Many people are surprised when I mention that I have anxiety issues. Just because you know the subject well and give advice about it, doesn’t mean you don’t have struggles with it. On the contrary, it is because I have had my fair share of struggles that I know the subject well. I decided to talk about it because a lot of people have been asking since the beginning of the pandemic, and personal examples will be helpful in understanding how to better respond to stress and anxiety.

Vitoli Sleep and  Vitoli Stress and Anxiety are natural products in capsule formats, used during the day or at night for stress and insomnia. There are many capsule products for insomnia and all kinds of recommendations for stress and anxiety. Beware that even if you recognize the natural ingredients of Vitoli Sleep and Vitoli Stress and Anxiety, such as valerian, passion flower, L-theanine or melatonin, Vitoli products have been developed to make more effective products available, using higher quality ingredients, in greater quantities.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, sales of these two products have increased sharply because many have been using them to manage their stress. I’ll also go over the questions I frequently respond to on social media and email (and it’s always a great pleasure to answer them).

My problems with anxiety; examples.

First, let’s define stress and anxiety a little bit. People who know me well all say, “Yes, but you don’t look stressed!”. Indeed, it’s not just people who seem nervous who are affected by stress or anxiety. Momentary stress can change our actions, but most of the time, stress will produce recurrent thoughts, feelings of lack of control, difficulty in having a clear mind, difficulty concentrating on what we have to do, or even cause discouragement and depression. The list of problems caused by stress or manifestations of stress in our lives could be very long. Let’s take a few examples:

  • The feeling of lacking control over what’s happening to us,
  • A decrease in sexual desire,
  • Difficulty concentrating or making decisions
  • Headaches,
  • Memory loss,
  • Depression,
  • Sleep disturbances or

You should know that some stress problems are related to our genetics and epigenetics, the other part is related to our personality. Therefore, some people will be very nervous and it will be quite apparent. Other people will have unpleasant feelings or recurrent thoughts that are not easily noticeable by those around them. I’m the second guy. For my part, I tend to feel that I lack control or I have recurrent thoughts that concern me, and I know that this phenomenon is largely physiological, because on some occasions I have these unpleasant feelings for no particular reason.

Let’s take a few examples to put into perspective some situations, and I’ll get back to them later to give you some advice:

  1. Working late versus sleep

If I have to complete an article or prepare a presentation late in the evening, automatically I may have a hectic night because I have trouble stopping myself from thinking about it once I’m in bed. It is also stress and anxiety. It’s the hamster that keeps running.

  1. Unpleasant feelings and recurrent thoughts

There are days when I feel concerned, sometimes with good reason, sometimes for no apparent reason. Here too, it is a form of stress.

  1. Stress related to a major challenge

Sometimes you get stressed because you have big challenges, and that’s normal. This type of stress is much less of a problem. For example, when we record shows for “Live Young in Music and in Health”, the day of the recording is very demanding because I have to cover a lot of topics without making a mistake. This is what I call stress related to a major challenge.

  1. Stress related to the unknown

There are situations that will cause stress because we do not know what will happen. For example, a situation like the pandemic was not anticipated. At the beginning of the pandemic, I was very stressed. Like many, I had to rethink the way my business would operate, but most importantly, all our development strategies, because all consumer events and conventions were cancelled.

So, stress can take different forms and it is important to get to know yourself well and develop ways to manage this stress in different situations. I will use these examples to tell you about the use of Vitoli Sleep and Vitoli Stress and Anxiety.

How to use Vitoli Sleep and Vitoli Stress and Anxiety

First, be aware that they do not cause any form of addiction or dependence, unlike stress medication used during the day or sleeping pills at night. They can be used as needed, and it is not necessary to use them all the time. However, the effect will increase slightly if you take it more frequently.

  1. Working late versus sleep

I fall asleep easily. The example I use with pharmacists during the training for Vitoli products is that when I travel by plane, I am already asleep before take-off and I don’t wake up during take-off. Despite this, I often have sleep problems because I wake up at night and start working. The hamster starts running again. So, I got to know myself, and I am more capable at identifying the evenings where I might wake up or have feelings of concern, and it is during these times that I take a capsule of Vitoli Sleep 30 minutes before sleeping. I often take it because my sleep is much deeper, and usually I get an extra hour or two of sleep.

An important tip:  Vitoli Sleep is always used at bedtime, never during the night. It contains melatonin which is used to coordinate the biological clock with day and night cycles for many physiological processes. Melatonin is an inducer of the first phase of sleep and should never be taken during the night; always at bedtime. It does not stop the hamster from running. This is why, for many people, melatonin alone is not enough. Vitoli Sleep contains 3 other ingredients:  quality extracts of valerian, passion flower and olives.

If you wake up at night and have trouble getting back to sleep, taking Vitoli Sleep at bedtime can help. If you wake up one night, when you haven’t taken it, take a Vitoli Stress and Anxiety capsule instead. This will calm that hamster and help you get back to sleep without harming your biological clock, because Vitoli Stress and Anxiety does not contain melatonin. Therefore, Vitoli Sleep just at bedtime, Vitoli Stress and Anxiety at bedtime or during the night.

  1. Unpleasant feelings and recurrent thoughts

There are days when I feel concerned, sometimes with good reason, sometimes for no apparent reason. Usually I start working and often it disappears. So I give myself a little time to see how it evolves during the day and if it bothers me too much, I take a capsule of Vitoli Stress and Anxiety. You can take it if necessary, and it works in about 30 minutes upon taking it. Usually only one capsule is enough, but it is possible to take two a day. There are no issues with using both Vitoli Sleep and Vitoli Stress and Anxiety products within the same day.

  1. Stress related to a major challenge

Here I tend to do two things: I manage to be well prepared, and when doing this, in advance, I do a visualization. Being well prepared, a little in advance, for a major challenge greatly reduces stress. Visualization is the thought process of the situation that is to come, and imagining that you are doing it well. It is also an effective technique. I don’t usually use Vitoli Stress and Anxiety for these situations, I do very well on my own with my little tricks like this.

  1. Stress related to the unknown

There are situations that are going to cause stress because we do not know what is going to happen, for example, we did not anticipate the pandemic. At the beginning of the pandemic, I was very stressed, as mentioned above. I used Vitoli Stress and Anxiety as needed, one capsule at a time. Normally, a single capsule is enough for a whole day, but it is possible to take two.

I also use physical activity and pay attention to my coffee and alcohol consumption (sugar too, but I always pay attention to sugar). I mentioned alcohol because it increases depressive tendencies, which is also caused by chronic anxiety. Intense physical activity works very well to reduce stress and anxiety. For my part, this would include strength training exercises, pool training or running.

Remember three important things from these examples and tips:

  1. Get to know yourself and understand the situations that cause you stress or anxiety. Stress is unique to each person; it depends on both our genetics and our personality.
  2. Develop your own methods; the important thing is to have the ones that work best for you. The Vitoli blog contains a “Fatigue and Stress” tab that includes many articles on the subject that can give you tips to try for yourself.
  3. Vitoli Sleep and  Vitoli Stress and Anxiety products can be used as needed, when you feel the need, and there is no problem in using them in the long term, if necessary. They will not cause addiction or dependence.

The questions I’m frequently asked:

How do I stop sleeping pills?

Always consult your pharmacist or doctor before. We can contact them for you if they need information about Vitoli products. You can also ask them if they have done the training for Vitoli products. We have more than 1,500 trained professionals in Quebec and we discuss this topic during the Vitoli training.

The method for stopping sleeping pills depends on the type of medication that is used and how long it has been used. In some cases, people simply stop, and use Vitoli Sleep or Vitoli Stress and Anxiety (a second option for issues with sleep). In other cases, the pharmacist will reduce the dose of the medication gradually and the person will take Vitoli Sleep or Vitoli Stress and Anxiety at the same time, during withdrawal. It is usually advisable to take Vitoli Stress and Anxiety during the day, if necessary, because stopping sleeping pills causes anxiety.

There is an article on the Vitoli blog that gives more advice on this.

Do they cause drowsiness?

Vitoli Stress and Anxiety taken during the day should not cause drowsiness if you sleep well at night. It is important to try to improve sleep first, and try to take a single capsule of Vitoli Sleep or Vitoli Stress and Anxiety. Vitoli products are much more concentrated in active ingredients than other products you will find on the market. They’re more effective. Generally, only one capsule would be enough.

Is it possible to use them long-term?

As mentioned, they do not cause addiction or dependence, unlike stress medication used during the day or sleeping pills at night. They can be used as needed; you don’t have to use them all the time. However, the effect will increase slightly if you take it more frequently.

 

In closing, here are some other articles to consult that will provide you with more information:

 

 

References:

  • Hasan KM, Rahman MS, Arif KM, Sobhani ME. Psychological stress and aging: role of glucocorticoids (GCs). Age (Dordr). 2012;34(6):1421–1433.
  • Hood S, Amir S. 2017. The aging clock: circadian rhythms and later life. J Clin Invest. 2017 Feb 1;127(2):437-446.
  • Liu F, Chang HC. 2017. Physiological links of circadian clock and biological clock of aging. Protein Cell. 2017 Jul;8(7):477-488.
  • Pottie et al., 2018. Déprescription des agonistes des récepteurs des benzodiazépines. Guide de pratique clinique. Vol 64: MAY | MAI 2018|Canadian Family Physician | Le Médecin de famille canadien. 16 pages.
  • Simard, E. 2016. Vivre jeune plus longtemps. Marcel Broquet la nouvelle édition. 365 pages.
  • Simard et Lambert. 2018. Vivre jeune DEUX fois plus longtemps. Marcel Broquet la nouvelle édition. 270 pages.
  • Website « Choosing Wisely Canada » : choosingwiselycanada.org. Choosing Wisely Canada is the national voice for reducing unnecessary tests and treatments in health care.