Taking good care of your bodies needs and supporting it with nutrients and herbs can ensure that you stay on top of life's pressures. Maintaining an optimum level of health means optimum performance in your working life and a more fulfilling personal and emotional life too. To help you stay ahead of the game here are my top 5 herbs to combat stress, keep your bodies systems balanced and maintain maximum focus and energy levels.

The ability to work under pressure is regarded as essential requirement for most jobs these days and even the journey to work can mean that our stress levels are through the roof before we even start.

 When your body is under stress it pumps out certain hormones that are designed propel your body through a fight or flight response with a short burst of energy. As our stresses these days don't tend to require such a burst of energy these hormones don't get used up and stay in our bloodstream creating havoc with our health. Left unchecked stress hormones can weaken our immunity, reducing our resistance to colds and other illnesses, damage the heart and blood vessels and interfere with our digestion . These chemicals can also effect us mentally and emotionally, making us irritable and intolerant, they effect our concentration, and can cause Insomnia and headaches.

Taking good care of your bodies needs and supporting it with nutrients and herbs can ensure that you stay on top of life's pressures. Maintaining an optimum level of health means optimum performance in your working life and a more fulfilling personal and emotional life too.

To help you stay ahead of the game here are my top 5 herbs to combat stress, keep your bodies systems balanced and maintain maximum focus and energy levels.

Eleuthero

A tonic for the adrenal glands,also referred to as an adaptogenic herb due to its ability to improve and energize all the systems of the body, with out any unpleasant side effects. This allows it to improves the bodies ability to deal with long term stress. It enhances the immune system and has been used by cancer patients to reduce the many negative effects of chemotherapy. It increases energy and physical stamina and athletes have used it to improve their physical performance. Eleuthero increases the bodies ability to utilize oxygen, improves concentration and aids in the recovery from chronic illness and is both mentally and physically supportive.

Valerian

The root of this herb is a relaxant for the central nervous system and can be really helpful when stress induces feelings of anxiety. It will calm you down and improve your overall quality of sleep without making you groggy or feeling hungover like some conventional sedatives do. Its calming effect on the mind allows you to switch off and relax, helping to stop those worries from continually churning around in your head on a continuous loop. Preliminary clinical trials have also shown that Valerian is as effective as benzodiazepines in treating sleep disorders without any adverse side-effects.

Chamomile

This well known herb has a calming effect in the central nervous system. A cup chamomile half an hour or so before bedtime will relax you and help to improve the quality of your sleep. It is also ideal as a remedy for nervous stomach problems. Digestive upsets are a common symptom of stress and chamomile has a relaxing effect on the smooth muscle of the stomach and so is particularly good for stomach cramps or spasms.

Oats

Taken as oat straw tea or a nutrient rich food oats are high in vitamins and minerals that are a fortifying tonic for the nervous system. Oats can be very helpful with withdrawal symptoms from substances like tobacco, antidepressants and tranquilizers. A great food for convalesce as they help to boost energy levels and are really nourishing and strengthening to the nervous system making them ideal for nervous exhaustion. The soluble fiber in porridge helps to reduce cholesterol levels in the blood which will also help to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Skullcap

Has a tonic effect in the central nervous system which makes it a good remedy for nervous exhaustion.It also calms the nervous system and relaxes the muscles so it's a good choice nervous tension and anxiety states. Skullcap can also be very useful for stress related headaches and symptoms associated with pre menstrual syndrome and has been found to be of use for fibromyalgia

To increase your resistance to stress it is also important to get some regular exercise as this will help use up the stress hormones. Eat a well balanced diet and reduce your intake of alcohol, caffeine and sugar. Make time in your schedule for relaxation.

Please be aware that if you are taking any medication, are pregnant or breastfeeding it is important to seek advice from a professional before taking any of the herbs outlined in this article

Alanah Chadwick