Challenge I faced
I always believed that stress is common in modern lifestyles due to work responsibilities, family commitments, and the demands of modern life.
I was under stress, so according to me, for everything that seemed challenging, like afternoon energy crashes, difficulty focusing, and that feeling of tiredness in the morning after a full night's sleep, I blamed stress.
But I felt something fishy when my fatigue remained the same even though I was trying too many measures like healthy sleep, managing stress, etc., but nothing was working for me.
This tiredness was compromising my productivity, so I decided to consult an expert from Nutriessential.
That's when she asked me a question I wasn't expecting:
"What if stress isn't the whole story?"
When you are under stress, your energy levels, sleep quality, eating habits, recovery, and overall well-being are affected.
She answered something I never thought.
How did the Nutritionist from Nutriessential start this conversation?
Nutrition expert at Nutriessential says you cannot blame stress for tiredness because it is complex and also involves other causes like inadequate nutrient intake, poor dietary quality, sleep disruptions, irregular meal pattern, increased nutrient demands and underlying health conditions. Just remember, stress and nutrition are interconnected.
She then shared an interesting finding discovered by another expert on the team.
Dr Aditi, healthcare communication expert and dietary supplement advisor from Nutriessential, says, I read a recent scientific study and found something very interesting. The study mentions that people with high stress levels eat a lot of sugary snacks, fast foods, and caffeinated beverages. On the contrary, people with low stress consume fibre-rich vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and fermented foods like yoghurt and kefir.
She wanted to point out one important concern for me. Whether I was eating healthy or not in stress. If my diet is unhealthy, I may be nutrient deficient and it's affecting my stress levels.
There is a connection between diet quality and mental health, particularly depression, anxiety, and stress
I thought, "Why am I being questioned about my diet quality?
When I told the nutritionist, "I think stress is draining my energy," she didn't immediately recommend a supplement. Instead, she asked me a series of questions that completely changed how I thought about my fatigue.
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Are you nourishing your body with enough nutrient-dense foods, or are you simply eating to get through the day?
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Are you aware of what nutrients are important for stress support?
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How well are you recovering from daily physical and emotional stress—not just sleeping, but truly recovering?
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Do you wake up feeling refreshed, or are you starting each day already feeling exhausted?
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Could there be gaps in your diet that are quietly affecting your energy, even if you're eating "healthy"?
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Are you eating processed food?
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Have you noticed whether your energy changes with your eating patterns, sleep quality, or stress levels?
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Before assuming stress is the only cause, have you considered what else your body might be trying to tell you?
That conversation taught me something important: fatigue is rarely caused by a single factor. Stress may be part of the story, but nutrition, recovery, sleep, and overall lifestyle deserve attention too.
THE FIRST CLUE: Why Magnesium Came Up in the Conversation
The body needs nutrients for energy, and one of the first nutrients in the list is magnesium.
Many adults do not meet recommended magnesium intake levels through diet alone. Common dietary sources of magnesium include leafy green vegetables, pumpkin seeds, nuts, and legumes, whole grains and dark chocolate
The Nutritionist said that magnesium can support sleep quality. Many people who feel exhausted during the day are actually experiencing frequent nighttime awakenings, difficulty reaching restorative sleep and poor recovery from physical or mental demands.
Strategies involving magnesium-rich food and high-quality magnesium supplements can help.
She explained that quality is an important consideration in supplements. Practitioners evaluate supplements based on factors such as ingredient transparency, formulation quality, purity standards, tolerability and manufacturing practices. For individuals with sensitivities, hypoallergenic formulations are the first choice of healthcare practitioners.
Connection between Homocysteine, B12 and Folate levels: Do you know about it?
According to a recent study, healthy adults with higher homocysteine levels experience fatigue and low motivation. They also tend to have lower vitamin B12 and folate.
Dr Aditi explains, people don't know how important B12 and folate are for their daily productivity. The body maintains low homocysteine levels because B12 and folate break it down and convert it into other helpful substances. Now it is easy to answer the question of what can happen if these nutrients are deficient. If you don’t have enough B12 or folate, homocysteine builds up in your blood.
In a study, researchers asked study participants, "How tired and motivated do you feel?" They checked their homocysteine, vitamin B12, and folate levels. Those with higher homocysteine levels were physically tired and less motivated. All connected to their lower B12 and folate levels.
The Nutritionist said, If you are tired, it doesn't always mean that homocysteine is the culprit. I just want to add that, to detect the cause behind your tiredness, nutrient deficiency is the reason to consider.
She said, Do you know why you didn't think of nutrient deficiency?
She explained it to me so well. She said, " You didn't discuss your healthcare provider about testing your magnesium, vitamin B12, folate, or homocysteine levels. You kept feeling tired rather than taking the right step.
Detection of nutrient deficiency is important. If you have low B12 and you ignore consulting and testing B12 levels, you start experiencing problems like difficulty concentrating, memory problems, numbness or tingling in your hands and feet, balance problems, etc.
If you are low on magnesium and you remain unaware, you are likely to experience stress, poor sleep quality and muscle cramps.
If you are also low in folate, you experience other symptoms.
Sometimes, there is something more than stress. You aren’t able to focus, and you think it is stress.
After knowing this, she asked me, Would you still think that stress is draining your energy? Many people ignore stress. They never consider testing for nutrient deficiencies. They keep blaming stress and keep spoiling their health.
The solution is simple: give the body the nutrients it needs. It will come back to normal. Diet and supplements are ways to cover these nutrient deficiencies. What I suggest to my client is to stop self-diagnosing and self-supplementing. If you are experiencing stress from long-term, it's time to consider lab tests like magnesium, B12, folate, vitamin D, homocysteine and others with a healthcare provider before adding supplements.
Her response surprised me because it wasn't about stress management at all, but it was about understanding what my body might be missing.
The Takeaway
I started this journey. Somehow, I was convinced that stress was draining my energy. But this conversation with a nutritionist at Nutriessential changed everything.
What I learned was that stress may be part of the picture, but it is not always the entire story.
Energy, recovery, sleep, nutrition, and lifestyle are closely connected.
Despite blaming stress for everything, I should have considered "What else could my body be trying to tell me?"
References
Ahmed F, Alhodieb FS, Alsanie SA, Rasheed M, Ndagire CT. Relationship between stress, diet, and gut microbiota: a cross-sectional study. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2025;22(1):122. Published 2025 Oct 16. doi:10.1186/s12986-025-01014-y
Kanouchi, H.; Yamamoto, A.; Kuwabara, A.; Takenaka, S.; Nishikubo, E.; Nomura, Y.; Naruto, T.; Watanabe, K.; Mizuno, K.; Watanabe, Y. Associations of Plasma Homocysteine Reflecting Vitamin B12 and Folate Status with Fatigue-Related Outcomes in Healthy Adults. Nutrients 2026, 18, 941. (Source)
