5 Stress Support Supplements Everyone Should Know About

It’s said that the only sure things in life are death and taxes. 

However, most people would add stress to that list! No matter who you are or your life circumstances, no one escapes the daily stressors of living on planet Earth.

The good news, however, is that not all stress is bad.

For example, research has shown that some stress, like the type that forces us to adapt and grow physically, mentally, and emotionally, can be beneficial.[1]

However, persistent stress, the kind that keeps us up at night, makes us grouchy, creates health problems, and plagues our happiness, is detrimental to our well-being.

Since we can’t avoid stress, the best way to address it is by becoming mindful of our response to stress and adopting health-promoting lifestyle practices that help us adapt and manage stress effectively.

The right stress-reducing supplements can play a vital role in a healthy stress management strategy by supporting sleep, relaxation, energy, gut health, and nervous system function.

In this article, we’ll explore five of the best stress relief supplements and how they work.

How Do Supplements Work For Stress?

No magic pill or supplement will cure all the life circumstances that are causing you stress and trouble.

However, studies suggest that various supplements, such as vitamins, minerals, herbs, and other nutrients, may help reduce stress by supporting:

• Normal HPA Axis (hypothalamic pituitary adrenal) function: The HPA Axis controls the production and output of stress hormones

• Gut and digestive health: Via the gut-brain connection, which can affect our response to stress

• Nervous system function: The nervous system is responsible for our fight or flight response, which can become overactive, leading to persistent stress

• The sleep cycle: The more tired we are, the more stressed we become

• Hormonal function: Hormones play a powerful role in our mental and emotional well-being

• Cognitive function: A healthy brain is central to our nervous system function, and essential for a healthy stress response and outlook on life

The right combination of stress-reducing supplements for you depends on various factors, including your season of life, your current state of health, your lifestyle, any medications you’re taking, and why you’re feeling so stressed.

Talk to your healthcare practitioner for customized advice.

5 Best Supplements for Stress Relief

These five supplements have been studied for their beneficial effects on stress and overall well-being, offering a natural solution to help ease the tension of body and mind.

1. Magnesium

Also known as “the anti-stress mineral”, magnesium is one of the best-known supplements for stress support.

Research suggests it works by supporting various aspects of nervous system and HPA axis function, which helps keep the body’s master stress hormone (cortisol) in check.[2][3][4]

Magnesium has also been studied for its beneficial effects on gut health,[5] which may support a normal gut-brain connection, aiding further in a healthy stress response.

Finally, research also suggests magnesium can help with sleep, the ultimate natural stress buster![6]

There are many forms of magnesium available, including highly absorbable magnesium glycinate and gut-friendly magnesium citrate.

Country Life offers a variety of magnesium supplements designed for targeted support, including:

Related reading: Magnesium Glycinate vs. Citrate: Which Form Is Best?

2. L-Theanine

L-Theanine is a naturally occurring essential amino acid found in some foods, like tea leaves and certain mushrooms.

As a supplement, it’s also widely studied for its beneficial effects on stress and emotional well-being.

Research suggests L-Theanine works on stress by modulating (regulating) normal nervous system function via its effects on the normal production of inhibitory (calming) neurotransmitters*, such as GABA and serotonin (the feel-good neurotransmitter), as well as the excitatory (stimulating) neurotransmitter dopamine (associated with satisfaction, motor control, and pleasure).

*Neurotransmitters are the brain’s chemical messengers involved in various physical, mental, and emotional sensations, including pain, happiness, sadness, worry, and pleasure.

These effects on neurotransmitter function also explain its studied benefits for cognitive function, which also plays a role in stress perception and response.

L-Theanine’s potential benefits on serotonin make it a popular supplement for supporting emotional well-being as well as sleep—serotonin is a precursor to melatonin, the body’s master sleep hormone.

Finally, research suggests supplementing L-Theanine daily may help ease PMS symptoms, a significant stress for menstruating women and people.[9]

Most people get the majority of L-Theanine from tea, with green tea and matcha offering a healthy dose.

L-Theanine supplements are also widely available for stress support, including Country Life Vitamins: 

• L-Theanine 100 mg Chewable (mint flavored)
• Suntheanine® L-Theanine 200 mg

All our L-Theanine supplements are formulated with Suntheanine®, a clinically studied form of L-Theanine, supported by over 50 studies and patents.**

Note that although L-Theanine promotes relaxation and sleep, it generally does not make you drowsy, but rather calm and relaxed.

3. Coenzymated B Complex

The relationship between B vitamins and stress is symbiotic and well-documented, with studies suggesting that stress depletes B vitamins and that supplementation can help alleviate stress.

B vitamins support stress management through their beneficial effects on the adrenal glands, brain, nervous system, neurotransmitters, gut, hormones, and energy production.[10-13]

For this reason, many health experts recommend a B-complex as part of a holistic stress management strategy, which includes all eight B vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, B12).

Some take it a step further and recommend coenzymated B-Complex formulas (also known as methylated B-complex).

Coenzymated B vitamins have been shown to have greater bioavailability, especially in individuals with genetic variations, such as MTHFR, who have difficulty metabolizing B vitamins normally.

This is often why people feel so different after taking a coenzymated B-complex, as their body can finally absorb the stress-relieving, energy boosting, and nourishing B-vitamins they’ve been missing.

Country Life offers several coenzymated B-complex supplements, including:

• Coenzyme B-Complex Caps
• Coenzyme B-Complex Advanced
• Cellular B Recharge

Want to learn more about the B-vitamin-stress connection? See The Role of B Vitamins In Stress Management Support for a complete tutorial.

4. Ashwagandha

Native to South Asia, Ashwagandha is an ancient herbal root cherished in Ayurveda, the traditional medicine of India.

Its name, roughly translated, means “smell of horse”, which, according to Ayurvedic texts, speaks to its scent and its ability to make a person as strong and resilient as a horse!

It is considered a rasayana (rejuvenating tonic) and an adaptogen, a type of herb that helps the body adapt to and thrive under stress via its effects on the HPA Axis.

Ashwagandha has become popular in North America due to its natural stress-relieving properties, as well as research suggesting it may help support nervous system function, sleep, sexual function, exercise recovery, cognitive function, and (of course) a healthy stress response.[14]

Ashwagandha is widely available in various forms, including capsules, tinctures, teas, gummies, powder, herbal drinks, and elixirs such as golden milk, as well as sports nutrition products.

At Country Life Vitamins, we offer a clinically studied form of Ashwagandha, Sensoril® Ashwagandha [14] combined with other stress-relieving nutrients in Stress Shield® to diminish occasional tension, support emotional well-being, help with concentration, reduce fatigue, and support energy levels.

You’ll also find Sensoril® Ashwagandha in our Gut Connection® Stress Balance™, which we’ll discuss next.

5. Prebiotics 

Everyone has experienced a gut reaction to stress, sometimes described as butterflies in the stomach or a loss of appetite before a big public speaking event.

New research has shown this is due to the gut-brain axis. This information superhighway connects the brain and central nervous system to the gut and enteric nervous system (a part of the autonomic nervous system that controls the gut, also known as “the second brain”).[13] 

Here, the organs and systems share information as well as various emotions, including happiness, grief, and stress-related emotions.

As the brain informs and affects the gut, the gut informs and affects the brain.

Furthermore, research suggests that persistent stress can increase the risk of gut health issues, including intestinal permeability, also known as leaky gut syndrome.[14][15]

This new understanding has led to exciting discoveries about how certain gut bacteria may influence our stress response and emotions, resulting in the development of several probiotic, prebiotic, and postbiotic supplements designed to support the gut-brain axis.

As mentioned previously, Country Life Vitamins offers Gut Connection® Stress Balance™, featuring the clinically studied prebiotic, EpiCor® dried yeast fermentate, which feeds friendly gut bacteria, helping maintain digestive health and ease stress.

This formula also contains L-Tyrosine, an amino acid to support normal dopamine and norepinephrine,[19] L-theanine to promote relaxation, and Sensoril® Ashwagandha extract.

Country Life Vitamins is Your Low-Stress Source for Stress Support Supplements

Finding high-quality supplements you can trust can be stressful, especially with so many choices available and new brands popping up constantly.

Since 1971, Country Life Vitamins has built a loyal customer base through transparency, our use of clinically studied ingredients, and our commitment to producing the highest quality vitamins, minerals, amino acids, herbal formulas, probiotics, prebiotics, digestive enzymes, and more.

Our supplements are manufactured in an NSF gluten-free certified and certified organic facility that’s third-party certified GMP compliant, meaning we go above and beyond FDA standards for supplement manufacturing.

We’re also a certified B Corp.

If we sound like your kind of supplement company, then we invite you to shop our full line of Country Life Vitamins supplements for stress and overall nutritional support.

References Mentioned in This Article

1. “Effects of Magnesium Supplementation on Subjective Anxiety and Stress—A Systematic Review”. Nutrients.
2. “Magnesium Status and Stress: The Vicious Circle Concept Revisited”. Nutrients
3. “Long‐term magnesium supplementation improves glucocorticoid metabolism: A post‐hoc analysis of an intervention trial”. Clinical Endocrinology
4. “Neuroprotective effects of magnesium: Implications for neuroinflammation and cognitive decline”. Frontiers in Endocrinology.
5. “The essential role of magnesium in immunity and gut health: Impacts of dietary magnesium restriction on peritoneal cells and intestinal microbiome”. J Trace Elem Med Biol.
6. “Association of magnesium intake with sleep duration and sleep quality: findings from the CARDIA study”. Sleep.
7. “Effects of L-Theanine Administration on Stress-Related Symptoms and Cognitive Functions in Healthy Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial”. Nutrients.
8. “How does the tea L-theanine buffer stress and anxiety”. Food Science and Human Wellness.
9. “Efficacy and Short-Term Safety of L-Theanine in Randomized, Double-Blind, Parallel-Group Study”. The FASEB Journal.
10. “A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of B Vitamin Supplementation on Depressive Symptoms, Anxiety, and Stress: Effects on Healthy and 'At-Risk' Individuals”. Nutrients.
11. “Potential mental and physical benefits of supplementation with a high-dose, B-complex multivitamin/mineral supplement: What is the evidence?” Nutr Hosp.
12. “Reducing occupational stress with a B-vitamin focused intervention: a randomized clinical trial: study protocol”. Nutr J.
13. “Comparative Bioavailability and Utilization of Particular Forms of B12 Supplements With Potential to Mitigate B12-related Genetic Polymorphisms”. Integrative Medicine: A Clinician's Journal.
14. “Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera)—Current Research on the Health-Promoting Activities: A Narrative Review”. Pharmaceutics.
15. “The Gut-Brain Axis: Influence of Microbiota on Mood and Mental Health”. Integrative Medicine: A Clinician's Journal,
16. “Stressed to the Core: Inflammation and Intestinal Permeability Link Stress-Related Gut Microbiota Shifts to Mental Health Outcomes”. Biological Psychiatry.
17. “Psychological Stress, Intestinal Barrier Dysfunctions, and Autoimmune Disorders: An Overview”. Frontiers in Immunology.
18. EpiCor study
19. EpiCor study
20. “L-Tyrosine to alleviate the effects of stress?” Journal of Psychiatry & Neuroscience.