Stress: Restoring Biological Rhythms – A Key to Our Well-being

Our body operates according to an internal biological clock, set to a 24-hour cycle (known as the circadian rhythm), alternating between periods of activity (daytime) and rest (nighttime).

During the day, the body needs to generate energy, vitality, and alertness to meet the demands and challenges of daily activity. At night, it enters a rest phase, allowing it to relax, recover, and regenerate.

Every day, we are exposed to pressures and constraints that require adaptation and trigger stress responses, which in turn disrupt the balance of our biological rhythms. Stress adaptation mechanisms vary greatly from one person to another, both in intensity and in symptoms (physical, emotional, behavioral).

Although stress responses are normal and even useful, they can sometimes become so intense or prolonged that the nervous system struggles to activate the necessary relaxation response, even after the stressor is gone.

When symptoms become intense enough to interfere with daily activities, we refer to it as acute stress. On the other hand, chronic stress is a persistent condition with multiple known causes (such as an anxious personality or challenging personal circumstances). Chronic stress impacts health by disrupting the immune, cardiovascular, and gastrointestinal systems, including the gut microbiota.

Now recognized as a major risk factor for many illnesses, stress is still often underestimated, misunderstood, or trivialized. Each person reacts differently, influenced by their genetics, environment, diet, and lifestyle. Stress-related symptoms are diverse and often lead to a disruption in the body’s natural day/night rhythm. This results in reduced energy, motivation, and drive during the day, along with persistent fatigue. At night, it often manifests as sleep disturbances, anxiety, and restlessness.

It is possible to simultaneously act on various neurobiological mechanisms to help manage and improve stress-related day/night disruptions.

Natural solutions exist to:

• Quickly restore the body’s disrupted biological rhythms (day/night);
• Strengthen the body’s ability to adapt and resist stress, particularly with the help of so-called adaptogenic plants;
• Promote recovery and better sleep through the use of sedative or anxiolytic plants;
• Address deficiencies in essential micronutrients, especially magnesium, a key mineral for the proper functioning of the nervous system.

Consult your healthcare professional for advice.