One-third of US
adults say that they’re living with extreme stress.
Stress is a normal part of life and
everybody experiences it at one point or another. The good news is, there are
plenty of ways to reduce your stress.
If you’re trying to reduce your
stress with a natural method, you have plenty of options. Natural
remedies for stress range from dietary changes to getting more exercise.
Learn more about the effects of
stress and how to alleviate it below.
The
Effects of Stress
Stress is a chemical response to
potential threats. When your brain senses a threat, it releases adrenaline and
cortisol. These stress chemicals increase your heart rate, makes your
breathing rapid and shallow, tense your muscles, and raise your blood pressure.
This response is known as fight or
flight, and it can help you avoid harmful situations and even motivate you to
complete tasks. However, our bodies aren’t designed to handle ongoing stress.
Being in a continuous state of stress can lead to cardiovascular disease,
obesity, sexual dysfunction, and mental health problems.
Natural
Remedies for Stress
Chronic
stress has a detrimental effect on our bodies. As such, it’s essential to
find relief. Below are some of the best natural stress remedies.
Exercise
Exercise
reduces stress by improving self-confidence and mood. It can also reduce
mild depression and anxiety symptoms and help you relax. Any type of
exercise will help reduce stress. Try aerobics, yoga, running, or even just
walking on a regular basis.
This is because physical activity is
thought to boost endorphins, the neurotransmitters that make you feel good.
Physical activity also helps you sleep better, and sleep has a lot to do with
stress.
Breathwork
If stressful situations
activate the fight or flight response, then deep breathing activates the
opposite. Deep breathing allows you to tap into your parasympathetic nervous
system, which is responsible for your rest and digest response (i.e. it calms
you down).
When you breathe deeply, you reverse
the effects of stress. That is, you slow down your heart rate and breathing and
reduce your blood pressure.
CBD
CBD in any form is thought to reduce
stress. It does this by interacting with certain receptors in our nervous
system, especially cannabinoid receptors, serotonin receptors, and other
receptors that regulate both anxiety and fear.
Not only can CBD have an impact on
stress, but it may also be helpful for more serious stress-related disorders
such as generalized anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and
obsessive-compulsive disorder. To learn more about CBD, look
here.
Diet
Diet doesn’t necessarily reduce
stress, but it can help you deal with stress better. That’s because you are
more capable of handling stress when you’re healthy, and your diet is a huge
indicator of health.
This means eating a nutritious diet
with plenty of fruits and vegetables. But it also means avoiding certain
things, such as caffeine and sugar.
More
Lifestyle Advice and Info
If you’re experiencing stress or
chronic stress, medication isn’t your only option. There are plenty of natural
remedies that can help alleviate your stress. Try increasing your physical
activity, changing up your diet, deep breathing, or taking CBD.
And for more lifestyle advice and
information, be sure to check our lifestyle section regularly.
