What can I take when I'm so stressed that my whole body is buzzing. I assume it's adrenaline or cortisol or a combo of both.

[Stormylou]

I'm very anxious and stressed right now, and when I get like this my heart races, I get an odd sensation in my throat and my whole body feels 'jangly' - if that makes sense! My problem is that I want to take a calming remedy especially to help me sleep, but products such as Nytol or similar that contain hops and Valerian, make me wake up feeling all 'jangly' even when I'm not stressed! I was once told that hops can affect your nervous system which is why you can feel like that after drinking beer. Is this actually the case? If so, are there any suggestions for an alternative sedative to help me through this period? Thanks!

[Hidden]

Hi. Storm. What you describe are typical symptoms of the anxiety state and almost everyone on this site has had them! You seem as if you are inclined toward natural remedies. I agree, they can be helpful, but it does depend on how deep the anxiety is. Have you spoken to your GP? Temporary medication can help and you may not need it for long. I was so bad at the outset that herbal remedies did nothing for me but it does depend on your depth of suffering.

My personal opinion is that acceptance is the best remedy but that is something that one has to try for oneself, and it is not for everyone. Yes, you can feel 'elated' after drinking alcohol but when it wears off you can feel worse than ever. Then the temptation to drink again is there. Best to steer clear of alcohol. Come back and let us know how you fare. Best wishes. jonathan.

[Optimistic9]

Anxiety is a natural human feeling but some people suffer with it more than others. Certain foods can also make it worse, epecially too much coffee and sugary foods. The way to deal with it is to try and find out what triggers your anxiety and to take steps to overcome it . Is it when you are worrying about things or meeting people?. My advice would be to attend a yoga class which would help you to stay calm and also change your diet. Cut out caffeine and drink soothing herbal tea, cammomile is good, also take vitamin B complex and at night have a milky drink like horlicks. When you start to feel anxious try and take deep breathes. Sometimes anxiety can be caused by a lack of pantothenic acid in your body. A lack of this can make you feel jittery with butterflies in your stomach. You can actually buy this in tablet form. Conventional drugs actually deplete the body of vitamins so when th effect wears off you feel 10 times worse and have to keep taking more. Sometimes a change in your diet and lifestyle is the key and also your overall health will improve too

[Pennylayne]

I think that Jonathan may be right and that a trip to the GP to explain how you are feeling is a good start. I think it's difficult to recommend a product as different things work for different people and depend on many factors. Tackling the anxiety would be a good thing anyway. It's a fact of life for lots of people and can be dealt with by finding way of managing it. Thinking about it being 'really bad' is like giving it energy ........another way of looking at it is to think, yes it's like this, this is me and I'm going to do such and such and it will be fine. It's not going to kill me and it doesn't mean I am strange ......thousands of people have anxiety symptoms every day.

Something that sometimes works for me when I feel 'wired' like that is to try using the adrenaline etc up by doing something.

You probably won't feel like it or even want to think about it but there will be things that you can do around the house which will use up some of that stressy energy.

You may have been meaning to sort out a particular cupboard for ages or even hoover the floors or give the bathroom a scrub.

It will work off some of the stress and as a bonus you get a sorted out cupboard, cleaned floors or bathroom. It's surprising how much better you can feel afterwards and there is a certain sense of achievement too.

The hardest part is getting started but sort of 'leap' over that obstacle and you're away.

You will be turning nervous energy into positive energy.

Another trick is to lie down somewhere comfortable and cover yourself with a blanket. Don't have bright lights on if you can.

Make your out breath much slower and squeeze all the air out, then breath in filling the lungs so that you can actually feel your lower ribs moving outwards.

Keep your breathing slow and steady carefully breathing out fully each time and filling the lungs until the lower ribs move out.

Then starting from your toes imagine each part of your body getting very heavy and sinking into the floor.

Suddenly each part is as heavy as if it is made of stone. Work your way up and include your arms and your head.

Imagine your face relaxing as if the muscles are like melting ice cream.

You could even imagine yourself lying on a quiet beach with just the sound of the waves and the warm sand under your back.

There is quite a lot of music available for this type of relaxation on-line and I find it helpful, just do a search on relaxation/meditation music.

There are also books on similar relaxation and lots of help on line if you search relaxation/meditation techniques.

Hope this helps a little bit .........BTW I don't know about valerian, I know it's in a lot of products to help sleep, I think that some of the over the counter remedies are helpful if anxiety is mild.

PL

[Stormylou]

Thanks to all of you for taking time to answer my question. I think I will go and see the GP and I know i definitely should exercise more! Thanks again!