With all that goes on in our daily lives, it can be easy to allow stress to build up over time. However, aside from the negative feelings that come with stress, experiencing prolonged stress can actually contribute to a variety of health issues, including high blood pressure, digestive problems, and more. That is why it is so important to find healthy ways to reduce stress! Here at Keystone Compounding Pharmacy, we have gone ahead and put together some of our best tips to reduce stress and feel your best. Let’s get started:
1. Focus on Your Sleep Quality
When it comes to finding ways to reduce stress, one of the best ways that you can help yourself is by focusing on improving your sleep quality. Good sleep hygiene habits include maintaining a consistent sleep and wake schedule, even on weekends, and developing a calming wind-down routine about 30 to 60 minutes before bed, such as reading, stretching, or meditating. It's best to avoid daytime naps, or keep them under 30 minutes and before 3 p.m. Creating a sleep-friendly environment is essential — keep your bedroom cool (around 65°F or 18°C), quiet, and dark using blackout curtains or eye masks, and minimize noise with white noise machines if needed. Avoid screens like phones, tablets, and TVs at least an hour before bedtime to reduce blue light exposure that can disrupt melatonin production. Lifestyle choices also play a role — limit caffeine after 2 p.m., avoid alcohol and heavy meals in the evening, exercise regularly (preferably earlier in the day), and get exposure to natural sunlight in the morning to support your circadian rhythm. To reduce stress and racing thoughts at night, try journaling, gratitude practices, or brain-dump exercises, and consider relaxation techniques like deep breathing or progressive muscle relaxation. If sleep problems persist, cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is a highly effective, evidence-based approach. Find out about more of the best ways to improve your sleep quality right here.
2. Exercise Regularly
Another of our best tips to reduce stress is to incorporate regular exercise into your routine. When you exercise, your body releases endorphins, which are hormones that directly work to reduce stress. For instance, aerobic exercise such as walking and jogging is among the best overall choices, as moderate aerobic activity boosts endorphins, reduces cortisol levels, and improves mood by activating the parasympathetic nervous system post-exercise, which enhances relaxation. Yoga is a great choice for the mind-body connection, as it combines physical movement with breath control and mindfulness, which are also some of the top benefits of Tai Chi, which focuses more on slow, flowing movements that help to improve mental clarity and reduce stress. Some other great exercises to reduce stress include lifting weights, which can reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, especially in those who enjoy structure, and group classes, which increase joy and social bonding while providing the benefits of exercise.
3. Consider a Stress Supplement
If you are looking for an additional boost that can help to reduce stress, you may want to try a supplement like HPA Calm. This formulation combines key nutrients and botanical extracts to complement your other stress reduction techniques and allow you to maximize feelings of calmness. Additionally, the ingredients in HPA calm have been shown to reduce stress related weight gain. Some other supplement options include Ashwagandha and Lion’s Mane, both of which can help to work alongside HPA calm to allow the body to better adapt to and recover from stress. Shoden® Ashwagandha is a high-concentration, bioactive extract standardized to 35% withanolide glycosides, known for its ability to reduce cortisol levels, improve sleep quality, and support mood and stress resilience. Lion’s Mane promotes the production of nerve growth factor (NGF), which enhances cognitive function and emotional well-being. Cordyceps boosts energy and stamina by supporting mitochondrial function and oxygen utilization, making it ideal for those experiencing fatigue from physical or emotional stress. HPA Calm combines Relora®, L-theanine, and Holy Basil to further balance the stress response. Relora® helps regulate cortisol and reduce tension-related cravings, L-theanine promotes calm focus without sedation, and Holy Basil supports mood stability and immune modulation. Together, these botanicals and nutrients create a comprehensive, integrative strategy for managing stress and enhancing overall well-being.
4. Find a Support System
In addition to the other tips to reduce stress that we have shared here, it is also important that you find a support system that you can rely on when you are feeling anxious or overwhelmed. This can be a family member that you share your feelings with, a friend that helps you talk through a problem, or even our helpful team right here at Keystone Compounding Pharmacy. You can sign up for one of our consultations right here on our website so that we can work together to help reduce stress in your life!
5. Utilize Breathing Exercises
Yet another of the ways that you can reduce stress is by incorporating helpful breathing exercises into your routine. For instance, box breathing is one of the most effective breathing exercises to reduce stress, and it is simple to do! Just inhale for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 4 seconds, then exhale for 4 seconds, and hold your breath for another 4 seconds. Repeat this for 2 minutes twice a day. Another great option is the 4-7-8 breathing method, which involves breathing in for 4 seconds, holding your breath for 7 seconds, then exhaling for 8 seconds. Breathing techniques help manage stress by directly influencing the autonomic nervous system, especially shifting the body from a sympathetic "fight-or-flight" state to a parasympathetic "rest-and-digest" state. When you're stressed, your breathing becomes shallow and rapid, which can worsen feelings of anxiety and tension. Controlled breathing — such as deep diaphragmatic breathing, box breathing, or 4-7-8 breathing — slows your heart rate, lowers blood pressure, and reduces levels of cortisol (the stress hormone). This physiological shift not only calms the mind but also improves focus, emotional regulation, and sleep. Over time, consistent practice of breathing exercises can re-train your stress response, making you more resilient to daily pressures.
We hope that these tips to reduce stress are helpful to you. Here at Keystone Compounding Pharmacy, we are committed to offering our patients all of the resources they need to maximize their wellbeing, so if you are looking for assistance when it comes to stress reduction or another issue, we encourage you to reach out to our team to find out more about how we can help. We hope to hear from you soon!
