Anxiety

Some supplements have been studied, but there aren’t many with strong evidence to back up their use for anxiety. Lavender oil has some evidence to support its use for treating generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). One study^[7] found it to be equally effective to a benzodiazepine in treating GAD. However, more studies are necessary to confirm this finding and to explore lavender oil’s possible efficacy in other anxiety disorders. Other reviews support the use of supplements such as kava^[8] and inositol,^[9] though the former carries a possible risk of inducing hepatotoxicity, and the latter does not have as much evidence to warrant its use as an anxiolytic. Magnesium also has some promising evidence^[10] for lowering symptoms of anxiety. Apart from supplements, one meta-analysis^[11] ranked different interventions by their effectiveness in reducing symptoms of anxiety.

Though stimulants do not always cause anxiety, many create a stress response that could worsen existing symptoms. People with anxiety might not need to stop using stimulants entirely, but they may want to avoid frequent use, especially if symptoms worsen.

Caffeine is the stimulant least likely to cause anxiety. Ideally, 100–200 mg of caffeine should be paired with an equal dose of theanine, an amino acid that can tame the anxiety caused in some people by caffeine without impairing caffeine’s stimulatory effect. In fact, the improvements in concentration (focus and attention span) induced by caffeine and theanine respectively have been shown to be synergistic.

Yohimbine and yohimbine-containing products — as well as supplements that have a similar mechanism, such as rauwolscine — should be avoided.

Yes.^[16] One gram of curcumin a day was shown to reduce anxiety when supplemented by people with obesity, compared to placebo in a cross-over study. Depression was also measured, but there was no significant effect.

Yes, many symptoms of anxiety can be exacerbated during exercise and slightly afterward. However, the effects are temporary^[12] and will usually subside. Moreover, awareness of the physical signs of anxiety may actually decrease^[13] after settling into an exercise routine, which could mitigate distress in people with anxiety. These two points are especially important to keep in mind for people suffering from panic disorder, since awareness of rapid heart rate is one of the symptoms of a panic attack. However, one small study^[14] found that exercise did not induce panic in most people with panic disorder in the sample. But it does seem that people with panic disorder may avoid exercise,^[15] possibly due to its perceived risks of triggering an attack.