In our speedy, dog-eat-dog world, stress about our daily lives seems almost inevitable; meeting deadlines, getting to work on time, finances, and familial problems are constantly wreaking havoc on our bodies and brains. An increase in stress has been directly linked to weight gain, anxiety, and even memory loss! With how busy we are, meditation and relaxation are mostly our of reach, leaving most professionals to suggest medicine as a way to combat these side effects of our lives. But before you reach for any medication, perhaps you can try a more natural means to achieving both mental and physical health; perhaps you can try probiotics.

For Stress!

New research in the field of probiotics suggests that "good bacteria in the gut  may alter the way people process emotional information," meaning that a balanced microbiome might be a good solution to help your body stop the constant release of cortisol (sad hormones) and encourage the release of endorphins (happy hormones). Once your gut is balanced, your body will follow!

For Anxiety!

Once your cortisol is lowered, your brain will stop worrying about the stress triggers in your life (at least to an extent) and can help you relax a little. Lowering anxiety is important because it is a known cause for weight gain. If your body is stressed, your digestion system will falter, causing your body to retain the food it needs to get rid of. It also can cause you to eat more (who doesn't stress eat, here?) due to the body needing to be active when nervous.

For your Brain!

When we are so distracted by our stress and anxiety, our memories are severely impacted. Once we focus in on a few bad things, our mind is continuously set on that, causing other things to slip through the cracks, such as someone's birthday, a deadline at work, or a kid's soccer game (whoops!). By balancing out your microbiome and therefore lowering your stress and anxiety, your brain will be more "with it" and alert, helping you retain more information.

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