December 27, 2022 · 2 min · 358 words · Ronald Cowman
Cortisol-based anxiety. You’ve probably heard of the stress hormone cortisol. Ideally, it should rise and fall at an appropriate time during the day. But when it’s chronically elevated or deficient at times it shouldn’t be, you can experience a phenomenon known as adrenal fatigue. The disruption in your natural energy levels can leave you feeling fatigued, anxious, and depressed.
Insulin-based anxiety. What you eat has an undeniable impact on how you feel, and eating excessive amounts of the wrong carbohydrates (like white bread, pasta, potatoes, and processed sweets), can significantly compromise your mood and mental health. That’s because these kinds of carbs force your body to secrete high doses of insulin in an attempt to lower the spike in blood sugar. Over time, this kind of chronic overproduction of insulin creates a state of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), which is characterized by symptoms like shakiness, fatigue, irritability, and yes, anxiety. In an effort to protect your brain and heart from dangerously low blood sugar levels, your body will pump out more cortisol. And as you’ve already learned, this will directly affect your mental state.
Estrogen-based anxiety. Your body has to maintain a delicate balance of hormones at the right time, and when estrogen is at the optimal level, it has a calming effect on the brain. But when levels are too low or too high (think: during your premenstrual phase, perimenopause, or menopause), or your ratio of estrogen to progesterone is off, you can experience anxiety.
Thankfully, there are certain natural supplements that can work directly on the root causes of anxiety, and they can help keep you calm in a way that’s effective and sustainable. Here’s what I recommend:
While I’m a firm believer in the power of these supplements, I also believe they can be effective only in the context of a nutritional and lifestyle overhaul intended to support the entire hormonal pattern of your menstrual cycle. Getting enough of the right nutrients like B vitamins, magnesium, and omega-3 fatty acids, will combat cortisol hyper-production, and adequate self-care practices that result in therapeutic sleep, sex, and satisfaction will also help keep feelings of anxiety at bay.
