Still Tired After Sleeping A Full Night
We have all had a long night and had to get up early the next morning. You feel tired, sluggish, cant think as easily, and generally feel rundown. If you feel that way after getting a full nights rest, you might have a problem. We can all feel tired every once in a while, but if that is every day, you may have Adrenal Fatigue.
Signs You Have Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome
So, how do you know if you are suffering from adrenal fatigue? Here are some of the initial adrenal fatigue symptoms:
1. Disturbed Sleep Pattern
The hectic lifestyle which we are living today, throws off our hormonal balance, rendering it difficult to fall or stay asleep. It is the major adrenal fatigue symptom.
2. Irregular Menstruation Cycle
If you have adrenal fatigue, you are most likely to have problems with your thyroid and your menstrual cycle. The simple reason for this is that the endocrine system is tackling unparalleled exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals.
3. Tiredness With Body Aches
Do you feel tired all the time? It may be a warning symptom of adrenal problems. Drowsiness accompanied by body aches is the essential sign of adrenal fatigue which should not be ignored. When you are continuously stressed, your adrenals become exhausted and your cortisol levels drop, leading to symptoms such as feeling puffy, or stiff and achy in your joints and muscles.
4. Poor Gut Health
If your body is not finding what it wants, or if you have bad eating habits that can create dire blood sugar fluctuations, it is a sign of adrenal fatigue. Plus, bloating, and poor digestion are potential symptoms of adrenal problems.
5. Unexplained Weight Loss
The sudden weight loss is triggered by adrenal fatigue syndrome. Along with it, you can experience muscle weakness, loss of appetite, poor digestion, and many others.
6. Low blood pressure
7. Skin discoloration
How Does Hpa Axis Dysfunction Relate
Although the term adrenal fatigue is widely known, Ive found the lesser known cause of adrenal fatigue and the cascade of symptoms that follow is HPA axis dysfunction. HPA axis dysfunction is an alteration in your stress response over time that causes a domino effect which results in your body becoming desensitized to stress hormones.
Its important to note that adrenal fatigue should not be confused with another medical condition called Addisons disease where the adrenal glands are not functioning at all.4 While Addisons disease is often caused by autoimmunity, adrenal fatigue is largely caused by stress along with a host of other factors, such as accumulation of toxic exposures, hidden infections, hormone imbalance, or even nutritional deficiencies.
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Cravings For Salty Foods
A part of the adrenal glands named the cortex is responsible for producing aldosterone, a mineralocorticoid which works with the kidney to regulate our fluid and mineral excretion. When the adrenals become fatigued, we produce less aldosterone and tend to excrete large amounts of important minerals in our urine. Individuals with depleted endocrine systems often report frequent urination, which is often attributed to age but may actually be caused by depleted adrenals.
This means that Adrenal Fatigue sufferers effectively lose the ability to balance the levels of minerals like sodium, potassium, and magnesium in their blood. In turn, this leads to cravings for foods which will replace the sodium that we have lost. If you find yourself suddenly craving salty snacks, you could be suffering from Adrenal Fatigue.
You’re Groggy Into The Afternoon
“The adrenal glands should emit pulses of cortisol all day,” says Vitti, but stress and exposure to chemicals can change the cortisol pattern. “We might not get energy until the afternoon or even 10 p.m.,” she says.
The fix: In case you’re not convinced yet, slow down! And ditch the lattes. “Every time you wake up and have a cup of coffee, you’re ruining your chance of having a good day,” Vitti warns, since caffeine can put tons of stress on the adrenals. “Instead, reach for foods that contain essential fatty acids, coconut oil, fish oil, avocado, and whole grains, like buckwheat.”
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When To See A Doctor
If you experience these above-mentioned signs of adrenal fatigue, it is time to see your doctor. Also, if your blood tests show anaemia or an underactive thyroid gland problem, you ought to visit your doctor.
For a complete health and wellness program, get in touch with Dr. Anita Nischal. She helps individuals to live healthy and happy lives.
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Q: Whats The Best Approach For Managing A Suspected Adrenal Problem
A: If youre just beginning your quest for answers or have already been diagnosed with adrenal fatigue, consult your family doctor for a referral to an endocrinologist. Because the symptoms of an adrenal issue may be nonspecific, its important to figure out if theres an underlying issue causing your symptoms in order to help manage your health properly.
To assess adrenal function, your healthcare provider will conduct a one-hour ACTH stimulation test, which is safe and reliable. They will likely also look for thyroid issues and diabetes.
After checking for a variety of endocrine disorders using testing and symptom assessment, we start working with a multidisciplinary team of doctors to figure out the root cause of the patients problem.
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The Myth Of Adrenal Fatigue
When patients present claiming that stress has worn out their adrenal glands, it can be easy to discount their belief in adrenal fatigue but they often have real symptoms that require treatment.
If more proof is needed that the Internet provides a wealth of information and misinformation, endocrinologists need to look no further than the increasing number of patients who claim a diagnosis of adrenal fatigue.
Although current medical science recognizes no such condition, physicians need to take the complaints and symptoms of these patients seriously, according to Endocrine Society President Lynnette Nieman, MD, who is a senior investigator at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases: Our role is to be good active listeners to determine if there is a true medical disorder lurking among the complaints. It is very important to take the person seriously, not to brush them off and say there is no adrenal fatigue. These people are suffering from something, so we need to take the suffering seriously.
The patient may have already been to see a naturopath who promotes the condition, so may be taking supplements of unknown formulations to treat it.
You Feel Puffy Stiff And Sore
Your body reacts to stressful events, like giving a talk in front of 200 people, by getting adrenaline and cortisol flowing so you’re energized and focused, Dr. Blum says. But when you’re constantly stressed, your adrenals become “pooped” and your cortisol levels plummet, leading to non-specific symptoms like feeling puffy, or stiff and achy in your joints and muscles, she says.
The fix: Get your adrenal glands evaluated , says Dr. Blum. But she warns that conventional docs don’t necessarily know how to recognize the symptoms or treat the condition.
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What Causes Adrenal Fatigue
Adrenal fatigue is caused when your adrenal glands cannot cope when you are very stressed. The adrenal glands are an essential part of your body’s responses to any kind of physical, emotional or psychological stress. During adrenal fatigue your adrenal glands can respond but not well enough to stop you feeling very tired.
Many different types of stress can cause adrenal fatigue. Examples of physical stress include any severe or recurrent infection or illness, having an operation, poor diet or a severe injury. Emotional or psychological stress may be caused by many situations, including relationship, family or work difficulties.
What Stage Are You In
You can use your symptoms to determine what stage of adrenal fatigue youre in. These symptoms can of course indicate another underlying condition and we recommend that you consult your doctor to rule out a more serious condition.
Request a saliva-based cortisol test and youll be able to see exactly whats going on with your cortisol levels.
When seeking treatment for adrenal fatigue its important to have an awareness of the stage of adrenal fatigue youre in. You also need to work with a professional with an awareness of each stage so that you are being treated appropriately.
Ultimately, if you dont receive proper treatment for your stage of adrenal fatigue, it pushes you farther away from recovering your energy and your life.
The problem arises when you are prescribed a cocktail of different herbs to heal your adrenals.
For example, licorice is a herb typically used to increase cortisol. If you are in stage 1, this will only serve to enhance your symptoms. Taking licorice in stage 2 anytime but the morning will make it even harder for you to fall asleep at night and get the rest you need to heal.
On the other hand, if you have progressed to stage 3 holy basil and other adaptogens will be counterproductive to your healing because they work to lower cortisol.
In addition, if you are combining herbs that increase cortisol with others that lower cortisol, you are wasting your time and money on supplements altogether.
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How To Know If You Have Adrenal Fatigue & How To Fix It:
Finding clear answers can be problematic because often both thyroid and adrenal dysfunction are present at the same time. I suggest you go through these three steps in order to discover whether you have adrenal fatigue and how to diagnose and treat this condition. In the case that you have both issues, it is always recommended that you work on healing your adrenals first before trying to optimize your thyroid function.
1. The first thing you should do is determine whether or not you have symptoms of adrenal fatigue:
fatigue unrelieved by sleep
sensitive to light and loud noises
extreme reaction sudden loud noises
joint pain
inability to handle cope effectively with stressful situations
weight gain/weight loss
getting sick all of the time
loss of color in your lips
verticle wrinkles in your fingertips
frequent urination
2. Compare prone & standing blood pressure readings:
3. Order a 4-point Adrenal Stress Profile Test:
If your standing blood pressure is consistently lower than your prone blood pressure over the course of a week or so, then go see your doctor and have him/her order a 4-point adrenal stress test. This test will determine your levels of cortisol that are secreted by your adrenal glands at four points throughout the day. Healthy cortisol production follows a very particular and predictable pattern, so any unhealthy patterns will be easy to see.
Exhausted 10 Ways To Know If You Have Adrenal Fatigue And What To Do About It
by | Health & Nutrition |
Id wake up barely after hitting the snooze button as many times as I could get away with. My eyes wouldnt really focus properly until Id had my shower and first cup of coffee. Bright sunlight completely blinded me so I never left home without sunglasses and standing up quickly was sure to give me a crazy case of the spins. If I worked out too hard, Id be down with a migraine and no matter what temperature it was outside or the rest of my body temperature, my pits would be sweaty. I would be exhausted when it was time to go to bed, and yet Id be totally wired and couldnt sleep.
I didnt know this at the time but every single one of these seemingly unrelated annoyances was an indication of adrenal fatigue, the informal term for a dysfunction in a core chain of command in our endocrine system between the hypothalamus, the pituitary and our stress handling glands, the adrenals.
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Nering With An Adrenal Fatigue Doctor
At Five Journeys, our professionals offer a variety of services that can help mend your adrenal glands. There are a wide range of tools available, from IV therapy to detox and nutritional changes. All of our treatments and suggested methods are done through a Functional Medicine lens, so were focused on healing the issue at its root.
Why Does Adrenal Fatigue Happen
Adrenal fatigue might be attributed to prolonged physical, emotional, and mental stress. In turn, this can give rise to a variety of health issues like poor sleep quality, inflammation, or even blood sugar spikes. Adrenal fatigue is believed to be caused when the adrenal glands become incapable of meeting the demands of a constant fight or flight response attributable to chronic stress. When you are subjected to stressful situations, your adrenals react by releasing cortisol to help your body prepare for a dangerous predicament. However, if such a situation is for one reason or the other prolonged, your adrenals will in the long run become worn down. This makes them unable to respond to stressful circumstances.
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The Beginning Stage Adrenal Fatigue
You can see how this constant triggering of the adrenals over time results in overworked and underperforming adrenal gland function. I was at this stage for years. I depended on my coffee to get me going in the morning and again later in the day to keep me going. After my kids were born I became chronically sleep deprived and pushed myself to learn to live with it. certain days I’d fine, others I’d bone tired, and still others I’d feel wired.
Does this beginning stage sound familiar to you, too? It’s at this stage where you ideally need to start making permanent lifestyle changes to avoid the more serious implications of adrenal fatigue. Eating better, getting more sleep, quitting coffee, and making real changes to minimize chronic stress can really help.
How Do You Treat Adrenal Fatigue
Finding a cure for your adrenal fatigue usually means reversing the factors that led to your poor health in the first place. This might mean removing added sugars and junk food from your diet, getting enough sleep, and avoiding or eliminating sources of stress.
There are other ways to support your body, make it more resilient to stress, and treat your adrenal fatigue. Adaptogenic supplements like ashwagandha can help to moderate your stress response, while basic nutrients like vitamin C can give your adrenal glands the nutrients they need.
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What Exactly Is Adrenal Fatigue
If you’re feeling tired and fried, chances are you’ve probably heard of adrenal fatigue and wondered if it may be the source of your constant exhaustion. But what exactly is it, and how do you know if it’s what’s causing your lack of oomph?
Adrenal fatigue is an increasingly common yet sometimes controversial diagnosis used to indicate depletion of the adrenal glands. Cortisol is a hormone released by the adrenals for use in the regulation of blood pressure. In response to stress, the adrenals release greater amounts of cortisol. Adrenal fatigue is thought to occur when the adrenals have become overtaxed by excess cortisol release and can no longer produce levels of cortisol necessary for optimal body function.
James L. Wilson, PhD, who coined the term adrenal fatigue in his book Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Syndrome, describes the adrenals as two little glands that sit over your kidneys and are about the size of two large grapes and weigh about five-to-eight grams.
According to Wilson, The adrenals put out over fifty hormones. We often only hear about DHA and cortisol, but forty percent of womens estrogen or progesterone are made in the adrenal glands and about forty percent of testosterone in males is made in the adrenal glands.
Adrenal Fatigue Symptoms
Common symptoms of adrenal fatigue are thought to include:
Less common symptoms are believed to include:
- insomnia
Causes
Adrenal Fatigue Treatment
More Symptoms Of Adrenal Fatigue
There are a large number of other complaints that are associated with Adrenal Fatigue. Many of these are linked directly to one of the more common complaints listed above. Depending on which stage of Adrenal Fatigue you have reached, you may be experiencing a handful or a large number of these symptoms.
- Anxiety
- Numbness in your fingers / Poor circulation
- Weight gain
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How The Adrenal Fatigue Spiral Happens
Women with adrenal fatigue often complain of too much to do and too little time. Yet, they continue at this pace without changing their lifestyle. The problem is your body is not meant to be in a constant state of high alert. You also need deep rest and restoration. Unfortunately, many womens adrenals are tasked with constantly producing the hormones that keep them amped up. When this happens, adrenaline and cortisol levels become imbalanced, which can lead to mood disorders, sleep disturbances, reduced immunity, and changes in vital circulation.
Because these side effects are not always uncomfortable enough to be intolerable, many women continue a self-destructive, adrenal-depleting lifestyle. The problem is if the intensity and frequency of the stresses in your lifewhether internally driven or externally driven become too great, over time your adrenal glands will become exhausted. And, a woman in a state of adrenal fatigue is likely to find herself at a distinct disadvantage when entering perimenopause, which is an additional form of stress.
Adrenal Fatigue: What Is It And How Can You Avoid It
by administrator | May 24, 2019 | Healthy
Do you find yourself feeling exhausted and no amount of caffeine seems to help? Do you notice when you finally fall into bed at the end of the day, the Sandman is nowhere to be found? That could be a symptom of adrenal fatigue.
Your adrenal glands are located on the top of each kidney, and they produce hormones that aid in controlling blood sugar, burning protein and fat, and regulating blood pressure. They also react to stressors such as an illness or injury.
The adrenal glands produce two very important hormones called cortisol and aldosterone and also create other hormones such as adrenaline, and sex hormones called androgens. Most adrenal-related disorders are caused by the adrenal glands producing either too much or too little of these hormones.
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