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Vitamin C plays a vital role in the health and functioning of the adrenal glands.

It’s 6:30 a.m. and you find yourself reaching for the alarm and wondering,
     “How can I possibly wake up?”
     The work is piling up – midterms, essays, presentations and juggling your personal life in the midst of it all – but you don’t have the physical or mental strength to complete anything.
    You begin to miss class, falling even more behind. You’re moodier than ever and about a moment away from telling off your TA or group members.
    Unless you’re a special breed of procrastinator, we all know that stress can wreak havoc on our ability to achieve academic success. It does so by reducing our energy and interfering with our ability to concentrate.
   Interestingly, stress is often viewed as a psychological problem, but it has very real physical effects. For example, think of a time when you were lying in bed worrying about all the assignments you needed to complete and were unable to fall asleep.
   This is your body’s natural stress defence mechanism at work. When you think about your to-do list, your body reacts immediately by pumping adrenaline to help you finish that list now. Before you know it, you’re counting sheep all night.
    Stress can lead to compromised health. In addition to making you more susceptible to illness, it can lead to nutritional deficiencies because it slows your body’s nutrient
absorption process.
    We all know that during fast-paced, high-stress times, it’s common to miss a meal or two, while reaching for convenient processed foods. Just when our bodies need more nutritional support, we often provide them with less. Many disorders that arise from stress are the result of nutritional deficiencies, especially deficiencies of the B-complex vitamins, which are very important for the functioning of the nervous system.
    "What to do?” you ask. Trying your best to maximize your sleep time and eat nutritional meals is a good way to start. In addition, there are some natural products that are available to support your adrenal glands through challenging times. Here are some popular ones.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is believed to play a vital role in the health and functioning of the adrenal glands, since they contain the highest concentration of this vitamin compared to any other organ.     Vitamin C has been shown to help ease stress-induced increases in cortisol and blood pressure, and it may reduce the risk of the common cold by as much as 50 percent in those under extreme physical stress.

Vitamin B-complex

All B-vitamins are necessary for health and proper functioning of the nervous system, which is in overdrive during high-stress times. However, you rarely absorb the complete dose contained in the capsule, and, as a result of its water-soluble properties, much of it is excreted through the urine, changing the colour to a frightening fluorescent yellow.

Rhodiola rosea

Popular among Russian astronauts and Olympic athletes, Rhodiola rosea  is a medicinal herb native to Siberia, Central Asia, parts of northern China and Europe. It is known as an adaptogen, a substance that helps the body adapt to stress by providing adrenal support. Safe, effective and relatively fast-acting, Rhodiola is renowned for its ability to reduce stress-induced fatigue and boost energy, while at the same time improving mental performance.

Maca

According to folklore, ancient Incan warriors took Maca before going off to battle to increase their physical strength. However, they were later prohibited from taking it in order to protect conquered women from their heightened libidos. With that being said, yes, Maca can increase your libido, but only if you suffer from a low sex drive to begin with. It is an extraordinary adaptogen with the ability to increase your energy and decrease feelings of depression.
    In addition to these stress-relieving supplements, some brain boosting nutrients are as follow.

Omega-3

This is the number one and fastest growing category in the natural health product industry. Omega-3 is an essential fatty acid that is abundant in brain and nervous tissue.
    It is no surprise that a recent study of 939 subjects found low levels of omega-3 fatty acids linked to cognitive decline.

Ginkgo Biloba

Ginkgo Biloba is another popular medicinal herb that has brain-boosting properties. It improves circulation, stimulates neurotransmitters and protects against free radical damage. In a trial of 256 middle-aged participants, those who took 60 mg of Ginkgo and 100 mg of ginseng daily had significantly better assessments in cognitive functioning on both short and long-term memory. These two herbs seem to work synergistically with each other.

Bacopa

Bacopa is a traditional ayurvedic herb that is known for its anti-stress, brain-supportive and anti-aging effects, and it is showing promising clinical benefits. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study with 46 healthy men and women, the half who took 300 mg of Bacopa daily for 12 weeks processed visual information 15 percent faster, had a 14 percent greater learning rate, a 33 percent lower rate of forgetting as well as a 108 percent better ability to retain new information.

We all know that stress can wreak havoc on our ability to achieve academic success

Water

If you only reach for a glass of water when you feel thirsty, chances are you are too late. The majority of the population is chronically dehydrated because we often forget how vital water is to our metabolisms. Many headaches arise because you’re not getting enough water, and, at times of stress, this feeling often increases, weakening your ability to focus and concentrate. Make sure you get your daily three litres of water and you will feel the difference.

Although these supplements are wonderful for what they do, don’t lose sight of what they are: supplements. They are supposed to be used to supplement a healthy daily regime, and should not be relied upon. Making lifestyle changes will be most essential in reducing stress and increasing concentration.
  Getting regular exercise can promote mental clarity and keep stress under control. Any type of exercise will do the trick as long as it is regular; exercising once a month will not do much to relieve stress.
   Learning to relax is also important, but it may be difficult because this is sometimes the problem. A technique called “progressive relaxation” is easy yet helpful. It involves tightening and relaxing the major muscles groups one at a time, being aware of each sensation.
   Tense the muscles for a count of 10, concentrating on the tension, then let the muscle relax and breath deeply while enjoying the sensation of release.
   One more thing: avoid caffeine. Caffeine causes the release of adrenaline and contributes to nervousness, which can disrupt sleep patterns. Furthermore, consuming too much      Caffeine has the same effects as long-term stress, but who I am kidding? I’m sipping on some java right now, in moderation, as it does increase alertness.
How else would we deal with those wretched morning classes?