supplements Archives - Tammie's Take~

5 Simple Ways to Relieve Stress and Anxiety

Reviews · March 25, 2020

While it’s totally normal to feel stressed and anxious from time to time, if you feel your mood is having a major impact on your day to day life, there are numerous strategies that you can take to help. Whether you work long hours at the office, or you’re looking after the kids, here are 5 simple ways to relieve stress and anxiety.

Regular Exercise

Regular exercise is one of the most important steps that you can take in your quest to combat stress. While it may seem contradictory, exercising and putting physical stress on your body can be constructive in relieving mental stress. If you exercise regularly, you will receive tons of benefits. There are lots of exercise routines and physical activity that may capture your interest, such as walking, yoga, dancing, or jogging.

Consider Supplements

There are several supplements that promote stress and anxiety reduction. Whether it’s omega-3 fatty acids or lemon balm that you’re after, did you know that you can find them all online? Websites like Chemist Direct sell vitamins and supplements that are specifically designed for stress and anxiety. Before you purchase supplements, it’s best to consult with your doctor first, as they may interact with medications you are on or include side effects. Your doctor will be able to advise you further on supplements that may benefit you.

Light a Candle

If your stress levels are through the roof and you’re feeling anxious, burning a scented candle may be able to help. There are scents like lavender and rose which are known to be especially soothing. Using scents to treat your health and wellbeing is known as aromatherapy. There have been several studies carried out that show how aromatherapy can improve sleep and decrease anxiety levels.

Reduce Caffeine Intake

If you’re the type of person that can’t start the day off without a cup of coffee, the caffeine you ingest could be having a huge effect on your stress and anxiety levels. Caffeine is a stimulant that is found in tea, coffee, energy drinks, and chocolate. If you have high doses of caffeine, this can increase anxiety. If you have noticed that caffeine makes you anxious or jittery, it’s advised that you cut back. Moderation is key, so sticking to a couple of cups a day is best.

Write It Down

Another great strategy to take to handle stress is by writing your thoughts and feelings down. If you’ve had a busy day and can’t seem to switch off, pouring your emotions out onto paper may take the weight off your shoulders and help you relax and unwind before a busy day ahead. Focusing on your thoughts and the positive aspects of your life can boost your spirits and help change your mindset for the better.

High levels of stress and anxiety can stop you in your tracks. If you are finding it hard to switch off or you feel your mood is having an impact on your productivity, there are numerous tactics that you can implement into your routine which can contribute towards lifting your spirits.

Can Dietary Supplements Really Make You Smarter?

Reviews · November 24, 2017

The dietary supplements market has grown into a massive industry now and many people swear by products aimed at providing specific nutritional benefits more easily than they can be obtained through food.

Supplements for Brain Function

The most well-known sectors of the nutritional supplements industry are products aimed at either weight loss, muscle building, or athletic performance, and anyone who visits the gym regularly is likely to know about products such as creatine and protein powders.

However, one other sector that is really picking up interest at the moment is called ‘nootropics’ – supplements designed to work on your brain rather than your body.

What Are Nootropics?

While nootropics are less well-known than their fitness related counterparts, they have been used and studied for decades. The term itself was coined in 1972 by a doctor called Cornelius E. Girugea, though he was not the first to experiment with using nutrition to aid cognitive function by any means, and you can find out more about the research into them at examinedexistence.com.

In fact, almost everyone has tried at least one nootropic: caffeine. People have long been using caffeine to improve mental alertness and this is an excellent example of what nootropics can do. What supplements aim to do is combine the beneficial compounds in ways that maximise their effects and minimize the downsides, and an example of this is combining caffeine with l-theanine, which can take away the jittery effects of caffeine and allow the person using the supplement to feel more awake and alert without that horrible anxious edge too much caffeine gives us.

Should You Consider Nootropics?

Nootropics can provide benefits, as reported anecdotally by many people. However, the brain is an extremely complicated organ and nutrition does tend to be an area where trial and error is needed to find what works best for you.

If you feel like you could benefit from things like improved memory and attentiveness, there is almost certainly a nootropic stack that will give you the results you want, however, it will take you some period of logging symptoms and how you feel with different supplements and combinations to find what is most effective for your needs.

Despite this, all kinds of people from students through to executives and people with highly demanding jobs such as surgeons have found nootropics have helped them overcome things like problems with focus or very high-pressure tasks.

Nootropics may also have benefits in preserving cognitive function as we age, which can also be a good reason to start working with these types of supplements for the longer term, rather than simply to tackle a demanding period at work or in your studies.

While nootropics can’t promise to turn you into the next Stephen Hawking, they can help you make the most of what you’ve got in terms of mental resources, and also help you tackle demanding periods where you may struggle to focus on a task you really need to get done!