Do you…
Suffer from sleepless/restless nights?
Suffer from night sweats?
Suffer from constipation and or diarrhea?
Suffer from fatigue and lack of energy?
Struggle to lose weight and or keep it off?
Suffer from mood swings?
Suffer from lack of libido?
If you answered yes to any one of the questions above you may be suffering from Adrenal fatigue.
WHAT IS ADRENAL FATIGUE?
There are two adrenal glands and each one sits on top of each kidney and are responsible for hormone production. The hormones excreted by the adrenal glands are cortisol and DHEA. In turn these two hormones continue to go on and make the sex hormones. Therefore, when the adrenal glands have been overworked due to stressful situations such as long hours of work, lack of sleep/staying up late and a poor diet the adrenal glands stop working properly. When the adrenal glands stop working this leads to adrenal fatigue.
Once the adrenals have become weakened you will begin to see situations arise as listed above. The reason being is that when we are in a stressful situation whether it be physical or emotional our body releases cortisol to help up deal with the stressful situation. In stage 1 of adrenal exhaustion one does not even feel stressed. In fact, typically one will fill energized and good because of the extra cortisol running through the body. However, in later stages of adrenal fatigue typically stages 2 & 3 are when one begins to feel tired no matter how much sleep one gets. The reason being is that as you move into later stages of adrenal fatigue your cortisol begins to run low and overtime the sex hormones become affected as well thus leading to severe fatigue, loss of sex drive, possible nights sweats, digestive problems and severe PMS symptoms for women.
HOW CAN I FIND OUT IF I SUFFER FROM ADRENAL FATIGUE?
You can test for adrenal exhaustion through saliva testing. What needs to be assessed is ones cortisol and DHEA levels. Cortisol should be higher in the morning as this is what wakes you up in the morning, hit its peak around mid day and then tappers off into the evening making one tired and sleepy. Because cortisol changes throughout the day saliva tests are a good idea as you can test the entire cycle (4 samples) of cortisol within a day. It is also a good idea to test estrogen, progesterone and testosterone levels. Saliva testing also tests for the active hormones in the blood stream where as blood tests the stored hormones. However, it is a good idea to have both tested. If you are interested in saliva testing you can contact Replenishing Soul and we will gladly send you a kit that you can perform in the comforts of your own home.
CAN I RECOVER FROM ADRENAL FATIGUE AND IF SO HOW?
Yes, you can recover from adrenal fatigue. However, it does take time. The reason being is because your body has to reset and get back into balance. Your brain and adrenal glands need to relearn how to communicate to each other. If you suffer from adrenal fatigue it is a good idea to work with a Nutrition & Lifestyle Coach. They can help you get back on track by evaluating and restructure your lifestyle as this is what weakened your adrenal glands in the first place. Getting healthy again is about learning what foods and what proportions are right for your body and what type and what intensity of exercise is appropriate for your body at a particular time. You need to be taught how to manage stress through ways such as meditation or yoga. In addition finding hidden stressors such as food intolerances also needs to be assessed. Even though each person that we see in our clinic is entirely different and needs different strategies specific to them here are a few quick tips that will help you get back on track.
- 1. Eliminate C.R.A.P. from your diet- caffeine, re-fined sugar, alcohol and processed foods
- 2. Eliminate Gluten
- 3. Get to bed by 10:00pm. Between 10pm-2am your body repairs physically and between 2am-6am your mind repairs. Therefore, if you are not sleeping between these hours your body is not healing.
- 4. Find ways to manage stress
If you would like more information about Adrenal fatigue purchase James Wilson’s book: Adrenal fatigue the 21st century stress syndrome.
Tags: adrenal fatigue, constipation, hormone testing, PMS, Sleep, weight loss