In today’s fast paced society, many of us struggle with the burden of stress and the impact it has on our daily lives. We’re chronically stressed out and our bodies are struggling to keep up with the demands of everyday life. This can have a massive impact on our mental, emotional and physical wellbeing and contribute to poor health overall.
What if there was a way to help us adapt to the stressors in our life and support us throughout that? Welcome, Adaptogens!
What are Adaptogens?
Adaptogens have been used for thousands of years in traditional herbal medicine. Adaptogens are plants and herbs that have unique constituents to help us counteract stress. The goal of adaptogen herbs are to bring our body back into a state of balance aka homeostasis.
They all act similarly in that they help our bodies cope with stress, they can reduce overall feelings of anxiety and depression and they can help to calm our nervous system. One of the most important ways adaptogens help in lowering our stress levels is by reducing cortisol levels. Cortisol (our stress hormone) becomes elevated when we’re stress and levels can fluctuate with chronic stress, by supporting and reducing our cortisol levels, stress is eased.
There are many different herbs that act as adaptogens, but the most researched is Ashwagandha, also known as Withania somnifera.
Here’s how Ashwagandha can benefit you:
1.Relieving stress
This one is pretty self explanatory. 500mg of Ashwagandha daily can help to reduce cortisol (stress) levels and help you adapt to stressors.
2. Reducing anxiety
Evidence suggests that supplementing with ashwagandha daily can help in reducing symptoms of mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression.
3. Supporting memory and cognitive function
Supplementing with ashwagandha may benefit cognitive function. It may help by supporting memery, attention, information-processing speed and reaction time.
4. Improving quality of sleep
Taking ashwagandha can help promote a restful sleep by improving sleep quality and mental alertness on waking. It can also reduce the time it takes to fall asleep by relieving anxiety and calming the mind!
5. Reducing Inflammation
Research has shown that Withania somnifera (ashwagandha) can help target inflammatory pathways within the body and reduce markers of inflammation within the body acting as an anti-inflammatory.
6. Blood sugar regulation
Some preliminary research suggests that ashwagandha may help to balance blood sugar levels through its effects on insulin. Balancing blood sugar can help to optimize energy levels and reduce food cravings which can be linked to stress.
The benefits of Ashwagandha extend beyond this list and research is continuing to evolve and grow each and every year!
Check out the wide variety of Ashwagandha products we carry here at Five Natural!