You Might Have Adrenal Fatigue Heres How To Treat It Naturally
- Your adrenal glands are two nickel-sized glands, just above your kidneys. Adrenals produce and control cortisol, the stress hormone.
- Adrenal fatigue comes from chronic stress. When you push your body and mind too hard, your adrenals stop producing cortisol the way they should.
- Signs of adrenal fatigue are low energy, trouble sleeping, weight gain, mood swings, depression, anxiety, brain fog, and autoimmune issues. Get an adrenal fatigue test to know for sure.
- The best adrenal fatigue treatment is stress management. Some of your best biohacking tools are the Bulletproof Diet, sleep hacking, anti-stress supplements, meditation, and possibly changing your caffeine intake.
Balanced adrenal glands are a key part of being Bulletproof. Your adrenals create and regulate cortisol, which makes them essential for hacking stress. When your adrenals work the way they should, you become more resilient, and you have a much easier time taking on lifes challenges.
But if youre overwhelmed by chronic stress, your adrenals can get burnt out from constantly producing cortisol. The result is adrenal fatigue. Your natural cortisol rhythm becomes irregular sometimes you produce too much cortisol, sometimes not enough and you can struggle to make other hormones, like androstenedione .
Adrenal fatigue is real, and its something you can treat.
Lets talk about the signs of adrenal fatigue, what causes it, how to stop it from happening, and how to treat it.
What Do You Eat
While a lower carb diet is fabulous to reduce inflammation and many symptoms of thyroid disease, eating this way for too long can put stress on the adrenals and cause hormonal imbalance. So its important to get good, healthy carbs into your diet each day such as: potatoes , root vegetables, peas, properly prepared legumes or gluten-free grains , apples, pears, berries, and beets.
I like Dr. Christiansons idea of eating one golfball-size portion of carbs at breakfast, two golfball-size portions of carbs at lunch, and three golfball-size portions of carbs at dinner. Using this method, dinner should be the largest meal of the day. And most importantly, dont stress about your food. Do the best you can, and let the rest go.
Stress Management Is The Best Adrenal Fatigue Treatment
No matter who you are, youre going to face major challenges in your life sooner or later. Learning to deal with stress and become more resilient is one of the most valuable skills you can develop. Its a core part of being Bulletproof, and its essential to keeping adrenal fatigue at bay.
This guide should help you, and if you want more tips, check out these other articles:
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Little Or No Caffeine
Caffeine stimulates the adrenal glands to release stress hormones, which in turn puts the body on high alert and provides a temporary increase in energy.
But caffeine also raises blood pressure, interferes with a good nights sleep and makes it hard for your adrenal glands to recover.
If you must drink coffee or a caffeinated beverage, choose one with low caffeine content, and limit consumption to 1 or 2 servings each morning.
Additional Tips
- Drink basil tea or green tea 2 or 3 times a day.
- Avoid sugar and sweetened beverages that have little nutritional value.
Take Small Steps To A Healthier Lifestyle
Stress and exhaustion are intrinsically interlinked. If you want to stop feeling exhausted and get rid of the symptoms of adrenal fatigue, you’ll need to make some small, healthy lifestyle changes.
Use the ideas in this guide or check out our online health education to help you start making small, sustainable, healthy changes to your lifestyle.
Jay Todtenbier is an original founder of SupplementRelief.com in 2010 and has operated the business ever since. He is also a tennis instructor and gospel musician. Formerly he spent 25 years in business development, technology and marketing with startups and major corporations having gone through the tech boom in Silicon Valley in the 90s. He became passionate about, and began studying and practicing Wellness as a Lifestyle after experiencing chronic, personal health challenges including depression, auto-immune diseases, and being overweight that impacted his ability to live a healthy, vibrant life. Since then, he has been an advocate for healthier living encouraging others to live better through making small, gradual changes to lifestyle behaviors relating to whole-foods nutrition, stress management, reasonable exercise, proper sleep, and the use of targeted, high-quality supplements.
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Is Adrenal Fatigue Real Forget The Label And Treat The Stress
Who isnt tired these days? Were constantly on call for work, family and friends, and often forget to take time for ourselves. Most of us recognize that chronic stress can take its toll on our health and well-being. But what if youre so fatigued that even getting more sleep doesnt seem to help?
Complementary and alternative medicine provide an explanation for stress-induced fatigue that offers hope to the chronically tired. According to naturopathic doctors, holistic nutritionists and others, adrenal fatigue is a condition where the adrenals, glands that sit above the kidneys, dont produce enough cortisol. Cortisol is a hormone that plays a role in managing stress and regulating metabolism, sleep, blood sugar and inflammation.
Fatigue is probably the number one complaint among new patients in my practice, says Leila Kirdani, a family physician specializing in functional medicine. Anyone with prolonged fatigue, with difficulty sleeping, who feels burned-out or lack of enjoyment in life, may be suffering from adrenal fatigue.
Basically, the theory goes that too much stress wears out our adrenal glands they get tired and dont produce enough cortisol for us to feel energized. So why arent our family doctors telling us about this?
And so we see the bipolar worlds of conventional medicine and complementary and alternative medicine are firmly divided into two camps: adrenal fatigue doesnt exist vs. adrenal fatigue is an important medical issue.
Drink Nourishing Bone Broth
Your diet plays a key role in whether you feel energized or drained during the day, adrenal fatigue or no. High-carbohydrate and refined foods like those in the standard American diet pasta, white bread, chips, crackers, sweets, and the like are devoid of nutrients and do next to nothing to revitalize a depleted system. One simple way to get crucial, fatigue-fighting nutrients in your diet and fuel exhausted adrenal glands is by drinking bone broth.
Filled with collagen, amino acids, gelatin, and an array of vitamins and minerals , bone broth is nutritious and easily-digestible. Plus, the gelatin in it helps heal and soothe an irritated digestive tract, a common symptom of those with chronic Lyme. Bone broth can be made by using the following steps:
- Place the bones of your choice, usually chicken or beef, in a large Crock-Pot.
- Add your favorite vegetables like onions, carrots, and celery, along with fresh spices.
- Cover the contents with water.
- Slow cook on low for up to 8 hours.
Aim for drinking 2 cups of bone broth a day to replenish your body. Note that some individuals who require a low-histamine diet may have trouble with the high histamine levels found in bone broth. If this is the case for you, a meat stock cooked in a pot for 2 to 3 hours may be a better alternative to keep histamines to a minimum.
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Other Conditions That Affect The Adrenal Glands
Certain conditions, such adrenal insufficiency , can prevent your adrenal glands from making enough hormones. Addisons disease is a rare but serious disease.
The symptoms of Addisons disease include fatigue, body aches, unexplained weight loss, low blood pressure, lightheadedness, loss of body hair and skin discolouration.
Addisons disease is recognised by doctors and can be detected through blood tests that show insufficient hormone levels. On the other hand, these tests are often normal in people who are told they have adrenal fatigue.
How Long Should It Take To See Improvements
It can take some time to naturally heal your adrenal glands and start to feel more energetic, clear-headed, and in control of your hormones, weight and appetite. Everyone is different and reacts to lifestyle changes in unique ways. Some people will need to take medications to ultimately heal their problems, while others can feel drastically better by simply paying attention to their diets, stress levels and lifestyles. Either way, following the recommendations for natural remedies listed above is definitely still the way to speed up healing time and prevent the problem from worsening.
While there isnt necessarily one tried-and-true way to recover from adrenal problems, heres what you can expect in terms of timing:
- 69 months for minor adrenal issues
- 1218 months for moderate adrenal insufficiency
- Up to 24 months for severe adrenal insufficiency
If you visit a doctor about adrenal insufficiency , she or he might recommend you take medications to help speed up the healing process and reverse cortisol deficiency symptoms. Taking glucocorticoid medications like prednisone or hydrocortisone are the most common treatments, and the dosage of these depends on your level of stress, any present infections, medical history and injuries. The primary reason for taking hormonal replacement medications is to bring your cortisol and other hormone levels up to normal as quickly as possible.
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Herbal Supplements For Adrenal Fatigue
Three herbal supplements that are very effective in assisting adrenal fatigue are rhodiola, ashwagandha, and licorice. These herbs are classified as adaptogens, which means they have been shown to naturally balance and restore the body.
Rhodiola Rhodiola is an adaptogen that supports your adrenal gland by promoting a healthy response to stress. In doing so, it offers antidepressant and anti-anxiety benefits.
Licorice Licorice is an adaptogen that conserves the bodys stores of cortisol by boosting adrenal gland function, increasing how much cortisol is present in the body.
Ashwaganda Ashwagandha is an adaptogen that supports the nervous system and helps the body adapt to stressful conditions by helping to support normal mood, energy levels, and immune function.
We also know that basic vitamin supplementation can help reduce some symptoms of adrenal fatigue. A good multivitamin is a good start. Many patients also respond well to high doses of Vitamin C.
What Are Adaptogenic Herbs
Adaptogens are herbs and mushrooms that help balance and restore the body.* Some adaptogens act to stimulate the body and enhance mental performance, while others help calm the body and soothe the adrenals.*Adaptogens can also support the body’s natural circadian rhythm and help promote more restful sleep.*Adaptogenic herbs can fit easily into your daily routine. You can take adaptogens as a pill with Gaia Herbs Adrenal Health® Daily Support Liquid Phyto-Caps®, or you can use an herbal powder such as Gaia Herbs Everyday Adaptogen and blend them into your morning smoothie.You can also use the powder to make an energy-boosting caffeine-free snack or even add the powder to a nourishing night time tea.
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Suggested Diet For Adrenal Fatigue
The best diet for adrenal fatigue is a plant-based diet. A plant-based diet can reduce adrenal fatigue symptoms by aiding in the bodys detoxification process.
You may also have food sensitivities to gluten or dairy that you are not fully aware of. To assist your body in detoxifying itself as completely as possible, consider temporarily eliminating gluten and dairy from your diet.
According to Dr. Joel Furnham, who offers excellent plant-based recipes, the following foods can aid the body in the detoxification process:
Why should I avoid eating meat?
Realize that any toxins consumed by the animal are also stored in the meat. Any chemicals a cow ingests, for example, herbicides and pesticides sprayed on the grass, are present even if youre consuming organic meat. These toxins then enter your body. In order to detox your body, temporarily adhering to a meat-free diet offers benefits. Remember that you can get enough protein on a plant-based diet.
Why should I avoid the paleo diet?
The reason I recommend avoiding the paleo diet if youre suffering from adrenal fatigue is that you will eat far too much meat and over time, consume toxins that contribute to the feeling of fatigue.
How Do Men Get Adrenal Fatigue
If a mans stress level remains excessive for a prolonged length of time , the adrenal glands respond by producing the adrenal hormone cortisol continually. This over-exertion taxes the adrenal glands to the point where the glands are unable to produce the necessary levels of cortisol to keep up with the demand and subsequently these drastically diminished levels of cortisol eventually lead to adrenal fatigue in men. This hormonal imbalance-induced fatigue affects all other hormones in the body, producing a chain-like reaction. While attempting to maintain high cortisol production to manage the chronic stress levels, the adrenal glands are unable to maintain the production of other necessary hormones. One such hormone is DHEA, or dehydroepiandrosterone. DHEA is vital to maintaining the balance of hormones in your body, and low amounts of this important hormone contribute to adrenal fatigue symptoms in men.
There is also a condition known as Cushings syndrome that, while rare, can lead to high levels of cortisol and, therefore, adrenal fatigue.
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The Best Supplements For Adrenal Fatigue
In an ideal world, wed get all the nutrients we need to restore adrenal health from a well-balanced diet. However, adaptogenic herbs arent typically part of everyday foods, and no matter how well we eat, a stressful day can really burn through all our nutrient stockpiles. The best supplements for adrenal fatigue are those formulated to address fatigue and stress symptoms by delivering key nutrients in therapeutic amounts.
Adaptisol is formulated with the adaptogenic herbs astragulus, eleuthero, cordyceps and rhodioloa to address symptoms of adrenal fatigue and restore energy levels. Adaptisol aids the bodys natural ability to adapt to stress, enhances mental clarity, and supports healthy immune function.
Adaptogens help to protect the body from the effects of excess cortisol and prevent cortisol overproduction in the first place. Adaptisol is designed for women whose symptoms cluster around the tired” end of the adrenal spectrum, including extreme fatigue, brain fog, lack of focus, mood changes and weight gain.
Serinisol is formulated with minerals and natural adaptogenic compounds to restore your calm and ease sleep disruptions. When stress is ongoing, cortisol does not return to normal levels as intended and instead can stay high for long periods. This will affect your body negatively, leading to symptoms like anxiety, sleeplessness and impaired memory.
Signs And Symptoms You Have Adrenal Fatigue
Adrenal fatigue is estimated to affect over 80% of people in the world! The main culprits are chronic stress and lifestylethey affect the bodys ability to recuperate from physical, mental, and emotional stress.
Most people have suffered from adrenal fatigue in their lifetime, whether for a short period or chronic condition. Symptoms include: body aches, trouble concentrating, racing thoughts, moodiness and irritability, always tired, feeling overwhelmed, hormone imbalance, and cravings for sweet or salty foods. Adrenal fatigue can also be a major cause of excess fat storage and low energy levels. These symptoms can easily be overlooked, but more people are becoming aware that they could be indicators of adrenal fatigue and not depression or chronic fatigue.
Adrenal fatigue is a condition, which occurs when your body cant keep up with the amount of daily stress that many people experience. Wellness professionals believe than an episode of acute stress or prolonged, chronic stress can cause the adrenal glands to become overloaded and ineffective. Some causes of adrenal fatigue are: stressful emotional experiences such as divorce, death of a loved one, or surgery, exposure to environmental toxins and pollutants, prolonged stress due to financial hardships, unhealthy relationships, or bad work environments, negative thinking, emotional trauma, lack of sleep, poor diet, and lack of exercise.
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How To Diagnose Adrenal Fatigue
So how do you diagnose adrenal fatigue, especially if your labs fall in the “normal range?”
There are several ways to test for cortisol available. Some are better than others.
I’m going to discuss the ones that I think are best.
It is easiest to start with a serum cortisol level.
This test can be very frustrating because is has a very large “normal” reference range.
However, it’s cheap and usually easy to get.
Levels that fall in the middle of the reference range will not be particularly helpful, but it can show us a lot if it falls in the low normal or high normal of the range.
So what is low normal or high normal?
- Low normal cortisol range – 8am serum cortisol levels ranging from 4 to 10
- Normal cortisol range – 8am serum cortisol levels ranging from 11-18
- High normal cortisol range – 8am serum cortisol levels greater than 20
It is important to check your serum cortisol level at 8am because that is when it is at its “peak” level.
This represents the highest level your cortisol will be throughout the day. If it’s already low normal at 8am, it will only get worse from there.
In order to get a full evaluation of your cortisol levels it may be necessary to evaluate the “rhythm” of your cortisol throughout the day.
This allows for more detailed information which can then be used for treatment.
The most accurate form of testing is through urinary measurements taken several times throughout the day .
This is even more accurate than salivary levels.
Natural Remedies For Adrenal Fatigue
Working with your doctor, you may be able to overcome some of these problems with a short course of medication to address the symptoms immediately. Using natural remedies and lifestyle changes can help offset the long-term issues and give you the best chance to overcome adrenal fatigue permanently.
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