Life can be quite stressful. From the daily grind to meeting up to expectations of daily living, all of these could result in a tiring experience. Many people find different ways to cope and to get rid of stress. Some do this by exercising, some would take a warm bath, visit a spa, sleep it out, etc.
Some decide to use medications that reinvigorate them and it could be a combination of several of these things. Whatever way you may choose to remove stress, it is important that you relax and get a good rest.
Effects of Stress On The Body
The body is equipped to take care of small doses of stress. However, when it becomes chronic, it can have serious negative impacts on the body. Stress can affect the various systems in the body and cause them to function abnormally.
Some of these systems include the musculoskeletal system, cardiovascular system, nervous system, endocrine system, respiratory system, gastrointestinal system and so on. All these systems are very important to how the body functions and stress impair their functioning.
Continual stress will eventually cause them to break down one after the other and this will lead to sickness and diseases. It may lead to death in severe cases. You can read further about it from this article.
Stress is also exhausting for the mind. It can cause a lack of concentration that will affect your work, studies, career, marriage and life in general. You become tired, fatigued and unmotivated to do anything. In men, stress may affect their sexual performance and reproduction as it can result in erectile dysfunction and decrease testosterone levels.
It can also increase the risk of infections in a man’s productive organs. For women, it can affect their menstrual cycle and result in irregular and painful periods.
Getting Relief from Stress Through Kava
Fortunately, nature has provided various means to take care of stress. One of the natural remedies available is through consuming kava. This is a natural herbal drink that is made from the dried roots of Piper methysticum. Piper methysticum means “intoxicating pepper’ in literal terms.
It is a plant that is native to the Polynesian islands. These include places like Fiji, Vanuatu, Tonga, etc. People here have consumed it for many years relying on it as a traditional medicine and they also use it in social gatherings.
When the root is dried, they crush it into powder, mix in water and drink. Kava has a brownish-grayish color when mixed and looks a lot like a puddle. It has an earthy and bitter taste. However, when consumed, it comes with several benefits. One of these is relief from anxiety and stress.
The drink is a sort of sedative and taking it can help the user to relax as it calms their nerves. It is able to do this as it works on the limbic region of the brain and the nervous system. You may read about kava here https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324015.
What is Kava Used For?
Kava is primarily used for relieving stress as well as anxiety. Studies show that it could help treat symptoms associated with anxiety disorders.
Anxiety disorders are one of the most common psychiatric issues and millions of people suffer from one form of it or another. A lot of medications are available for treating them but they usually come with some unwanted side effects. They may also be addictive and habit-forming.
This has brought to the fore natural and presumably safer alternatives like kava. Studies indicate that in contrast to a placebo, it helps to reduce the perceived anxieties of the participants considerably. There are also no known side effects associated with dependency or withdrawal which is common in other medications.
Helps With Insomnia
Insomnia is a continual lack of sleep. Sleep is a natural process that is good for getting relief from stress. Good quality sleep reinvigorates and re-energizes a person. That is why it is good to get enough rest and sleep daily.
Unfortunately, people suffering from insomnia cannot sleep so they get tired over time. Insomnia is closely associated with stress and anxiety and may as well result in several other medical issues. These can include diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, depression, cancer, etc.
This makes people suffering from insomnia to turn to sleep-inducing medications to help them fall asleep or sleep better. The challenge with this is that using these medications can become addictive so much so that they cannot do without them. Also, they may come with unwanted side effects.
Kava can serve as a natural alternative to these medications because of its calming and relaxing effects. Its effect on insomnia is believed to be related to its effects on anxiety.
How To Take Kava
Kava is available in many forms. After the roots of the Piper methysticum plant are dried, it is ground so that it becomes powder. Traditionally, one can mix this with water and drink. However, rather than consume it this way, it can be used in several other ways.
One of these is that it is made into kava tea. It may be mixed with other ingredients or it may be standalone. Another common product is capsules made of kava. There are also kava liquid and tinctures that are available in small bottles.
It is also used as an ingredient in other drinks such as juice. To make it taste better, juice and drinks makers may add different fruits flavors making it more appealing.
Some of the fruits that may be used to flavor the drink include a variety of berries as well as pineapple. This fills it with vitamins and helps to make it nutritious. Given its constitution, one can buy a calming shot quite easily and without any prescriptions or fear of breaking the law.
Conclusion
Stress can be debilitating to the body in several ways. This is why it is important to de-stress by resting and relaxing as much as possible. There are several ways to achieve this and some are more effective than others.
Kava provides a natural remedy that induces calm and can help you relax as well as get a good sleep. The best part is when used correctly, it does not come with side effects associated with other medications.