Saturday, May 8, 2010

Beat Stress with Adaptogens

Stress and Adaptogens
Are you feeling stressed out in your job? You’re not alone. The Washington Post reported that 54% of Americans are concerned about the stress in their lives. An even greater number rank money and their jobs as the primary triggers for stress.

Stress may seem like a normal part of our lives but did you know that stress could be dangerous to your health? When you are stressed out, your body responds and produces hormones to cope with the challenge. The hormones that your body produces are adrenaline and cortisol.

Stress Hormones
Cortisol and adrenaline cause your body to perform better. Your heart rate, blood pressure, and metabolism speed up. Your blood vessels allow your blood to flow into your muscles, making your actions quicker and more powerful. Your liver helps, too, by releasing glucose to increase your body’s energy. These physical changes help you react quickly and effectively to handle stress.

Sounds like a good thing, right? Not so much. You see, your body’s response to stress is quite handy if you’re trying to win a football game or slamming the brakes to your car to avoid hitting a tree. The stress response puts your body in an abnormal state. That’s why your body needs to recover from it.

Now, imagine being under stress for longer periods. Your body will respond to the stress continuously. That is bad. Cortisol can become toxic in larger doses. This hormone can lead to high blood pressure and make you prone to heart attacks. Your energy will flag and your immune system will be compromised. Your serotonin levels will drop, making you more prone to depression and anxiety.

The only thing you can do to beat the stress is to either remove the sources of stress or help your body along with adaptogens. Although it may be tempting to throw your boss out the window, you can’t. So let’s look at the other alternative, adaptogens.

The first time I heard about adaptogens, I thought my friend was asking me to take some sort of illegal drug.  It sounds like one, right? Then I found out that adaptogens are plant extracts that help you cope with stress. Since adaptogens are derived from plants, it is all-natural. Adaptogens lower cortisol levels and increase energy. They also improve your focus and make you more alert. If you’d like to try out adaptogens, try Vaxa Adapt. It’s made in the USA, and so it’s as safe as you can get.

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