Work. Family. Money. Technology. We get hit with stress from all sides.
We may think it won’t affect us much day to day. And, sure, it can even be a good thing sometimes. But managing your stress is crucial if you want to consistently perform at your best. Read on to learn how ashwagandha can help.
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How Stress Affects Your Body
Negative Stress Affects Performance
You can't perform at your best under negative stress. After all, if you’re stressed out ― physically, mentally or emotionally ― you’re going to be distracted, unfocused, tired and basically unable to accomplish much of anything.
One of our favorite stress busters is ashwagandha, an ancient herb originally found in India. Ashwagandha has a ton of health benefits for men — key among them is the power to balance cortisol levels. When stressed, you’re metaphorically drenched in cortisol — the stress hormone our bodies release when we are in danger.
Stress Can Make You Weaker
Did you know stress can actually make you weaker?
You see, cortisol is considered a catabolic hormone, meaning it stimulates the breakdown of muscle. Specifically, it encourages the use of amino acids — which are the building blocks of muscle — to use as energy to address the stressful situation you’re in.
So, when you’re overly stressed, your body can actively destroy your muscles. Elevated cortisol also slows down testosterone production, compounding the effects of muscle breakdown.
Oh, and high cortisol levels can contribute to slower digestion, resulting in weight gain.
Bottom line: If left unchecked, stress can cause you to gain weight and literally make you weaker.
This is where ashwagandha can help. Studies have shown it to reduce your cortisol levels and boosts your body’s resistance to stress. (It is considered an adaptogen, after all, helping you “adapt.”) This is a good thing for many reasons, but especially if you’ve been putting in the work at the gym.
How Ashwagandha Supports Health
Imparting the Smell & Strength of a Horse
The thing about ashwagandha, though, is it doesn’t just help alleviate stress. In fact, it’s traditionally believed to impart the vitality and power of a horse.
No, seriously. The Sanskrit word ashwagandha translates to “the smell and strength of a horse” because of its rejuvenating effects and because the herb itself apparently smells like a horse when it’s been ground up.
Definitely adds new meaning to the phrase, “healthy as a horse,” doesn’t it?
A One-Stop Shop for Men’s Health
Adapting to stress is vital to maintaining your daily drive and performance. But it’s not the only factor in leading a healthy lifestyle. The amazing thing about adaptogenic herbs like ashwagandha is that it’s almost like a one-stop shop for men’s health and wellness support.
It starts with balancing out your cortisol levels and builds by improving other natural functions you need to stay driven and motivated every day.
Let’s dig a little deeper on a few and look at why they are important.
Testosterone and Sexual Health
Key not only in reproductive health but muscle growth and recovery, testosterone is vital to men’s health. Ashwagandha works to improve your body’s natural testosterone production. This leads to greater energy, strength and, well, drive. And not only sex drive — although research shows ashwagandha increases sperm count and motility as well as testosterone. That said, if you’re looking for an assist down below, ashwagandha is likely to leave you unfulfilled.
Although ashwagandha supports testosterone production and general reproductive health, if you’re having a hard time getting it up, the super herb won’t help you feel like Superman in the bedroom. In other words, ashwagandha may make you healthy as a horse but as far as endowing you with other renowned equine qualities, it won’t offer any aid.
Cognitive Function
As we all know, when we’re stressed we can’t think straight or focus. But in addition to its stress relief benefits, ashwagandha also has been found to help support improved memory and cognition. The herb may also benefit executive functioning, attention, reaction time and performance on cognitive tasks, according to another study. The importance of improved cognitive function to your daily drive is a no-brainer. Without mental clarity, focus and sharpness, you won’t perform at your best.
Anti-Inflammatory Effects
No pain, no gain, right? Ashwagandha works as a natural pain reliever and contains compounds that may reduce inflammation in the body. If taken regularly, it helps in preventing pain signals from traveling through the central nervous system.
Strength
In addition to the strength and muscle assist ashwagandha’s stress-relief effects provide, the herb also contributes to improved strength and muscle mass. One study found it reduced exercise-induced muscle damage and improves recovery, as well, helping you improve and go further faster.
Ashwagandha Pills & Supplements
There’s no magic pill. But Mdrive comes close.
We all like to work hard, but sometimes it’d be nice if there was a magic pill or remedy that provided immediate results, right? Well, considering all the amazing benefits of ashwagandha, you might think it just might be magic.
Sadly, that’s not the case for several reasons. But chief among them is its effects aren’t instantaneous. You can’t down one handful and immediately turn into an Italian stallion.
The effects are gradual. You must let it build up in your body over days, weeks or sometimes even months before seeing results.
The best way to do that is with our line of Mdrive supplements, many of which are formulated with KSM-66, the highest concentration, full-spectrum ashwagandha extract available.
Remember, you can’t outright eliminate stress. But you can better adapt to it.