Stress Support Kit

Do you feel stressed?

While everyday stress is a normal part of our lives, there are things we can do to nourish health and help ourselves thrive! Relaxation, healthy mood, and adequate sleep can go a long way to help with effective stress management. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines the determinants of health in three ways: social and economic environment, physical environment, and individual characteristics and behaviors.⁷ While we may have limited control over the first two, we can certainly make healthy changes for the third!

Healthy diet

Did you know that the colors of fruits and vegetables are clues as to their nutrient content? For example, most fruits and vegetables that are orange, such as carrots, butternut squash, and apricots, contain beta-carotene which is a precursor to vitamin A with antioxidant support. Other colors have additional benefits. Eating a rainbow of fruits and vegetables everyday helps to ensure that we are consuming important vitamins and minerals.⁸ According to My Plate Dietary Guidelines for Americans, fruits and vegetables should make up half of our dietary intake.⁹

Healthy sleep

We think of bedtime routines as something for children, but adults can benefit, too! Now that we are more connected than ever before, it is easy to be using our screens right up until bedtime. Most screens emit blue light which can negatively impact our sleep. In a four-week randomized, controlled trial with 28 participants, the control group was permitted cell phone use at any time while the intervention group was asked to stop using their mobile phones 30 minutes before bedtime. Those who put their phones away 30 minutes before bedtime were able to fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer, experienced better sleep quality and healthier mood, and had better working memory while awake.¹⁰ Avoiding caffeine in the afternoon and evening may also help support sleep quality.¹¹

Healthy stress management

High stress levels can impact sleep,¹² and lack of sleep can increase vulnerability to stress. Lifestyle behaviors like staying hydrated, eating healthfully, and taking time to wind down for 30 minutes before sleep can all help with stress management. While everyday stress is a part of life, our lifestyle choices can help nourish resilience.

To further help with healthy stress management,ᶧ this Stress Support Kit contains the following:

MoodMedix is a blend of turmeric root (Curcuma longa) and Cat’s Claw bark (Uncaria tomentosa) that may help to support a healthy mood.ᶧ¹

RelaxMedix is a blend of Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) and Cat’s Claw bark (Uncaria tomentosa) that may help to support healthy relaxation and sleep.ᶧ²

Magnesium Malate is a mineral that may help support healthy energy levels and healthy sleep.ᶧ⁴,¹³,¹⁴

Together, this kit may help with healthy stress management and support.ᶧ

¹ Fusar-Poli, L., Vozza, L., Gabbiadini, A., Vanella, A., Concas, I., Tinacci, S., Petralia, A., Signorelli, M. S., & Aguglia, E. (2020). Curcumin for depression: a meta-analysis. Critical reviews in food science and nutrition, 60(15), 2643–2653.

² Shinjyo, N., Waddell, G., & Green, J. (2020). Valerian Root in Treating Sleep Problems and Associated Disorders-A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Journal of evidence-based integrative medicine, 25, 2515690X20967323.

³ Bigliani, M. C., Rosso, M. C., Zunino, P. M., Baiardi, G., & Ponce, A. A. (2013). Anxiogenic-like effects of Uncaria tomentosa (Willd.) DC. aqueous extract in an elevated plus maze test in mice: a preliminary study. Natural product research, 27(18), 1682–1685. https://doi.org/10.1080/14786419.2012.761617

⁴ Cao, Y., Zhen, S., Taylor, A. W., Appleton, S., Atlantis, E., & Shi, Z. (2018). Magnesium Intake and Sleep Disorder Symptoms: Findings from the Jiangsu Nutrition Study of Chinese Adults at Five-Year Follow-Up. Nutrients, 10(10), 1354.

⁵ Boyle, N. B., Lawton, C., & Dye, L. (2017). The Effects of Magnesium Supplementation on Subjective Anxiety and Stress-A Systematic Review. Nutrients, 9(5), 429.

⁶ Pickering, G., Mazur, A., Trousselard, M., Bienkowski, P., Yaltsewa, N., Amessou, M., Noah, L., & Pouteau, E. (2020). Magnesium Status and Stress: The Vicious Circle Concept Revisited. Nutrients, 12(12), 3672.

⁷ WHO. (2021). Determinants of health. Who.int. Retrieved 4 August 2021, from https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/determinants-of-health.

⁸ How to Eat the Rainbow: Tips for a Colorful Diet. Healthline. (2021). Retrieved 4 August 2021, from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/eat-the-rainbow#benefits.

⁹ USDA. (2021). MyPlate | U.S. Department of Agriculture. Myplate.gov. Retrieved 4 August 2021, from https://www.myplate.gov/.

¹⁰ He, J. W., Tu, Z. H., Xiao, L., Su, T., & Tang, Y. X. (2020). Effect of restricting bedtime mobile phone use on sleep, arousal, mood, and working memory: A randomized pilot trial. PloS one, 15(2), e0228756. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0228756

¹¹ Clark, I., & Landolt, H. P. (2017). Coffee, caffeine, and sleep: A systematic review of epidemiological studies and randomized controlled trials. Sleep medicine reviews, 31, 70–78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2016.01.006

¹² Clark, I., & Landolt, H. P. (2017). Coffee, caffeine, and sleep: A systematic review of epidemiological studies and randomized controlled trials. Sleep medicine reviews, 31, 70–78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2016.01.006

¹³ Abbasi, B., Kimiagar, M., Sadeghniiat, K., Shirazi, M. M., Hedayati, M., & Rashidkhani, B. (2012). The effect of magnesium supplementation on primary insomnia in elderly: A double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial. Journal of research in medical sciences : the official journal of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, 17(12), 1161–1169.

¹⁴ Nielsen, F. H., Johnson, L. K., & Zeng, H. (2010). Magnesium supplementation improves indicators of low magnesium status and inflammatory stress in adults older than 51 years with poor quality sleep. Magnesium research, 23(4), 158–168.