With all that stress you accumulate with your fast-paced lifestyle and the demands of work, it is no wonder that you are left feeling tired, stressed and in the worst mood possible. So all you want to do when you get home is to relax and loosen up. Why not have a cup of hot chocolate or have a chocolate bar, preferably one of those goody gourmet dark chocolate kind with dinner? It is just the thing to help you relax and lift your mood. It's very nutritious too! That is to say chocolate is full of antioxidants and stimulating substances that helps your body fight fatigue , prevent some diseases and much more.

One of those stimulants found in chocolate and cocoa, theobromine, helps boost up your mood. The stimulant is responsible for making your heart beat faster and making you more alert. The name theobromine comes from the scientific name of cocoa itself, Theobroma cocoa, meaning “food for the gods.” And with the gift of happiness chocolate gives, it does deserve that appellation, don't you think?

There is another susbtance, andamide, that stimulates the brain and is said to be behind chocolate's addictive properties. Anandamide is also responsible for the way you can relish chocolate as it stirs up your taste bud. The stimulation then causes your brain to release endorphins. Now everyone knows endorphin is the “happy hormone.” Yep, it gives you that bubbly feeling inside and adds to the "I'm in love" feeling you get that eating or drinking chocolate gives you. Of course that love mood you get out of chocolate is all because of the love chemical, phenethylamine. It makes you feel like you are walking on air, doesn't it? Now isn't love the greatest mood booster you could ever hope for? And all from one small dark brown package.

But of course you are bound to ask, how is having your heart fluttering all over the place going to help me relax? Well, chocolates have another interesting substance called tryptophan. Tryptophan has been use as a reliable, effective and safe sleeping aid. It is a forerunner of serotonin, the chemical that helps regulate mood, helping you relax and making you feel sleepy. Tryptophan has been used as a dietary supplement for some time as well and is found in health food shops. Meanwhile, sugar in chocolate bars or a chocolate drink helps boost your flagging energy.

You get more from one bar of chocolate; all that heart fluttering, the excitement, the feel-good and happy, the romantic feeling as well as the relaxing of your mind as compared to what you will get with a glass of wine after dinner. And to get the most of the stimulation found in chocolate, go for gourmet chocolate.

High quality chocolates are rich in cocoa liquor, a concentrated cocoa mix that is rich with the above antioxidants and stimulants. And dark chocolates have especially more cocoa liquor than milk chocolate or white. In the gourmet kind, there are even higher levels of cocoa liquor than the popular commercial brands.