By: Patience Lister

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the pressures of everyday life, you’re not alone. In fact, coronavirus-era stress is leaving 33% of Canadians feeling stress regularly.<1>

Stress comes in many forms. For the majority of Canadians, financial stress is a top concern, followed by work-related stress.1 There is also family and relationship stress, holiday stress, and physical stress from illness or trauma, lack of sleep, poor nutrition, pollution, and heavy physical exertion. No matter what triggers your stress, leaving it unaddressed for extended periods is bad for your health and can exhaust your body’s stress-coping systems.

The body’s stress response evolved as a survival mechanism for life-threatening situations, and can still be helpful in small doses when you need the motivation to get things done. The challenge is that the modern stressors we all face on a daily basis can also trigger this stress response. Over the long term, this overexposes the body to the stress hormone cortisol, which can negatively impact:<2>^,<3>

• Cardiovascular function
• Circadian rhythm and sleep patterns
• Immunity
• Blood sugar and lipid levels
• Gastrointestinal microflora
• The adrenals

Setting the Foundation for Stress Management

It is difficult to eliminate all of the stressors from your life, so your best bet is to increase your body’s resistance. You can set a solid foundation for managing stress with healthy lifestyle habits, such as:

• Eating plenty of nourishing foods and cutting back on alcohol, caffeine, and high glycemic index ingredients
• Exercising daily to relieve stress and increase endorphins
• Getting the recommended 7–9 hours of sleep per night
• Scheduling time to relax and practice deep breathing

Stress-Less Support

When life’s demands are high, and you feel stress creeping up on you, certain nutritional and herbal ingredients can be used to further support your body’s stress coping mechanisms. The 3 Brains^® line of supplements is designed to support the critical relationship between the heart brain, the gut brain, and the head brain. Together these three “brains” influence mental, emotional, and physical health.”<4>

The 3 Brains Stress Less formula combines the adaptogens Sensoril™ ashwagandha, rhodiola, and Panax ginseng with the benefits of Sunphenon^® green tea extract and choline to support mental stamina and focus, and relieve symptoms associated with stress.

Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) has been used traditionally in Ayurveda to improve the body’s resistance to stress and enhance wellbeing.<5> Clinical studies show that it improves feelings of stress and nervousness, and lowers some of the physical markers associated with stress, including blood cortisol, glucose, and lipid levels, as well as markers of oxidative stress.4^,<6>

Rhodiola (Rhodiola rosea) is used to temporarily relieve mental fatigue and feelings of weakness related to stress. It works by enhancing mental focus and stamina, while also strengthening the body’s resistance to chemical, biological, and physical forms of stress in the environment.<7>

Panax ginseng,also called “Asian ginseng” or “Korean ginseng”, is used to increase physical stamina and strengthen mental capacity.<8>^,<9>

Choline supports healthy liver function and increases production of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine needed to moderate the effects of stress, while green tea’s concentrated levels of catechins, such as epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) provide antioxidant and cognitive support.<10>^,<11>

Improving Your Resilience to Stress

Stress is an inevitable part of modern life, but you don’t have to let it wear you down. Healthy lifestyle habits set the foundation for managing stress, while 3 Brains Stress Less formula provides a natural, non-habit-forming way to relieve symptoms.

Improving your resilience to stress plays a key role in maintaining your overall health and leading a happy, productive life.

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<1> Mental Health Commission of Canada. Canadians report an increase in feeling stressed regularly or all the time now compared to one month before COVID-19 . Nanos Research 2020 . Available from: https://www.mentalhealthcommission.ca/English/media/4328

<2> Lee DY, Kim E, Choi MH. Technical and clinical aspects of cortisol as a biochemical marker of chronic stress. BMB Rep. 2015; 48(4):209-16.

<3> Duran-Pinedo AE, Solbiati J, Frias-Lopez J. The effect of the stress hormone cortisol on the metranscriptome of the oral microbiome. npj Biofilms Microbiomes. 2018; 4:25.

<4> Jensen K. Three brains: how the heart, brain, and gut influence mental health and identity. Coquitlam, BC: Mind Publishing Inc.; c2016.

<5> Lopresti AL, Smith S.J, Malvi H, et al. An investigation into the stress-relieving and pharmacological actions of an ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) extract. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Medicine (Baltimore), 2019; 98(37):e17186.

<6> Auddy B, Hazra J, Mitra A, et al. A standardized Withania Somnifera extract significantly reduces stress-related parameters in chronically stressed humans: A double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study. JANA. 2008; 11(1):50-6.

<7> Khanum F, Bawa AS, Singh B. Rhodiola rosea: A versatile adaptogen. Compr Rev Food Sci Food Saf. 2005; 4(3):55-62.

<8> Kim SH, Park KS, Chang MJ, et al. Effects of Panax ginseng extract on exercise-induced oxidative stress. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2005; 45(2):178-82.

<9> Baek JH, Heo JY, Fava M, et al. Effect of Korean red ginseng in individuals exposed to high stress levels: a 6-week, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. J Ginseng Res. 2019;43(3):402-7.

<10> Sherriff JL, O’Sullivan TA, Properzi C, et al. Choline, its potential role in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and the case for human and bacterial genes. Advances in Nutrition. 2016; 7(1):5-13.

<11> Reygaert WC. An update on the health benefits of green tea. Beverages. 2017; 3(6):1-14.