The 4 Best Supplements For Stress And Anxiety

Stress and anxiety are likely two things every human being deals with daily. Between work, kids, getting your exercise in, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the million other things we have going on…well, I will just bet a lot of hair tearing out is occurring from stress and anxiety.

There are a ton of ways to naturally relieve stress like exercise, meditation, and perhaps doing the mattress mambo with your significant other but sometimes even those things may not be enough to keep your mind from racing or freaking out.

If the natural stress relievers are not working for you it may be time to consider some scientifically validated supplements that can help you obtain the inner peace of a Buddhist monk.

In this article we will take an in-depth look at some of these supplements, tell you what they are, how they work, how much to take, and if there are any side effects.

Top natural supplements for stress and anxiety

1. Lemon Balm Extract
2. L-Theanine
3. 5-HTP
4. Hops Flower Extract

Daily dosage recommendations:

1. Lemon Balm Extract: 100-300mg
2. L-Theanine: 200mg
3. 5-HTP: 50-500mg
4. Hops Flower Extract: 100-500mg

All these ingredients and dosages can be found in BrickHouse Nutrition’s Dreamzzz…yeah, yeah, yeah…. I know it’s a shameless plug, but we’ve used all these ingredients because they work to help you calm the f#ck down…especially before bed.

Let’s take a more in-depth look at each ingredient and tell you exactly how it works to reduce stress and anxiety.

What is it?/What are the benefits?

Lemon Balm is an herb used to promote calmness. It is highly effective at reducing stress and anxiety.

Other benefits include:

• Regulates mood
• Plays a crucial role in sleep patterns.

How much should I take?

On the low end, an efficacious dose of lemon balm extract is 100 milligrams, but higher doses may be needed to improve sleep quality.

One study suggests that 1200 milligrams gives three times as much benefit compared to 300 milligrams.

What does the research show?

A 2004 study conducted by Kennedy et al. showed subjects who ingested 600mg of Lemon Balm were able to reduce their stress levels and improve calmness during a lab-controlled stress test.

Side effects

Currently, there is no research demonstrating that the natural sleep aid Lemon Balm has any negative side effects.

What is it?/What are the benefits?

Theanine is an amino acid that isn’t critical for normal metabolic processes, meaning you’d live fine without it.

Benefits include:

• Reduces anxiety
• Increases attention
• Enhances mental performance
• Lowers stress levels
• Lowers cortisol
• Relaxes the mind without drowsiness

How much should I take?

L-Theanine should be dosed at 100-200mg and is best consumed 30-60 minutes before bed or in anticipation of a stressful situation.

What does the research show?

A 2004 study conducted by Lu et al. discovered that subjects who consumed 200mg of L-Theanine before an anxiety test experienced less stress compared to the placebo group.

Side effects

Currently, there is no research demonstrating that L-Theanine has any negative side effects.

What is it?/What are the benefits?

5-HTP is a byproduct of L-Tryptophan (the amino acid that can make you sleepy) that is turned into serotonin in your brain.

Benefits include:

• Improves sleep
• Combats night terrors
• May help with depression
• Reduces stress and anxiety

How much should I take?

The dosage used in most studies to provide the benefits listed above is 50-500mg daily. This dose can either be taken once or divided into two doses throughout the day.

What does the research show?

A 2010 study conducted by Emanuele et al. took 15 healthy subjects (11 females and 4 males) who recently experienced a breakup and were stressed out of their mind about it.

Researchers had the subjects take 60mg of 5-HTP daily for 6 weeks and were evaluated at baseline, at 3 weeks, and at the end of the 6-week supplemental period.

Using questionnaires and measuring serotonin levels, they found significant improvements in stress scores compared to baseline and increased platelet serotonin values.

Side effects

Overall, 5-HTP has very few side effects in a small percentage of the population. These side effects can include:

• Nausea
• Muscle tenderness
• Vomiting

What is it?/What are the benefits?

Hops are the dried, flowering part of the hop plant. The compounds found in hops that help with stress/anxiety are sesquiterpenoids, diterpenoids, and triterpenoids, phytoestrogens, and the flavonoid xanthohumol.

Benefits include:

• Combats insomnia
• Improves sleep quality and quantity
• Induces sedation
• Reduces muscle tension
• Promotes relaxation
• Decreases anxiety
• May decrease pain and inflammation

How much should I take?

The correct dosage of hops flower extract is 100-300mg at a 5:1 ratio of ethanolic extract.

What does the research show?

A 2017 study conducted by Kyrou et al. discovered that subjects who supplemented daily with hops for 4 weeks significantly decreased anxiety, depression, and stress scores compared to placebo.

Side effects

No negative side effects as indicated by the available research.

References:

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