Dietitians’ List of the Top 7 Vitamins and Supplements for Stress

Everybody has stress in life, but the most prevalent ones are usually those that have to do with relationships, money, jobs, and health.

Both acute and chronic stress can cause weariness, headaches, upset stomachs, anxiousness, irritability, and wrath.

In addition to eating a healthy diet, getting enough sleep, and exercising frequently, there are a number of vitamins and supplements that can help your body cope with stress.

These are the top 7 vitamins and supplements that could aid with stress relief.

A brief review of the top supplements for managing stress

• Best with Rhodiola rosea: HUM Nutrition Big Chill
• Best with melatonin: Life Extension Melatonin IR/XR
• Best with magnesium: Innate Vitality Magnesium Glycinate
• Best with ashwagandha: Klaire Labs Ashwagandha Extract
• Best with L-theanine: Pure Encapsulations L-Theanine
• Best with B-complex vitamins: MegaFood Balanced B Complex
• Best with vitamin D: Nordic Naturals Vitamin D3 1000

How we chose

When it comes to vitamins for stress relief, there’s a lot of chatter. We initially took into account the kinds of substances present in order to assist you in determining which products are worth purchasing.

The following standards were used to choose each ingredient that was featured:

• Research quality: We selected supplements that have been the subject of randomized controlled trials, which are excellent scientific investigations. Compared to other study designs, these are less biased and produce data that is of higher quality and more reliability.
• Efficiency: Furthermore, we limited our selection to vitamins and supplements that have been shown to be efficacious in these excellent research. While the data from other kinds of studies can be useful, they are not as trustworthy as the data from randomized controlled trials.

When choosing items, we took into account the following aspects in addition to ingredients:

• The dosage: We selected goods that contained the recommended effective doses from studies.
• Dependability: We chose goods from companies that have a reputation for creating premium supplements. Third-party tested products were also given priority.

There are many great vitamins and medicines for stress that All For Health Blog has chosen.

Best with Rhodiola rosea

HUM Nutrition Big Chill

Rhodiola (Rhodiola rosea) is a plant that grows in parts of Russia and Asia.

It has been known for a long time to be an adaptogen, which is a natural, harmless plant that boosts your body’s stress response system to make it more resistant to stress.

There are two strong active ingredients in rhodiola that are linked to its adaptogenic qualities. These are rosavin and salidroside.

A small 8-week study with 100 people who had signs of chronic tiredness, such as trouble sleeping and problems with short-term memory and focus, found that taking 400 mg of rhodiola powder every day helped their symptoms after just one week.

Throughout the study, the participants’ problems kept getting better.

Additionally, in a small but high-quality study of 80 people with mild anxiety, those who took 400 mg of rhodiola every day had much lower levels of worry and anxiety after two weeks than those who did not receive treatment.

If you want to try rhodiola, HUM Nutrition Big Chill is one of the best brands.

The product has 500 mg of R. rosea extract per serve, which is a useful amount based on clinical studies. It has also been tested by a third party and does not contain any fake colors or sweets.

Best with melatonin

Life Extension Melatonin IR/XR

• Price range: $
• Dose: 1 capsule daily
• Best used for: sleep

Melatonin is a natural hormone that controls your body’s circadian schedule, or sleep-wake cycle.

Levels of the hormone rise in the evening when it’s dark to promote sleep and drop in the morning when it’s light to promote waking.

Some study shows that because worry is linked to sleeplessness, boosting with melatonin may help.

One review of 7 good quality studies involving 205 people examined the usefulness of melatonin for treating secondary sleep problems, which are those that come from another disease, such as worry or sadness.

The researchers found that melatonin lowered the time it took people to fall asleep and improved overall sleep time but did not significantly change sleep quality as compared to a fake.

Randomized controlled studies have found amounts as small as 0.5 mg per night to be helpful.

Though melatonin is a natural hormone, supplementing with it does not change your body’s production of it. Melatonin is also non-habit-forming, but it’s best to start with the lowest dose possible and work up to a higher amount if necessary.

If you find that you’re having trouble sleeping as a result of stress and you’re interested in trying a melatonin pill, Life Extension IR/XR Magnesium is a great choice.

The pill contains a total of 1.5 mg of immediate-release and extended-release melatonin, which may help you fall asleep and stay asleep through the night.

Life Extension is a trusted business that makes its products according to standards that exceed those set by the FDA. The company’s raw products are also third-party tested.

However, while some Life Extension products are third-party tested, its Melatonin IR/XR is not.

Best with magnesium

Innate Vitality Magnesium Glycinate

• Price range: $
• Dose: 1 capsule daily
• Best used for: stress

Magnesium is an important mineral that your body uses in more than 300 different biochemical processes.

It’s involved in numerous areas of good body function, including DNA production, nerve and muscle function, and blood sugar and blood pressure control.

Magnesium is found mostly in nuts and seeds, green leafy veggies, and fish.

Research shows that magnesium may be involved in stress control, especially for people who don’t get enough magnesium in their food.

One older study in 100 people found that people who supplemented with 400 mg of magnesium per day for 90 days had higher heart rate variability (HRV) compared to a control group.

Some studies have linked low HRV to sadness, sleep problems, and worry.

Another high quality study evaluated the benefits of daily intake of 300 mg of magnesium and 30 mg of vitamin B6 for 8 weeks in 264 people with low magnesium levels.

Researchers in this study noticed that subjects who received magnesium alone had similar drops in stress scores to those who received magnesium and vitamin B6.

However, people with stress that was categorized as “severe” or “extremely severe” saw more change when taking both magnesium and vitamin B6.

Innate Vitality Magnesium Glycinate is a great magnesium supplement because it includes 500 mg of magnesium glycinate, a form of magnesium that may be easier for the body to take than other widely used supplemental magnesium forms, such as magnesium citrate.

The vitamin is also third-party tested and free of fake chemicals.

Best with ashwagandha

Klaire Labs Ashwagandha Extract

• Price range: $$
• Dose: 1 capsule daily
• Best used for: stress, mood

Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is an adaptogenic herb native to India, where it has been used in Indian Ayurveda, one of the world’s oldest medicinal systems (18Trusted Source).

Similarly to rhodiola, ashwagandha is thought to enhance your body’s resilience to physical and mental stress.

In one study on the stress-relieving effects of ashwagandha, researchers randomized 60 individuals with mild stress to receive 240 mg of a standardized ashwagandha extract or a placebo daily for 60 days (19Trusted Source).

Compared with the placebo, supplementing with ashwagandha was strongly associated with greater reductions in stress, anxiety, and depression. Ashwagandha was also linked to a 23% reduction in morning levels of cortisol, a stress hormone (19Trusted Source).

What’s more, an older review of five studies examining the effects of ashwagandha on anxiety and stress observed that people who supplemented with ashwagandha extract scored better on tests measuring levels of stress, anxiety, and fatigue (20Trusted Source).

Klaire Labs Ashwagandha Extract provides 300 mg of ashwagandha extract per 1-capsule serving, and it’s free from artificial additives and major allergens.

Klaire Labs prides itself on producing high quality, research-backed supplements. Its products are manufactured in CGMP-compliant facilities, though the products are not third-party tested.

Best with L-theanine

Pure Encapsulations L-Theanine

• Price range: $$$
• Dose: 2 capsules daily
• Best used for: stress, concentration

The amino acid L-theanine is most frequently found in tea leaves.

Its capacity to encourage relaxation and lessen tension without having sedative effects has drawn the attention of researchers.

When compared to a placebo, a high-quality trial with thirty participants found that taking 200 mg of L-theanine daily resulted in significant improvements in depression symptoms, stress, sleep quality, and cognitive function.

In a another study, 34 participants’ cortisol levels were reduced when they drank a beverage containing 200 mg of L-theanine together with other nutrients in response to a demanding multitasking activity.

When taken as a supplement for relaxation, L-theanine is safe and well-tolerated at its effective level of 200–600 mg per day in capsule form.

A serving of two Pure Encapsulations L-Theanine capsules provides 400 mg of L-theanine. It is gluten-free and suitable for vegans.

To maintain quality control, Pure Encapsulations collaborates with a number of outside labs, such as Advanced Laboratories, Silliker, Intertek, and Eurofins.

In case you find supplementation unpleasant, it’s important to mention that green tea is an excellent provider of L-theanine.

In comparison to ordinary green tea, consuming at least 300 mL (about 1.5 cups) of low-caffeine green tea dramatically reduced stress markers, according to a small randomized controlled experiment.

Low-caffeine green tea seems to work better than high-caffeine tea since caffeine may reduce the benefits of L-theanine.

Best with B-complex vitamins

MegaFood Balanced B Complex

• Price range: $$
• Dose: 1 tablet daily
• Best used for: work stress, fatigue

All eight B vitamins are typically included in B-complex vitamin pills.

These vitamins are crucial for metabolism because they convert food into energy that may be used. The heart and brain require B vitamins as well.

Grains, meats, legumes, eggs, dairy products, and leafy greens are food sources rich in B vitamins.

Interestingly, research indicates that large dosages of B vitamins may reduce blood levels of the amino acid homocysteine, which may enhance stress-related symptoms like mood and energy levels.

Elevated homocysteine levels have been linked to stress and a higher chance of heart disease, dementia, and colorectal cancer, among other illnesses.

Furthermore, taking a daily B vitamin supplement for at least four weeks may help considerably reduce stress and enhance mood, according to a study of twelve excellent trials.

Similar findings were seen in an earlier study, which suggested that reducing homocysteine levels with B vitamin supplementation as part of a multivitamin and mineral supplement may help with stress and mood.

It’s unclear, though, if those with low homocysteine levels currently will be affected in this way.

MegaFood Balanced B Complex is a fantastic alternative to the many excellent B-complex pills available.

For example, folate is found in the form of 5-methyl tetrahydrofolate rather than folic acid, which is easily absorbed by the body. Each serving provides at least 100% of the Daily Value for each of the eight B vitamins.

The supplement can also be taken on an empty stomach and is simple to absorb.

Best with vitamin D

Nordic Naturals Vitamin D3 1000

• Price range: $
• Dose: 1 mini softgel daily
• Best used for: stress

Because it can be produced by the body following sun exposure, vitamin D is sometimes referred to as the “sunshine vitamin.” Many people don’t receive enough of it in their diets, and it’s not naturally present in high levels in many foods.

In addition to aiding in the body’s increased absorption of calcium, vitamin D has been linked to a number of other physiological activities, including immune system stimulation and inflammation reduction.

Additionally, it might lessen tension, particularly in those who are deficient in vitamin D.

In a small, high-quality study involving 86 individuals without vitamin D deficiency, researchers discovered that those who took 1,600 IU of vitamin D daily for approximately 4 months during the winter months did not suffer from the usual decline in vitamin D levels brought on by less sun exposure during these months.

Additionally, they discovered that individuals in the vitamin D group had less stress after a stressful event than those in the placebo-treated control group.

Probiotics and omega-3 supplements have been shown to help reduce depression, anxiety, and stress in women, while taking 50,000 IU of vitamin D every two weeks has been shown to improve anxiety and sleep in women.

Just remember that before taking vitamin D supplements, it’s advisable to have your levels evaluated by a medical practitioner. The prevalence of vitamin D toxicity has increased significantly along with the interest in vitamin D supplementation.

One of the greatest vitamin D supplements is Nordic Naturals Vitamin D3 1000, which has 1,000 IU of vitamin D3, or calcitriol, the active form of vitamin D.

Nordic Naturals supplements undergo third-party testing, and the results are readily accessible on the company’s website by looking for the certificate of analysis (COA) associated with each product.

An analysis of the top vitamins for stress relief

Here’s a brief comparison of our top choices:

How to select stress-relieving vitamins

The following considerations should be made while looking for supplements to reduce stress:

• Intentional effect: Does stress interfere with your sleep or concentration? Seek a product designed to deal with the particular problems you are facing. For instance, rhodiola and L-theanine are better choices for focus and productivity, while melatonin may aid with sleep.
• Cost: Cost is a crucial factor to take into account. Knowing how much you’ll be spending each month on supplements is crucial, particularly if you want to take them for a long time.
• Quality: It’s critical to get supplements from reputable manufacturers because the FDA does not monitor them in the same manner as it regulates drugs. To assure purity and efficacy, it is ideal to opt for goods that have undergone independent testing.
• Expert assistance: It is wise to speak with a healthcare provider before using supplements. They can assist you in making product selections, arrange for blood work, and examine your food to determine whether you’re lacking in any vital nutrients that could be affecting your stress levels.
• Drug interactions: If you currently take prescription or over-the-counter medications, it’s crucial to see a healthcare provider before starting any new supplements because certain chemicals in supplements may interfere with them.

Frequently asked questions

For stress, which vitamin is best?

Stress may be lessened by vitamin D and B vitamins. certain, however, might only be beneficial for those whose diet is insufficient to meet their demands and who have low levels of certain vitamins.

Which vitamins might you be deficient in if you experience stress or anxiety?

If you are experiencing stress, it’s possible that your body is deficient in magnesium, vitamin D, or B vitamins. This isn’t always the case, though.

Asking a healthcare provider for a blood test or buying a home micronutrient testing kit are the best ways to find out for sure how much of these nutrients are in your blood.

Does kava make you less stressed?

Supplements containing kava are derived from the roots of the Piper methysticum plant. Traditional herbal therapy has long used it to relieve anxiety and tension, and research indicates that it may have some of these advantages.

However, in a small number of cases, kava consumption has been linked to liver damage, according to study.

There isn’t enough data on these incidents for researchers to establish safe or effective dosage recommendations. Because of this, we advise against using kava and in favor of alternatives with higher safety profiles.

In summary

A number of vitamins and other supplements, such as melatonin, ashwagandha, vitamin D, and Rhodiola rosea, have been connected to a decrease in the symptoms of stress.

Magnesium, the B-complex vitamins, and L-theanine may also help your body become more resilient to the stresses of everyday living.

Before taking any new supplements, you should always speak with a healthcare provider, especially if you’re taking any other medications or are pregnant or intend to become pregnant.

If stress is still a problem in your life, think considering discussing potential remedies with a therapist or medical expert.