By Anastasia Stephens

With exam season around the corner, stress levels in your home may be rising fast. Whether you are facing exams or supporting someone who is, you could feel that stress is already a major part of your life. Add the general aggravation of traffic jams; housework, your finances or your relationship and it may be difficult to find the time for those stress-relieving massages or energising sessions in the gym.

Sadly, I often notice how too few people deal with stress effectively – keeping it in check before their health suffers. The fact is, diet and nutritional supplements can give a massive boost your ‘stress resilience’ – without taking up too much precious time.

Few people realize just how much ongoing stress plays havoc with health. Putting the body in ‘survival mode,’ stress hormones raise heart rate and blood pressure, keep your muscles tense, and weaken digestion. Immunity and brain function suffer too, leaving you more prone to infections, memory loss, anxiety and depression.

The stress hormones - adrenaline and cortisol - sap the body of important nutrients, particularly B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin A and the minerals calcium and magnesium. They can also cause carbohydrate cravings by lowering levels of serotonin, the calming hormone.

Ironically, when the pressure is on, most people turn to junk food for a quick fix – pastries, crisps, coca cola or coffee usually fills the energy hole. Yet these very conditions require more nutritious food than ever. So my advice is always to get nutrition in tip-top shape by eating a diet rich in oily fish, dark green leafy veggies, bananas, fruit, fish, avocadoes, nuts and wholegrains.

Cut out caffeinated drinks, which enhance anxiety, and avoid the nutrient ‘thieves’ - foods that take more goodness out of your body than they give. Alcohol, sugar and sweets, crisps, white bread and pasta are the main culprits. As it’s hard to keep stressed body nutritionally replete with diet alone, supplementing can be important. Initially, strengthen your overall nutritional status with a good all-round vitamin and mineral complex.

Vitamin C is a key anti-stress supplement as its been shown to counteract negative effects of the stress hormone, cortisol. In one study, where German researchers gave 120 people a public speaking task and maths problems, stress-hormones were significantly lower in those who took a daily dose of 1,000 mg vitamin C.

A B-Vitamin complex can help the body turn carbohydrate into energy, ease digestion and promote a health nervous system – but are burned at a high rate under stressful conditions.

Turning to herbal extracts, Chamomile and Passiflora can calm anxiety and nervousness, while Licorice helps the body cope with high levels of stress hormones (but don’t take this if you have high blood pressure). And if you are suffering from stress-related depression, I prefer St John’s Wort. For those suffering memory loss, I tend to offer Ginkgo or Rosemary. Another herbal favourite is Gotu Kola, an Indian plant, which acts as an all-round healer during stressful periods.

Above anything else, find some relaxation time each day. Just for a few minutes every now and then, sit down, switch off and just breathe deeply. This instant medicine is probably the most effective of all …