All About Adrenals: Can your adrenal glands actually be the root of your symptoms?
Have you ever caught yourself thinking, “wow, I'm feeling burnt out!” It's a feeling most can relate to. You might be asking why you feel this way. Could it be lack of sleep, or too many things to do? One factor you may not have considered is your adrenal glands. In this blog post you will learn about adrenal fatigue and why you may be feeling this way. We will also share with you some tips to support and nourish your adrenal glands to prevent adrenal fatigue.
The adrenal glands sit on top of the kidneys and are responsible for producing a number of hormones that help maintain balance within the body systems. They secrete cortisol, adrenaline and DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone), to name a few. These hormones help you to respond to stress and adapt to daily life demands. Chronic stress affects the production of hormones and can lead to adrenal fatigue.
Adrenal fatigue can present with any of the following external symptoms: fatigue, diminished immune function, mood changes, and less restful sleep. Because adrenal fatigue affects many body systems, treatment is incomplete if it just targets an individual symptom. Also it is It is important to remember that your adrenal glands are not the underlying cause of adrenal fatigue, stress is.
Let's talk about the different kinds of stress, including internal and external stress that could be contributing to adrenal fatigue. Have you ever thought about chemicals and pollutants increasing stress on your body systems? How about trauma, both physical and emotional and even excessive exercise can cause an imbalance in cortisol production. Infections, in particular gut infections and yeast can put a significant stress load on the body. Lastly, insufficient sleep and diet also affect hormone production in the adrenal glands.
To support and nourish your adrenal glands and maintain a sense of balance despite stressors you may consider these tips:
Improve stress response and reduce daily stress through learning a relaxation practice such as meditation or yoga, talking to a therapist, cultivating positive relationships, or even just laughing on a regular basis.
Get adequate sleep and go to bed by 10pm.
Your diet should avoid refined sugars, caffeine, and alcohol. It is also important to determine allergic foods and avoid them.
Get daily outdoor light.
Mild exercise is recommended every day.
Nutritional supplements and herbs are also believed to support the adrenal glands in healing. Vitamins used include vitamin C, magnesium, B-complex, and pantothenic acid, but there is little research to know whether this is effective or not.
Adaptogenic herbs, such as Eleutherococcus senticosus (Siberian ginseng), Withania somnifera (Ashwaganda), Panax ginseng (Ginseng), Licorice and others help people cope with stress and also decrease the risk of a number of different illnesses and infections.
All of these supplements should always be used in consultation with a health care practitioner familiar with adrenal stress disorders.
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