Magnesium is magnificent for calming frayed nerves, lulling you to sleep, eliminating muscle cramps, and alleviating headaches. Those can all be signs of low magnesium levels, which studies show leads to depression and anxiety-like symptoms, in addition to increased cortisol levels, sleep disturbances, and increased inflammation.¹ It’s even more crucial to supplement with magnesium when under chronic and long-term stress. Why? Because when you’re stressed out, your adrenal glands release the stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol into your bloodstream, which leads to an increased loss of magnesium through urine, eventually depleting body stores.²

One form of magnesium, magnesium threonate (MgT), is especially helpful for some of the mood issues related to stress. Researchers discovered that elevating magnesium levels in the brain promoted synapse density and synaptogenesis—the formation of synapses between neurons—in regions critical to cognitive abilities and emotions. Scientists identified MgT as a bioavailable compound that effectively crosses the blood-brain barrier, increasing brain magnesium levels, and thereby improving brain function and reducing depression and anxiety.^{3 4} MgT has also been demonstrated to enhance learning, memory, and quality of sleep.⁵ If you’re suffering from a brain imbalance, or are just needing a little extra support from the stresses of life, discovering this mineral might be the missing link to finding your calm.

Taking a B-complex is a terrific approach to covering your bases for total-body health, including brain health, during times of stress. Clinical signs of insufficient intake of B vitamins are mood changes, insomnia, changes in appetite, and sugar cravings. One B vitamin, thiamine (B1), is especially important if you suffer from brain fog. Your brain loves energy, as do the rest of your nerves, and vitamin B1 is a cofactor in a zillion energetic reactions in the brain. Because thiamine is so vital to energy use in the brain, deficiency leads to a reduction of energy available for brain cells, ultimately causing symptoms like confusion, reduced memory, sleep disturbances, and depression.⁶ One study found that taking 50 mg of B1 daily “was associated with reports of being more clearheaded, composed, and energetic.”⁷

Just roll with it with rhodiola! This adaptogenic herb has been used to treat anxiety, fatigue, and depression for centuries.⁸ While it may be foreign to some, the studies speak for themselves. One examined the effects of taking 400 mg of rhodiola extract per day for four weeks in subjects with life- and work-related stress. After just three days, they found significant improvements in markers of stress, such as fatigue, exhaustion, and anxiety.⁹ In another study investigating the effects of stress-related burnout, rhodiola improved many participants’ symptoms, including stress and depression.¹⁰ Rhodiola works with your body to adapt to stress and increases your body’s resistance to stress, allowing you to better cope during stressful times.¹¹

Another nutrient worth noting is bacopa, a nootropic herb, a type of supplement that’s taken for its positive effects on the brain. Supplementation with bacopa has been shown to reduce anxiety and improve mood, increase memory, and is used as a general cognitive enhancer.^12 13 Bacopa is known to affect the neurotransmitters dopamine, serotonin, acetylcholine, and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA).¹⁴ These neurotransmitters are involved in memory, mood, and relieving anxiety. 

P.S., one more thing. Phosphatidylserine (PS), pronounced phos·pha·ti·dyl·se(ə)r-ˌēn, is a phospholipid (a type of fat that is an integral part of cell membranes) and is a component of  the billions of cells that form your brain. Research has found that PS normalizes stress-related biomarkers—namely cortisol, the “stress hormone”—in chronically stressed individuals.¹⁵ One double-blind study showed that short-term PS supplementation improved daily functioning, mental health, and self-reported general wellbeing in older individuals with Alzheimer’s and dementia.¹⁶ In fact, memory issues related to chronic stress, the natural aging process, mental health conditions, and insomnia have all been shown to be improved by supplementation with PS.^{17 18 19}

While stress is inevitable, you can make your mind and body more resilient and reduce the harmful effects of stress with stress-relieving supplements. March on with mighty magnesium, bolster your health with beneficial B vitamins, roll with the punches with rhodiola, find your balance with bacopa, and push through life’s stresses with phosphatidylserine.

References

1. Zarate, C., Duman, R. S., Liu, G., Sartori, S., Quiroz, J., & Murck, H. (2013). New paradigms for treatment-resistant depression. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1292, 21–31. https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.12223
2. Galland L. (1991). Magnesium, stress and neuropsychiatric disorders. Magnesium and trace elements, 10(2-4), 287–301.
3. Slutsky, I., Abumaria, N., Wu, L., Huang, C., Zhang, L., Li, B., Zhao, X., Govindarajan, A., Zhao, M., Zhuo, M., Tonegawa, S., & Liu, G. (2010). Enhancement of learning and memory by elevating brain magnesium. Neuron, 65(2), 165–177. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2009.12.026
4. Zarate, C., Duman, R. S., Liu, G., Sartori, S., Quiroz, J., & Murck, H. (2013). New paradigms for treatment-resistant depression. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1292, 21–31. https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.12223
5. Enhancement of learning and memory by elevating brain magnesium - David Perlmutter M.D. (n.d.). David Perlmutter M.D. https://drperlmutter.com/study/enhancement-learning-memory-elevating-br…
6. Dhir, S., Tarasenko, M., Napoli, E., & Giulivi, C. (2019). Neurological, Psychiatric, and Biochemical Aspects of Thiamine Deficiency in Children and Adults. Frontiers in psychiatry, 10, 207. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00207
7. Benton, D., Griffiths, R., & Haller, J. (1997). Thiamine supplementation mood and cognitive functioning. Psychopharmacology, 129(1), 66–71. https://doi.org/10.1007/s002130050163
8. Van De Walle Ms Rd, G. (2023, March 31). 7 Science-Backed Health Benefits of Rhodiola rosea. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/rhodiola-rosea
9. Edwards, D., Heufelder, A., & Zimmermann, A. (2012). Therapeutic effects and safety of Rhodiola rosea extract WS® 1375 in subjects with life-stress symptoms--results of an open-label study. Phytotherapy research : PTR, 26(8), 1220–1225. https://doi.org/10.1002/ptr.3712
10. Kasper, S., & Dienel, A. (2017). Multicenter, open-label, exploratory clinical trial with Rhodiola rosea extract in patients suffering from burnout symptoms. Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment, 13, 889–898. https://doi.org/10.2147/NDT.S120113
11.  Van De Walle Ms Rd, G. (2023, March 31). 7 Science-Backed Health Benefits of Rhodiola rosea. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/rhodiola-rosea
12. Brown, W., & Hathcock, R. (2023, July 17). Bacopa Monnieri. Examine.com. https://examine.com/supplements/bacopa-monnieri/
13. Zone, N. (2023, July 21). BACOPA for memory and Anxiety - Nootropics Zone. Nootropics Zone. https://nootropicszone.com/bacopa-for-memory-and-anxiety/#sdendnote3sym
14. Rajan, K. E., Preethi, J., & Singh, H. K. (2015). Molecular and Functional Characterization of Bacopa monniera: A Retrospective Review. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM, 2015, 945217. https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/945217
15. Hellhammer, J., Vogt, D., Franz, N., Freitas, U., & Rutenberg, D. (2014). A soy-based phosphatidylserine/ phosphatidic acid complex (PAS) normalizes the stress reactivity of hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal-axis in chronically stressed male subjects: a randomized, placebo-controlled study. Lipids in health and disease, 13, 121. https://doi.org/10.1186/1476-511X-13-121
16. Moré, M. I., Freitas, U., & Rutenberg, D. (2014). Positive effects of soy lecithin-derived phosphatidylserine plus phosphatidic acid on memory, cognition, daily functioning, and mood in elderly patients with Alzheimer's disease and dementia. Advances in therapy, 31(12), 1247–1262. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12325-014-0165-1
17. Kim, H. Y., Huang, B. X., & Spector, A. A. (2014). Phosphatidylserine in the brain: metabolism and function. Progress in lipid research, 56, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plipres.2014.06.002
18. Glade, M. J., & Smith, K. (2015). Phosphatidylserine and the human brain. Nutrition (Burbank, Los Angeles County, Calif.), 31(6), 781–786. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nut.2014.10.014
19. Vakhapova, V., Cohen, T., Richter, Y., Herzog, Y., Kam, Y., & Korczyn, A. D. (2014). Phosphatidylserine containing omega-3 Fatty acids may improve memory abilities in nondemented elderly individuals with memory complaints: results from an open-label extension study. Dementia and geriatric cognitive disorders, 38(1-2), 39–45. https://doi.org/10.1159/000357793