Meditation is known for relieving stress and anxiety. Research from John Hopkins suggests 30 minutes of daily meditation may alleviate some anxiety symptoms and act as an antidepressant. Low blood sugar levels, dehydration, or chemicals in processed foods such as artificial flavorings, artificial colorings, and preservatives may cause mood changes in some people. A high-sugar diet may also impact temperament.
If your anxiety worsens after eating, check your eating habits. Stay hydrated, eliminate processed foods, and eat a healthy diet rich in complex carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables, and lean proteins. Shallow, fast breathing is common with anxiety. It may lead to a fast heart rate, dizziness or lightheadedness, or even a panic attack.
Deep breathing exercises — the deliberate process of taking slow, even, deep breaths — can help restore normal breathing patterns and reduce anxiety. Aromatherapy uses fragrant essential oils to promote health and well-being. The oils may be inhaled directly or added to a warm bath or diffuser. Studies have shown that aromatherapy:.
Some essential oils used to relieve anxiety are:. Shop online for bergamot , lavender , clary sage , grapefruit , and ylang ylang essential oils. A cup of chamomile tea is a common home remedy to calm frayed nerves and promote sleep. A study showed chamomile may also be a powerful ally against generalized anxiety disorder. The study found people who took German chamomile capsules milligrams up to five times daily had a greater reduction in scores for tests that measure anxiety symptoms than those who were given a placebo.
Increased anxiety may require therapy or prescription medication. Talk to your doctor about your concerns. The doctor may also be able to recommend other natural remedies. For example, a review of 12 randomized controlled trials found that exercise may be a treatment for anxiety. However, the review cautioned that only research of higher quality could determine how effective it is. Exercise may also help with anxiety caused by stressful circumstances. Results of a study , for example, suggest that exercise can benefit people with anxiety related to quitting smoking.
Meditation can help to slow racing thoughts, making it easier to manage stress and anxiety. A wide range of meditation styles, including mindfulness and meditation during yoga , may help. Mindfulness-based meditation is increasingly popular in therapy. A meta-analytic review suggests that it can be highly effective for people with disorders relating to mood and anxiety. Some people unconsciously tense the muscles and clench the jaw in response to anxiety.
Progressive relaxation exercises can help. Try lying in a comfortable position and slowly constricting and relaxing each muscle group, beginning with the toes and working up to the shoulders and jaw.
Some research suggests that journaling and other forms of writing can help people to cope better with anxiety. A study , for example, found that creative writing may help children and teens to manage anxiety.
Some people feel anxious if they have too many commitments at once. These may involve family, work, and health-related activities. Having a plan in place for the next necessary action can help to keep this anxiety at bay. Effective time management strategies can help people to focus on one task at a time.
Book-based planners and online calendars can help, as can resisting the urge to multitask. Some people find that breaking major projects down into manageable steps can help them to accomplish those tasks with less stress. Smelling soothing plant oils can help to ease stress and anxiety. For people who are always on the run, Wei recommends incorporating walking meditation into their daily routine. As you increase your exhalation, your anxiety will actually go down, and you can always increase the ratio.
No one seems to know what to think about probiotics. But can they do anything for anxiety? While research into this is in its early stages, a study published in PLoS One concluded that probiotics — especially the strain Lactobacillus L.
Though the relationship between sleep loss and anxiety is relatively well-known, new research from the University of California shows that a lack of sleep could trigger the same brain mechanisms that make us sensitive to anxiety. If you have trouble sleeping, some of the herbs and supplements recommended above — chamomile, passionflower, lemon balm, and magnesium glyconate in particular — can be helpful.
My glowing review is that it completely knocked me out, and I only woke up once when my cat stepped directly on my face. Already a subscriber? Log in or link your magazine subscription. In one study at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, in Philadelphia, patients with generalized anxiety disorder GAD who took chamomile supplements for eight weeks had a significant decrease in anxiety symptoms compared to patients taking placebo.
Yes, it's in beer, but you won't get the tranquilizing benefits of the bitter herb hops Humulus lupulus from a brew. The sedative compound in hops is a volatile oil, so you get it in extracts and tinctures—and as aromatherapy in hops pillows. Hops is often used as a sedative, to promote sleep , often with another herb, valerian.
Note: Don't take sedative herbs if you are taking a prescription tranquilizer or sedative, and let your doctor know any supplements you are taking. Some herbal supplements reduce anxiety without making you sleepy such as L-theanine , while others are sedatives.
Valerian Valeriana officinalis is squarely in the second category. It is a sleep aid, for insomnia. It contains sedative compounds; the German government has approved it as a treatment for sleep problems. Valerian smells kind of nasty, so most people take it as a capsule or tincture, rather than a tea.
If you want to try it, take it in the evening—not before you go to work! Valerian is often combined with other sedative herbs such as hops, chamomile, and lemon balm. Named after the Greek word for "honey bee," lemon balm Melissa officinalis , has been used at least since the Middle Ages to reduce stress and anxiety, and help with sleep.
In one study of healthy volunteers, those who took standardized lemon balm extracts mg were more calm and alert than those who took a placebo. While it's generally safe, be aware that some studies have found that taking too much can actually make you more anxious. So follow directions and start with the smallest dose.
Lemon balm is sold as a tea , capsule, and tincture. It's often combined with other calming herbs such as hops, chamomile, and valerian. In spite of the name, this herb won't help you in love. It's a sedative; the German government has approved it for nervous restlessness. Some studies find that it can reduce symptoms of anxiety as effectively as prescription drugs. It's often used for insomnia. Like other sedatives, it can cause sleepiness and drowsiness, so don't take it—or valerian, hops, kava, lemon balm, or other sedative herbs—when you are also taking a prescription sedative.
Be careful about using more than one sedative herb at a time, and don't take passionflower for longer than one month at a time.
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