It is common to be freaked, worried, and anxious. You could be upset about family, love, work, health, or even money.
Maybe, your heart beats faster, your mind can only imagine pending doom, your breathing gets rapid and shallow, and all you could ever wish for at this time is relaxation.
You might opt for popular energy drinks as a way of calming yourself. You could also swallow some pills from your local pharmacy. While these medications and beverages might promise you a significant calming effect, they have been associated with a horde of side effects including insomnia, heart palpitations, nervousness, anxiety, and depression.
Ultimately, the body is bound to react to such distress. The outcome could be positive, including the motivation to work harder. Alternatively, the effect could be detrimental where you experience worsened symptoms or diseases including high blood pressure, headaches, stomach upset, insomnia, and chest pain.
Whether you are just freaked out or are suffering from full-blown anxiety, it is recommended that you try safe and healthy remedies before you consider the option of medication. There are many non-drug drinks which have a calming effect on distress.
Below is an extensive discussion of some of these drinks. Note that while some might have an instant calming effect, others improve your condition over time.
1. Valerian Root Tea
This drink is a favorite due to its soothing effects which improve the quality of nighttime sleep. Even though it lacks the most pleasant aroma, this drink has potent effects of anxiety and stress symptom relief. This is why the drink is used to dispel distress at night to discourage insomnia.
A study conducted in 2008 shows that valerian can improve the GABA quantity in the brain. The Gamma Amino Butyric Acid (GABA) compound then serves to calm anxiety and regulate nerve cells. This is the logic behind such pharmaceutical medications like Xanax and valium serving as anxiety remedies.
Valerian is rich in valerenol and valerenic acids which increase GABA chemicals in the brain. Valerian root tea will calm your anxiety without any side effects associated with pharmaceutical medications. [1]
Take a cup of valerian root tea ahead of bedtime to improve sleep quality. You may also have a cup during the day when you do not intend to undertake such activities like driving as the drink might make you fatigued.
For the best results, take a cup of valerian root tea every night for a relaxed and calm feel the following day while getting sound sleep at night.
2. Anti-Anxiety Smoothie
Start your day with an anti-anxiety smoothie which is rich in ingredients which can reduce the impacts of stress on you. Try combining avocado, chia seeds, cacao, and almond butter.
Avocado is essential in providing stress-busting vitamin B and creaminess which promote healthy brain cells and nerves.
Chia seeds provide the necessary magnesium which serves as a critical stress management and depression mitigation mineral. This ingredient also contains high omega-3 fatty acid quantities with potent anti-inflammatory benefits which lower brain anxiety and stress.
Almond butter, on the other hand, offers zinc which modulates the body’s reaction to anxiety.
Finally, cacao is known for its serotonin level boosting which has the general impact of raising moods. Cacao polyphenols also serve to minimize the quantities of stress hormones.
To prepare the smoothie:
- Pour two glasses of drinking water into a jug, and add four teaspoons of chia seeds.
- Stir the content well and let the mixture sit for ten minutes.
- Transfer the contents to a blender.
- Add half an avocado, four dates, two bananas, two tables of almond butter and cacao powder.
- Blend the contents and serve.
A glass of this smoothie every morning can help alleviate stress.
3. Oat Straw Drink
Green oats, often known as Avena Sativa, are the main source of oat straw. This ingredient is widely used in support of brain health. Its application in brain health improvement dates back to the Middle Ages.
Medical professionals have associated oat straw with reduced levels of anxiety and heart disease risk.
Studies suggest that oat straw significantly increases the alpha-2 brain waves which are associated with increased alertness when one is fully awake. The ingredient further enhances the levels of nitric oxide in the body. This enhances the suppression of artery wall inflammatory cytokines. This triggers increased blood flow to the brain for increased calmness, alertness, and cognitive function due to reduced anxiety. [2]
Even though oat straw drink is popular in the treatment of depression and exhaustion, its effectiveness is only realized when it is used over time. Therefore, it is recommended that you use this remedy for a minimum of one month to yield the best results.
4. Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Juice
When the body is fed with the appropriate nutrients, it responds positively to stress and pressure. This is the reason behind drinking fresh fruit and vegetable juice as a remedy for anxiety. Fresh juice is rich in minerals and vitamins which are absent in drugs and alcohol.
A study conducted by the Maryland University suggests that consumption of 3,000 mg of vitamins each day significantly reduces mental and physical reactions to anxiety. [3]
Consumers of 1,000 mg of vitamins on a daily basis are bound to react mildly to stress as opposed to those with reduced consumption. Naturally, there are higher cortisol levels in the morning. Therefore, fresh juice rich in vitamin C from berries, cantaloupe, and mango is essential in lowering stress.
Adding in some veggies introduces vitamin B to the drink thereby giving you better stress management. Remember, vitamin deficiency increases body stress during stressful conditions.
5. Water
Wondering how water is related to stress? Well, water enhances the release of endorphins throughout the body. Endorphins are essential chemicals in the improvement of mood and well-being senses – leading to a diversion from anxiety and stress.
Even though there are rare cases of stress as a result of dehydration, intake of insufficient water triggers or worsens stress symptoms.
Dehydration means improper body functioning. Dehydration impairs the movement of hormones to designated destinations through reduced blood flow. The brain loses focus and muscles become tense. Dehydration further minimizes endorphin production which minimizes the well-being sense and mood elevation.
As held by the Connecticut University, mild dehydration significantly impairs mood and the clarity of thinking. Mild dehydration rates to 1.5% loss of the usual volume of water in the body. [4]
6. Tart Cherry Juice
While this drink doesn’t offer instant stress relief, it contains many health benefits including the reduction of inflammation which causes arthritis and heart disease. It also lowers cholesterol levels while enhancing the quality and duration of nighttime sleep. This, in turn, enables you to stay calm and to manage your stress levels.
The Journal of Medicinal Food contains a study which argues that tart cherry juice consumption is effective in fighting insomniac tendencies. Tart cherries have high melatonin levels which are essential in the sleep-wake cycle regulation. [5]
7. Green Tea
Green tea has achieved significant renown due to its vast health benefits [6]. Unbelievably, green tea contains over seven hundred compounds, even though the greatest health benefits derive from two potent compounds found in almost in all types of green teas. These compounds are L-theanine and EGCG.
The L-theanine amino acid component promotes relaxation and gives green tea its unique flavor. Research indicates that indeed, L-theanine possesses potent calming and relaxation properties. Green tea improves alpha brain waves which imply a greater level of relaxation. [7]
L-theanine sharpens concentration and focus. To prevent L-theanine from counteracting the caffeine stimulation effects, settle for decaffeinated green tea. Take a glass of green tea each morning.
Conclusion
In the event of anxiety and stress, do not turn to easy and fast cures like alcohol or pharmaceutical medications; these may have negative health effects in the long run. Try the above alternatives for safe resolution of your stress. Share with us your experiences with safe remedies for stress and anxiety.
This post was written by Holly Klamer. She loves to write on issues related to seniors, aging and retirement and is a frequent contributor on many blogs and online publications. Please check out Senior Living Help and Memory Care Facilities.
FOOTNOTES
[1] Benke, D. (January 2008). GABA A receptors as in vivo substrate for the anxiolytic action of valerenic acid, a major constituent of valerian root extracts. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18602406 (December, 2018).
[2] Wong, Rachel H.X. (May, 2012). Chronic Effects of a Wild Green Oat Extract Supplementation on Cognitive Performance in Older Adults: A Randomised, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Crossover Trial. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3367260/ (December, 2018).
[3] “https://www.umms.org/ummc/health/medical/altmed/condition/stress. Not retrieved.
[4] Armstrong, Lawrence E. (December 2011). Mild Dehydration Affects Mood in Healthy Young Women. Retrieved from https://academic.oup.com/jn/article/142/2/382/4743487 (December 2018).
[5] Pigeon, Wilfred R. (June, 2010). Effects of a Tart Cherry Juice Beverage on the Sleep of Older Adults with Insomnia: A Pilot Study. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3133468/ (December, 2018).
[6] Jones, Natalie. The Amazing Benefits Green Tea Has To Offer (Infographic). Retrieved from https://stayhealthyways.com/green-tea-health-benefits/ (December, 2018).
[7] Finglas, P. Trends in Food Science & Technology. Retrieved from https://www.journals.elsevier.com/trends-in-food-science-and-technology (December, 2018).
