase in its plasma concentration during the night. Consequently, you achieve a deeper and more restful sleep. This is evidenced in a study published in Neurological Research.
Melatonin is a substance that doesn’t have a median lethal dose. For this reason, it’s considered extremely safe to take. It should only be avoided alongside the taking of antidepressants since it could then generate a feeling of drowsiness.
It should be noted that melatonin can also be used as a preventive mechanism against anxiety and depression. That’s because, by promoting a good night’s rest, the risk of developing emotional disturbances is reduced, improving personal well-being.
However, there’s a certain amount of controversy regarding the dosage of melatonin. For example, in some countries, its sale without a prescription in doses higher than two milligrams is prohibited. However, the best effects evidenced in scientific studies are achieved from the consumption of five or ten milligrams a day.
5-HTP, a supplement to control stress
5-HTP is a metabolite of tryptophan that can be taken in supplement form to control stress levels, according to research published in the International Review of Neurobiology . It’s often used together with melatonin, since both generate a synergistic effect.
5-HTP is consumed in doses of 200 milligrams a day. However, it should be avoided if you’re taking antidepressants. As a matter of fact, if you’re taking this kind of medication you should always consult your doctor before taking any supplements that may affect either your sleep or the reuptake of serotonin.
Magnesium, the ideal supplement for recovery and rest
Finally, we must mention magnesium. This mineral is often used as a supplement in the sports field to promote muscle recovery and prevent cramps. However, it’s also capable of acting in favor of nighttime rest and sleep. For this reason, it’s usually marketed with melatonin in the same product.
Its regular intake helps you to have a deep and restful sleep. This helps c modulate your stress levels and generate a greater sense of well-being. However, you need to accompany the supplement by adopting other good habits as well. For example, it’s advisable to go to bed early and avoid the light from any screens before you go to sleep.
In the same way, daily sports practice favors a correct night’s rest. That’s because fatigue promotes the optimal conciliation of sleep. There’ll even be fewer interruptions during the night, which is beneficial for your health.
Supplements and guidelines to reduce stress
As you’ve seen, there are a series of supplements you can consume on a regular basis in order to reduce stress. They manage to improve your quality of sleep, which will help improve health and delay aging. Furthermore, a proper night’s rest is key to avoiding inflammation.
You should combine these supplements with good habits to reduce your stress levels. Among them are sports practice, moderation in the use of electronic devices, and a good diet. These healthy habits are also essential to promote healthy social relationships. Otherwise, it’s possible that you’ll experience episodes of anxiety and depression.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Xie, Z.; Chen, F.; Li, W. A.; Geng, X.; Li, C.; Meng, X.; Feng, Y.; Liu, W. & Yu, F. (2017). A review of sleep disorders and melatonin. Neurological research, 39(6), 559–565. https://doi.org/10.1080/01616412.2017.1315864
- Sharma, A.; Castellani, R. J.; Smith, M. A.; Muresanu, D. F.; Dey, P. K. & Sharma, H. S. (2019). 5-Hydroxytryptophan: A precursor of serotonin influences regional blood-brain barrier breakdown, cerebral blood flow, brain edema formation, and neuropathology. International review of neurobiology, 146, 1–44. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.irn.2019.06.005
