Tuesday, January 17, 2012

How to counteract the effects of a high-stress job

By Dave North


A highly stressful job can ruin your physical as well as your mental health. When you are young you feel that you can handle long working hours, pressure and physical exertion, but it will catch up with you. But don't think that it is not taking a toll on your health. Some telltale signs of stress are difficulty sleeping, depression, difficulty concentrating, and recurring illness such as flu.

Taking breaks (especially for several days or weeks) is the best way to start relaxing your body and mind. Meditation, relaxation and taking a holiday allows the body and mind to recuperate allowing you to get back to work with more energy and concentration. Eating properly is essential during these times, too. Getting the right nutrition will help your body recover more quickly.

A good diet is quite important to maintain the proper health of your body and mind since it ensures that you get an adequate supply of vitamins and minerals. But the fact remains that it is quite possible that to meet the requirements of your high-stress job, your nutrient requirement is probably not being met. Because stress affects the absorption of nutrients into your bloodstream, you body may be left weak and prone to illnesses.

Probably this is the reason why so many people take supplements to deal with the stress involved at work. One of the herbal supplements that is quite popular is kava. Kava is usually take as a beverage by mixing the ground root in water. Kava is also available as a supplement in capsule form and it is considered to be quite effective for reducing stress in healthy adults.

St. John's wort is another effective herb for relieving stress, anxiety, insomnia, and depression. The herb works on the serotonin levels in the brain of human beings. The brain chemical is responsible for reducing anxiety and depression and elevating mood.

A very good vitamin supplement should include the B vitamins since it plays an important role in maintaining a healthy immune system and metabolism. Vitamin B complex tablets help restore the proper functioning of the adrenal glands which get affected by prolonged stress. Adrenal glands produce adrenaline and cortisol. Disruption in the production of these chemicals leads to problems with blood sugar levels. This means that you end up feeling tired and exhausted. Vitamin B5, especially is quite helpful here since it restores the functioning of the adrenal glands.




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