Dealing with stress

Alexandra Leon

Not all individuals stress threshold is the same. Everyone’s “too much” differs from one person to the next. So why do some people react better to stressors than others? Apart from genetics, your ability to deal with stress is affected by your daily behaviors. For example, magnesium levels closely correlate with a person’s stress levels. Stress depletes the body’s magnesium stores and, on the flip side, a magnesium deficiency reduces a person’s tolerance to stress. Interestingly enough, 70% of the western world are consuming less than the recommended dose of around 360 mg/day. Inadequate nutrition often accompanies chronically stressful lifestyle. Most stressed individuals engage in a nutrient empty diet consisting of high consumption of carbohydrates, saturated fats, caffeine (coffee or sodas) and alcohol which reduces the body’s Magnesium levels and furthers the Magnesium-stress cycle.