Halloween Treats for Scary Health Realities

Spooky season is here! With it, you may experience even spookier health realities. While the living dead does make a great costume, you don’t want to feel like a walking corpse for your fall festivities.  From social anxiety to fatigue, there are plenty of natural ways to help you stay human by the end of the night.

Slay Your Anxiety

Halloween is a great time to gather for some good old fashioned fun, but for many, the thought of large social gatherings is enough to bring on flashbacks of 80’s slasher film sound effects (cue eerie music as an unsuspecting victim decides to investigate strange noises outside, alone).

The Mayo Clinic suggests avoiding triggers to keep anxiety at bay. Some easy tips to avoid feeling anxious include:

• Exercise- Before hitting up the party circuit, get in a nice workout session to smooth out nerves and boost feel-good chemicals like serotonin. Check to see if your city has a zombie run or other fun Halloween-themed activity.
  

• Ditch caffeine- You might want to caffeinate before going out, but caffeine may increase the likelihood of feeling anxious. 
  

• Avoid alcohol- While alcohol may help you loosen up, it may increase feelings of anxiety in the long run. Pace yourself and be sure to stay hydrated. Avoid sugary cocktails and try sticking with the same type of alcohol through the event.
  

• Chocolate for anxiety- Pre-game with a few squares of Carefree Chocolate! With as little as two squares of our dark chocolate, you may experience the soothing effects of Pharma Gaba® & L-Theanine to bring you an alert sense of relaxation that won’t make you zone out.
  

Nix Insanely Sugary Treats

We’ve seen the way sugar can transform tiny trick-or-treaters into little monsters. Sugar can have a similar effect on adults too. Avoid the sugar rush and subsequent crash with these alternatives.

• Dark chocolate- Dark chocolate is a flavonol packed super food. Satisfy your sweet tooth with a few nibbles of some devilishly dark chocolate. It's a treat you don’t have to feel bad about.

• Healthy snacks dressed up as spooky treats- Pinterest has a million ideas for healthy but spooky food ideas. Deviled eggs with olive spiders, monster-mouth apple slices, and jack-o-lantern stuffed peppers are some healthy options that are equally fun and festive.
  

• Alternative treats- Instead of handing out piles of candy – and let's be honest, eating handfuls between trick-or-treaters – try giving non-edible goodies like glow sticks, rings, and small toys.
  

Don’t Turn into a Zombie

As the witching hour approaches, you may start feeling fatigued. Avoid going full on zombie and think about these things ahead of time.

Get enough sleep- The night before big plans, make sure you get ample sleep (7 to 9 hours) and plan for a mellow day following the festivities. Going into a big evening feeling rested will help you monster mash late into the evening.

Stay hydrated and fed- Make sure you are nibbling on protein and drinking water through the night to keep your blood sugar balanced and avoid becoming overly intoxicated. The only thing worse than a tired zombie is a drunk one.

Energy Chocolate to get you through- If you need an extra boost to keep you going into the night, try a few squares of Energy Chocolate. With Chocamine®, a patented cocoa-based ingredient shown to provide sustained energy without jitters, alongside a blend of vitamins, taurine, L-Tyrosine, schizandra berry and green tea extract Energy Chocolate will keep you doing the mash without giving you the jitters.

For the Day After Brain Drain

If you were lucky enough to survive the night, you aren’t out of the woods yet. Avoid feeling like death the morning after and practice some self-care.

Drink water- If you are noticing a common theme here, it is because staying hydrated is the most important thing you can do to feel your best. Alcohol and sugar are very dehydrating, so you will need to get extra fluids to boost yourself back to normal levels.

Rest up- There’s a reason Dracula crawls into his coffin during the daylight hours. Allow yourself some time to rest and hit the snooze button a bit.

Get out of your cave- While it may be tempting to keep hitting the snooze button, getting in some movement and fresh air can be equally refreshing. Bring along something warm to drink and stroll around the neighborhood.

Focus with chocolate- If you need a little help breaking the spell, regain clarity with Brainy Chocolate. Packed with a combination of trusted botanicals including ginkgo biloba, bacopa and rhodiola, paired with a proprietary blend of amino acids, omega 3 fatty acids and Chocamine®, Brainy Chocolate will clear out the cobwebs and keep you focused.