FATIGue & ADRENAL Issues
At the simplest level stress is a disturbance of homeostasis. Homeostasis is the body’s ability to regulate its inner environment. When the body loses this ability, disease occurs.
The adrenals are two walnut-shaped glands that sit atop the kidneys. They secrete hormones—such as cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine—that regulate the stress response. Because of this, the adrenals are what determine our tolerance to stress and are also the system of our body most affected by stress. Most people are aware of the obvious forms of stress that affect the adrenal glands: impossibly full schedules, driving in traffic, financial problems and the many other emotional and psychological challenges of modern life. But other factors not commonly considered when people think of “stress” place just as much of a burden on the adrenal glands. These include blood sugar swings, gut dysfunction, food intolerances (especially gluten), chronic infections, environmental toxins, autoimmune problems and inflammation. All of these conditions sound the alarm bells and cause the adrenals to pump out more stress hormones.
Adrenal stress is a very common problem, because nearly everyone is dealing with at least one of the factors listed above. Symptoms of adrenal stress are diverse and nonspecific, because the adrenals affect every system in the body. But some of the more common symptoms are: fatigue, headaches, decreased immunity, difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep and waking up, mood swings, sugar and caffeine cravings, irritability or light headedness between meals, eating to relieve fatigue, dizziness when moving from sitting or lying to standing and digestive distress.
When stress becomes chronic and prolonged, the hypothalamus is activated and triggers the adrenal glands to release a hormone called cortisol. Cortisol is normally released in a specific rhythm throughout the day. It should be high in the mornings when you wake up (this is what helps you get out of bed and start your day), and gradually taper off throughout the day (so you feel tired at bedtime and can fall asleep). Recent research shows that chronic stress can not only increase absolute cortisol levels, but more importantly it disrupts the natural cortisol rhythm. And it’s this broken cortisol rhythm that wreaks so much havoc on your body. Among other effects, it: raises your blood sugar, weakens your immune system, makes your gut leaky, makes you hungry and crave sugar, reduces your ability to burn fat, suppresses your HPA-axis, which causes hormonal imbalances, reduces your DHEA, testosterone, growth hormone and TSH levels, increases your belly fat and makes your liver fatty, causes depression, anxiety and mood imbalances and contributes to cardiovascular disease.
You also need to avoid unnecessary stress. This often seems obvious, but it isn’t. It’s easy to overlook habitual patterns of thought and behaviour that cause unnecessary stress. To avoid this kind of stress: Learn to say “no”. Know your limits, and don’t take on projects or commitments you can’t handle. Avoid people who stress you out. You know the kind of person I’m talking about. Drama kings and queens. People who are constantly taking and never giving. If watching the world go up in flames stresses you out, limit your exposure to the news. You’ll still find out what’s going on and still be able to act as a concerned citizen. But you’ll have more time for yourself. Give up pointless arguments. Escape the tyranny of your to-do list. Each day spend some time in the morning really considering what needs to be done that day. Drop unimportant tasks to the bottom of the list. Better yet, cross them off entirely. The world will go on.
You also need to reduce the amount of stress you experience in relation to any physiological problems that are taxing your adrenals. These causes include anemia, blood sugar swings, gut inflammation, food intolerances (especially gluten), essential fatty acid deficiencies and environmental toxins.
You can minimise the harmful effects of stressors you can not avoid by practicing acceptance, being grateful and generating empathy. Practice Mindfulness, Meditation, Yoga or your own other stress relieving activities. Meditation has now been scientifically proven to slow down the aging process, change the way your DNA expresses itself, reduce inflammation, improve immunity, reverse disease and make you live longer. It makes you happier, more socially aware and promotes self control and self esteem. It increases the grey matter in your brain, making you smarted, more focused and more successful. It has been proven to have greater health outcomes than most pharmaceuticals on the market.
In times of stress & recovery it is great to work with your Functional Medicine Practitioner to support your Adrenals with apoptogenic formulas like such as ginseng, Rhodiola rosea, Siberian ginseng, cordyceps, and ashwagandha.
