Stress - The Answer & The Problem

Stress is an inevitable and necessary part of life.  It’s the chronic stress -where the body is constantly in flight or fight mode that’s detracts from health. The unrelenting demands of modern life - unhealthy diets, rushed living, pervasive social media, demanding jobs, debilitating illnesses with scant time for rest and relaxation take a heavy toll on our neurological, endocrine, and immune systems. Chronic stress can cause or worsen the symptoms of just about any health condition including heart disease, anxiety, obesity, diabetes, depression, impotence and/or insomnia.  So many debilitating health issues can be traced back to mishandled stress.

Some remedies to deal with this stress are more effective than others. Caffeine, alcohol and other stimulants provide short-term relief but if not manage can be counter-productive in the long term, creating their own health problems such as irritability, anxiety, and insomnia. Medications and  sedatives, come with even more serious side effects such as addiction and other dangerous behavioural and health problems.

If allowed, the body has natural and effective ways of dealing with stress. Exercise, diet, sleep, and meditation are excellent habits that clear the path for the our innate defences to deal with things like unrealistic job expectations, the rushed mayhem of family commitments and issues around training and muscle repair. 

Achieving your ultimate regenerating sleep is an essential step to improving wellness on all levels, but how do we get there when we’re helplessly wired and unable to turn down?

I love herbs and adaptogens for better sleep. Combined with a strong mindfulness practice and some essential boundaries on blue light time before bed,  there are beautiful natural remedies that inaugurate your mind and body into a serious state of rest…

My theory on sleep and adaptogens is housed in the balance and stabilisation of our nervous system both throughout the day and in the removal of the body from flight-or-fight mode leading into the evening.  

In my experience and practice, the quality of sleep is directly related to the level of stress we’re dealing with. Oftentimes, people think they are not experiencing stress, but are only dealing with insomnia. Venturing into adaptagens, my common finding is that the insomnia is actually the way the body is manifesting and translating that stress.

Knowing that our body needs to relax and adapt to the changes around us is key and using the proper herbs that will boost our blood flow and relax and nervous system is a great way to start.

Adaptogens are herbs that stabilise the nervous system to adapt better to stress without any known side effects. There are many great adaptogens that assist with sleep, I go a step further and create individual adaptogen formulations. These are blended formulas that consist of multiple herbs that regulate the nervous system, have no harmful side effects to the body, support the adrenals and, most importantly, assist the body in adapting to stress.

The ingredients work together to bring balance to the blood flow, calm the mind, heart and excessive chatter or rambling of stressful thoughts, while clearing heat in the body and reducing irritability. 

Below are a few herbs I love blending together for better sleep. The primary function of my ‘Rest and Repair’ blends, is to relax the heart and calm the mind for a peaceful, restorative sleep.   

Zixyphus extract; This herb is sweet and sour in taste and nourishes the heart and liver while calming the spirit.

Golden root; This herb quells the internal dragon, tonifying Gaba receptors.

Melissa Officinalis L; The quintessential calming herb facilitating a deep sense of safety and security.

Passiflora incarnatat; This herb turns down the sympathetic nervous system and increases BDNF levels in our brain!

Schisandra; A potent herb to normalise physiology regardless of the direction of change - normalises our stress response.  

Licorice root; The envoy herb. I use liquorice root in my  formulations, to regulate the actions of the other herbs and create a balanced environment for digestion in the body.

The most amazing characteristic of my blends, is that they adjust themselves to the specific needs of the individual. They don’t have one specific action. They respond to what the body needs.  

My Oura score summarises my body’s response to my new ‘Rest and Repair” sleep blend …