Adrenal insufficiency syndrome is more widespread than you might think.
Your adrenal glands don’t often get the attention they deserve and you’ll know when yours aren’t happy. These small layered glands reside on top of your kidneys.
As a matter of fact, these little guys are critical for healthy kidney function and the production of hormones—particularly stress and sex hormones (estrogen and testosterone). In fact, the word “adrenal” comes from the Latin for “near the kidney”.
What is Adrenal Fatigue and How You Can Heal Them?
The core of the adrenals (medulla) produces neurotransmitters that receive input from the brain and releases hormones so we react accordingly (1). Adrenaline and norepinephrine push the body to action (fight/flight/freeze), increasing heart rate and blood flow. On the other hand, dopamine is the pleasure hormone, regulating emotional responses and body movement.
The middle layer (cortex) is responsible for sex and steroid hormone production. In fact, steroid hormones regulate the sleep cycle and blood pressure and are involved in the metabolism of food into usable energy. The outer part of the adrenals (capsule) is composed of adipose (fat) tissue to protect the adrenal glands.
More often than not, we hit the adrenal glands too hard and too often. “First World” lifestyles are, to a large extent, driven by emotional stress (school, work, finances, relationships) and our food, water and air all contain harmful chemicals that apply physical stress on top of that.
Left unattended, adrenal fatigue can lead to adrenal insufficiency.
Some Signs of adrenal fatigue include:
There are four identifiable stages of adrenal fatigue:
This is a normal state of heightened reactivity. In response to a stressor, from something simple like taking an exam to something serious like an automobile accident, your adrenal glands will release cortisol and other hormones so you can deal with the immediate situation. Most Stage One activity subsides once the hazard has passed and normal cortisol levels return.
The stressor doesn’t quickly go away and your body must remain in an elevated state to meet the challenge.
Stress-related hormones may increase while sex and sleep hormones drop. You might feel wired but tired. If this stage goes on long enough, adrenal fatigue can set in.
The endocrine system—including the adrenals—continues to produce excess stress hormones and fewer sex and sleep hormones. You can still function normally but you feel symptoms of exhaustion. Lethargy and an impaired immune response lend themselves to catching every bug that’s going around. As a matter of fact, you may find yourself unable to get rid of a simple yeast infection. This phase can last months or even years.
None of us is superhuman. If we don’t take good care of ourselves, eventually even day-to-day living can become a chore and your systems begin to shut down. Stress hormone levels finally drop in stage four and low cortisol levels aren’t enough to get you going. Anxiety, depression, weight loss or gain, irritability, and apathy can result. If you get to this stage, it will take conscious effort (and patience) to support your adrenals and restore balance. It’s at this point that adrenal fatigue moves into adrenal insufficiency.
After the crash, when the adrenal glands aren’t producing proper levels of hormones, the condition is referred to as “insufficiency”. Fatigue isn’t the only cause of adrenal insufficiency; it can occur due to other lifestyle factors (e.g., diet or toxin exposure), disease, or autoimmune reactions.
The primary causes of adrenal insufficiency are:
If you feel your adrenal gland function is impaired, look through these simple ways to support them.
You’ll feel renewed and energized after trying these remedies for adrenal support.
Sleep deprivation is a vicious cycle you need to break: you feel tired but push yourself to stay awake. Sleep patterns are disrupted, making you feel even more tired.
A consistent, solid 7-8 hours of sleep every night will heal your entire body, including your adrenal glands. Turn off electronics at least an hour before retiring, take a hot bath before bed, read a book, drink a cup of calming tea to get better sleep.
And it’s important to do so: you perform best when you’re well rested. Currently, studies of chronic fatigue indicate a definite connection between lack of a goodnight’s sleep and daytime dysfunction.
Follow an Adrenal Diet
Your diet impacts every part of your body, adrenal glands included.
1-3 cups of coffee a day are okay for most people (even beneficial) but not after 3:00 p.m. when it can overload adrenal activity and interfere with sleep. Limit caffeine intake and switch to herbal tea or lemon water in the afternoon to purge toxins and improve energy.
“Repeated doses of caffeine over a single day result in markedly increased cortisol levels, regardless of the stressor involved or the sex of the individual…a positive relationship clearly exists between caffeine intake and cortisol release, and this relationship is exacerbated when other stressors are introduced. Thus, supplementing a lack of sleep with multiple cups of coffee or energy drinks actually reinforces the negative effects of the stress response and further undermines performance. The benefits of caffeine intake must be balanced with its implications for cortisol secretion,” writes ana article in the Dartmouth Undergraduate Journal Of Science.
If you are already manifesting signs of adrenal dysfunction, cut the alcohol. Of course, alcohol stresses the liver, kidneys, and adrenals and can disrupt sleep. The substance also affects hormone production and neurotransmission.
Refined sugar is the bane of human existence, stressing every function in your body. When it comes to the adrenal glands, cortisol automatically elevates blood sugar to allow for quick energy in reaction to stress. Eating or drinking sweets further raises blood sugar, then insulin production goes into overdrive, with its additional health implications, like diabetes and related damage.
Microwaves change the molecular structure of foods, releasing free radicals. In any case, anything touched by a microwave immediately becomes foreign to the body. Processed foods contain chemicals that will further tax your endocrine system. Best to use the microwave oven as a box only for storage or dispose of it altogether (safely) and make more room for your cookbooks.
This article just shows you the most important facts about adrenal fatigue and how to heal them naturally. Read the full article about it here: https://dailyhealthpost.com/adrenal-insufficiency/
Here is another resource you can look into: http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/features/adrenal-fatigue-is-it-real#1
Here’s a related video you might be interested to watch for more info:
Give yourself ( and your adrenals) a little TLC. You earned it.