What Exactly Are The Adrenal Glands
Also known as the suprarenal glands, the adrenal glands lie just on top of the kidneys. These little glands have a flat pyramidal shape and weigh only 3.5 to 5g! Along with the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland, the adrenal glands control our energy, metabolism, and hormonal balance. Together, they form part of the Hypothalamus Pituitary Adrenal axis.
Adrenal Fatigue Reverse It At Homehow Recover From Adrenal Fatigue
Are you tired, nervous, overloaded or just dont appear to have a grip on your feelings? If, youre nodding your head, yes! You may be suffering from adrenal fatigue.How Recover From Adrenal Fatigue
Many people today are struggling with adrenal fatigue. Our lives have plenty of tension, anxiety and uncertainty.
And, in an attempt to enhance our lives the opposite frequently occurs. Resulting in physical and psychological fatigue.
There Are 3 Stages Of Hpa Axis Dysfunction / Adrenal Dysfunction
A skilled practitioner is able to determine which stage of adrenal dysfunction you are in by looking at your adrenal hormone test results.
- In stage 1 of adrenal dysfunction, your body is in a permanent alarm phase and is producing extremely high levels of cortisol, and DHEA levels are dropping.
- During stage 2 of adrenal dysfunction, cortisol levels may seem normal, but DHEA levels are low.
- In stage 3, the body is producing very low amounts of cortisol and DHEA. This is the result of the system crashing completely. If this stage is reached, you will need more than just a lifestyle overhaul to address the issue. This is the stage that we consider true adrenal burn-out.
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Regularly Engage In Slow Gentle Forms Of Exercise
The health benefits of exercise are innumerable but when youre in a phase of extreme burnout it can be challenging to get out of bed, let alone get yourself to the gym to have a personal trainer kick your butt around the room for a full hour.
When it comes to getting your blood flowing during your burnout recovery, ease is the name of the game.
Mmmm you might want to try something more relaxing than this.
Engage in exercise for short periods of time, without pushing yourself too hard.
Go for slow walks away from traffic noise. Stretch for a few minutes on the ground in your living room. Go for a walk in the forest with a friend. Practice yoga from home. Dance around your home to a song that you like. Try one of these three lazy workouts.
If you find yourself even more tired the day after your workout, you may have been pushing a bit too hard. Whatever form of exercise you engage in, make sure you arent overly exerting yourself.
This Is How To Recover From Adrenal Fatigue
Recovering from adrenal fatigue depends upon you. It means changing your lifestyle, changing your relationships with other people, and taking good care of yourself. I tell my patients to treat yourself just like you would a newborn babywith a lot of loving care and attention. When you are tired, go to sleep. When you are hungry be sure you have plenty of healthful, nourishing food. When you are stressed by someones demands, learn to say no, at least temporarily. In this way, you will slowly learn to take the stress off your adrenal glands and allow them to heal.
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Myth : Adrenal Fatigue Isnt That Serious
HPA axis dysfunction occurs in three stages:
- Stage 1: Cortisol levels would usually be elevated throughout the day so you might feel stressed out, find it hard to sit still and unable to sleep at night.
- Stage 2: In this stage, youll start showing signs of cortisol depletion such as brain fog, low energy levels, and a reduced ability to handle stress as well as blood sugar imbalances that can make you cranky if you miss a meal.
- Stage 3: If you reach this stage, youll experience all the symptoms of stage 2 but to a higher degree.
As you can see, if left unchecked, HPA axis dysfunction can actually worsen. In fact, research suggests that HPA axis dysfunction can adversely affect the immune system as well as the bodys immune responses. In other words, failing to reset your bodys natural rhythms can lead to:
- An increased vulnerability to infectious diseases and depression.
- Higher risks of chronic diseases and certain cancers.
- Autoimmune conditions.
Bottom line: If you can identify with any of the above stages, please make sure to see a qualified practitioner.
Recovering From Adrenal Fatigue Naturally
by Kayla Howard | Jun 16, 2014 | Aromatherapy |
Recovering from Adrenal Fatigue Naturally
Adrenal Fatigue is a phrase that personally, I heard with some level of disdain. Everywhere I looked it seemed like everyone was yapping about adrenal fatigue this, and adrenal fatigue that. They were talking about how they couldât function like a normal humanâas if it was some reasonable excuseIâm not fond of excuses. Iâm okay with pushing through and doing hard things. In fact, I prefer to push myself all the way and choose to tell my body what it gets to feel. Normally, I tell it that I feel fine, and frankly, I do.
Imagine my shock when recently I did a whole panel of testsjust for fun because my friend was teaching about Functional Diagnostic Nutrition--and my own test results came back saying, âyou are in later stage 3 adrenal fatigue.â
WHAT???? No way.
Inconceivable! But the truth is, you canât argue with lab work. So I had to face the truth and change my lifestyle dramatically.
My first question was, âso what? Like how many stages of adrenal fatigue are there? 10? 12?â No, thereâs just threeâ¦then comes adrenal failure. âBut how could I have adrenal fatigue? I never feel bad!!!!â Iâm not overweight. I eat healthy. I exercise.
Some Not so Obvious Signs I had:
Getting Professional Help
Getting Natural Help
Stop the Emotional Stress
So there you gojust the tip of the iceberg but hopefully something to get your mind thinking!
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What Do The Adrenals Do
The adrenal glands are the bodys emergency system. When the body is under chronic stress, the adrenals will send out cortisol into the bloodstream. Over time, chronic cortisol output can weaken the endocrine system, immune system, liver, digestive system, and brain. It can also cause the thyroid to slow down and in some rare cases, it will speed up . So, if you are wanting to reduce your thyroid symptoms, start with healthy adrenal glands.
If I Have A Crash While I’m Pregnant Does That Affect My Child’s Health
Any crash is not healthy for the mother and the fetus because it requires the body to expand its resources for recovery which would drain the existing resources. Remember there are no good crashes. Therefore it is imperative for those who are pregnant to take good rest and nurture the body as much as possible.
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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.
Eat Healthy Fats Every Day
Avocados
Avocados contain beneficial B vitamins and monounsaturated fats that boost neurotransmitter production and brain health. This fatty superfruit also contains potassium, which naturally helps to lower blood pressure.
Full-fat kefir
Bacterial imbalances in your gut can contribute to brain problems because the gut and brain talk to each other through the vagus nerve. Kefir is rich in beneficial bacteria for your microbiome and also has fat-soluble vitamins A, D, and K2, which are important for brain health, so it helps out from both ends of this critical connection.
Coconut oil is super versatile you can cook with it, put it in smoothies, or just eat it off a spoon as I do. It offers good fats like medium-chain triglycerides that can help with brain function.
Wild-caught fish
Omega-rich foods like Alaskan salmon can help decrease inflammation, which is crucial for brain and hormonal health.
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Improve Your Gut Health
If you have digestive imbalances or conditions like IBS, SIBO, and IBD, your fatigue may be coming from your gut . In a meta-analysis of 24 studies, more than 50% of Irritable Bowel Syndrome patients were found to have fatigue . Fatigue is also associated with leaky gut, and repairing leaky gut has been shown to reduce fatigue [7
Trusted SourcePubMedGo to source]. To learn more about how to use probiotics, see our Probiotics Starter Guide.
Address Any Underlying ThyroidDysfunction
Fatigue is one of the main symptoms of hypothyroidism . If you have hypothyroid symptoms, including fatigue, hair loss, weight gain, and dry skin, reach out to your medical provider for evaluation.
If you are hypothyroid, treatment with thyroid medication may significantly help your fatigue. However, some people dont experience adequate fatigue improvement with thyroid medication. Thats because there is a strong connection between thyroid health and gut health. Thyroid patients usually benefit a lot from improving gut health.
In short, you may experience fatigue relief by improving your thyroid health along with your gut health.
Symptoms And Why It Is Often Misdiagnosed
Adrenal fatigue can be associated with a range of symptoms. There is often an overlap of symptoms, making it difficult to distinguish whats really going on. Also, by only looking at isolated symptoms rather than the whole body, doctors may attempt to diagnose and treat without recognizing that the adrenals need support before other healing can take place. Adrenal fatigue can be associated with:
- Fatigue
- Feeling tired upon waking, and having the most energy around 5pm
- Muscle aches and pains
- Craving salty or sweet foods
- Feeling rundown and overwhelmed
- Weight gain
- Depression
Adrenal fatigue can also be misdiagnosed or difficult to identify because blood tests measuring cortisol and other stress hormone levels may appear normal. In my case, cortisol was on the low end of normal, but I was definitely not feeling normal. After seeing several doctors and not getting any answers, a chiropractor with training in applied kinesiology, clinical nutrition, and acupuncture was finally able to identify the problem through a holistic perspective. I started on the road to recover with the help of supplements and lifestyle changes.
Consulting with a physician about the right supplements for you is important, but lifestyle changes are equally as vital. Several months before I was diagnosed with adrenal fatigue, I had done my own research on the symptoms I was experiencing, and started treating myself to recover naturally from adrenal issues. Heres where I started:
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How Do Menopause And Perimenopause Affect Adrenal Fatigue
During mid-life, womens hormones begin to change. This time of life is called perimenopause. During perimenopause, estrogen levels may be higher than usual. This can cause adrenal fatigue. When women stop producing ova , estrogen decreases, and menstrual periods stop. This is called menopause. The symptoms of menopause are hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, mood swings, and feeling tired. These symptoms are stressful and can further strain your adrenal glands.
Loss of estrogen during menopause makes it harder to handle stress. Estrogen replacement therapy with bioidentical hormones help women handle stress.
Moreover, some of these symptoms are the same symptoms of Adrenal Fatigue. Scientific studies have been done on estrogen and stress. Studies show that the loss of estrogen during menopause makes it harder for you to handle stress. They also show that estrogen replacement therapy with bioidentical hormones help women handle stress better.
Get Serious About Meditation
Meditation of any kind is one of the most powerful ways to deal with stress, and it can go a long way toward normalizing your cortisol levels and treating adrenal fatigue.
If you want to take your meditation to the next level, I suggest 40 Years Of Zen. It uses advanced neurofeedback technology to give you the brain of a lifelong Zen monk in five days. You can also check out this Biohackers Guide To Meditation for other ways to improve your meditation and find more inner calm. If youre new to meditation, start slow, with just 5 minutes a day, and work your way up.
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All About Your Adrenal Glands
Your adrenal glands sit on top of your kidneys, like little kidney baseball caps. They regulate many critical hormonal jobs in your body, but one of their primary jobs is to control the release of your main stress hormone, cortisol. Cortisol is essential for survival.
Our bodies are built for stressful events. When our ancestors were chased by predators, the sympathetic nervous system responded by switching the body into fight-or-flight mode. During this stress response, the adrenal glands release cortisol, which increases blood pressure and blood sugar for faster response and better survival. When the predators were gone, cortisol decreased, and so did blood pressure and blood sugar levels. Normal balance was restored. However, ongoing stress doesnt turn it back off.
Create A Regular Early Bedtime
Go to bed early, before you get a second cortisol surge after 11 pm. Aim to get to bed at 10 pm or before. Practicing proper sleep hygiene is an idea thats become increasingly important in our fast-paced world, and part of that means keeping a regular bedtime so you train your body to sleep better.
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Build A Team Of Healers To Help You On Your Journey
It took more than one factor to get you to this place of burnout, and its likely going to take more than one form of treatment to help you get better.
On my personal journey, I visited a medical doctor, two naturopaths, a registered massage therapist, an acupuncturist, an energy healer, and a therapist. I made healing my full time job and I knew that having a dedicated team of healers around me would expedite my process.
While Im not guaranteeing youll need more than a simple visit to your doctor to get the clarity that youre looking for, it never hurts to get multiple opinions and tests done, just to rule out various health factors.
Healing your physical body from extreme burnout is a war of attrition, not a war of annihilation. Put in another way, lots of little things are going to add up to helping you to heal, more likely than it is that youll find one magic bullet to heal you right away .
So enlist help. Yes, friends and family but also enlist the aid of people who help others heal professionally.
Stage : Adrenal Overdrive
People in this stage tend to thrive on adrenaline and push themselves to their limits . Cortisol levels remain relatively stable, but early warning signs emerge things like constantly feeling wired, an ongoing need for caffeine to stay energized, high blood pressure, or a rapid heart rate as the body continues to be driven harder.
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Improve Your Stress Resilience
Remember that the stress response actually starts in the brain. How you perceive an event is actually more important than the event itself. This is why two different people who experience the same event may have drastically different emotional and psychological responses.
One person may get a parking ticket and think UGH this always happens to me! Why am I so unlucky? and then they ruminate over the ticket all day. The other person who got a parking ticket may brush it off, consider it not a big deal, and not even think about it again. These two people experienced the same event, but only one of them triggered their stress response and that person triggered it continuously throughout the day!
So, the first thing you can do to improve adrenal function is to dedicate some time to cultivating a more positive mindset and to make an effort to learn how to remain calm in the face of a potential stressor. Reminding yourself of things you are grateful for can help you in working towards a less reactionary approach to stress.
There are many relaxation techniques that you can practice that will help you gain more resilience in the face of stress. These relaxation techniques include: breathing exercises, mindfulness, meditation, vagus nerve activation, yoga, and much more. Find what method works for you, and remember that improving your stress resilience takes time!
Review The Quality Of Your Sleep
Do you feel tired at night but unable to fall asleep because your mind keeps going and going? Or maybe you wake up at night feeling jittery or anxious?
To promote restful sleep, heres what you want to:
- Switch off all electronic devices at least 1 hour before bedtime. If you absolutely need to use your laptop or smartphone at night, then install f.lux , twilight .
- Try wearing amber lensed goggles after sunset these have been shown to improve sleep quality by blocking blue light wavelengths which suppress melatonin production. Melatonin is the hormone that helps you enjoy quality sleep.
- Eat a small snack containing carbohydrates and fats about 1 hour before you hit the hay. You could have: a fruit and almond butter or full-fat real cheese frozen fruits with coconut cream herbal tea with honey and a dollop of coconut cream a small piece of sweet potato chocolate brownie. Or make some strawberry coconut ice-cream .
- Try magnesium glycinate about 30 minutes before going to bed this will help you unwind and will promote restful sleep.
Make sure to: Get a full 8 hours of sleep every night.
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