Effective Steps to Control Adrenal Fatigue

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Did you know that one of the major causes of common health issues that we face in our present world is Adrenal fatigue? Well, some health issues such as female and male hormonal imbalance, fatigue, digestive issues and weight issues are caused by adrenal fatigue. Although I've talked about some of the symptoms of adrenal fatigue in my past articles, I'm going to discuss briefly the effects of adrenal fatigue.

Most times, patients suffering from adrenal fatigue are told that they are being stressed out and need to relax. It isn't a fast process, adrenal fatigue is slow and insidious and considering the busy lives we live in our present world, it has become an issue. Although the human body system has been equipped to handle stress with various mechanisms since our ability to handle stress is vital to our survival as human beings and the major component of our body that is assigned to deal with stress is the adrenal gland.

“Simply defined, adrenal fatigue is a condition we experience when our adrenal glands become fatigued and are unable to deal with the level of stress we experience daily.

Sometimes in the medical field, adrenal fatigue is often confused with adrenal insufficiency (Addison's disease) which is a medical condition where the human adrenal glands are not functioning. Let me point out here that while Addison's disease is as a result of damaged adrenal glands that are no longer capable of producing sufficient cortisol (cortisol is a hormone that plays a vital role in immune system function, nervous system function, bone growth, stress response, metabolism and blood pressure control), adrenal fatigue is caused by stress in our body. This has made it often difficult for adrenal fatigue to be diagnosed as the main culprit of the symptoms that people suffering it experience.

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We encounter stress in our daily lives which has also increased the chances of having adrenal fatigue. Let’s take a look at some of the types of stress we have.

Emotional Stress
This could be caused by the following conditions:

• Starting a new job
• Taking care of sick family members
• The loss of a loved one
• Bad working environment
• A painful divorce or breakup
• Lack of sleep
• Excessive exercise (over-training) or lack of exercise
• Keeping late hours

Dietary-related stress include:

• Drug abuse/alcoholism
• Meal skipping
• The intake of too much carb into our body in just a sitting
• The restriction of the intake of calories

The third type of stress that could cause adrenal fatigue is pain-related stress. Some of these pains include old injuries that have been poorly treated, migraines, and severe menstrual cramps.

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Common Symptoms of Adrenal Fatigue

Are you're wondering if you are experiencing adrenal fatigue? Take a look at some of the symptoms.

• A reduced sex drive
• Experiencing the lack of energy when you wake up in the morning and sometimes in the afternoon between 3 to 5 pm
• Finding it difficult to lose weight after gaining it especially around the waist region
• Finding it quite difficult to remember things
• Having a high tendency to suffer flu and respiratory diseases with persistent symptoms that last longer than the usual time
• Feeling light headed when moving up from a lying position
• Having a craving for fatty, salty and high protein foods
• Having less ability to handle stress
• Low body temperature
• Mild depression
• Nervousness
• Unexplained hair loss

Okay, the list is quite much but note that these are some of the possible symptoms of adrenal fatigue. However, you should understand that none of the symptoms mentioned here can definitively pinpoint adrenal fatigue but when the symptoms are noticed as a group (when you are experiencing many of the symptoms mentioned), then adrenal fatigue could be the cause.

Tips to Help Reverse Adrenal Fatigue

Before you continue, I must emphasize that you should always consult your doctor when you notice that you're experiencing most of these signs, self-medication is not proper and should be avoided. However, the following points can help you reverse adrenal fatigue.

Get Rid of the Stressors

The first step towards dealing with adrenal fatigue is to remove the stressors. You can do this by first identifying what the stressors are, then stopping them. I earlier mentioned some of the possible stressors like work stress, family stress, stress in relationships etc.

Get the Right Quantity and Quality of Sleep

Yes, the quantity of sleep is as important as the quality of sleep. It is advisable to sleep by 10 pm because research has shown that the human adrenals work the most in order to repair our body between 10 pm and 1 am. Without a good night sleep, our bodies will find it difficult to regenerate itself and be empowered to handle the stress we will encounter the next day. Also, when sleeping, try to sleep in a dark room, this will help you to maximize the production of melatonin

(Source Pixnio)

Change Your Eating Pattern

It's not really a good idea to skip your breakfast because your sugar level will be low. Adrenals are actually wired in a way that they will secrete cortisol when you're low on sugar because cortisol activates gluconeogenesis to help increase the level of blood sugar that will help your body to function well.

Stay Away from Caffeinated Beverages or Coffee because they act as stimulants and they are capable of interrupting your sleep pattern. If you must take tea, then herbal tea is recommended simply because of the absence of caffeine.

Stay Away from Computers and Television

This is for people that are photosensitive because working with a computer or watching the television tends to inhibit the increase in the level of melatonin which is supposed to induce sleep. If you're photosensitive, then try to turn off the TV, computer or mobile device like your iPad around 8 pm so that you will be able to sleep well.

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Engage in Good Exercise

Exercise is not just one of the best ways to reduce stress but it also serves as a great oxygenator. It increases blood flow, reduces depression and normalizes the level of cortisol, growth hormones, insulin, thyroid, blood glucose and also makes you feel much better. Make sure that you don't over-train to avoid stress too. You have to adjust the exercise in line with your capacity. You have to exercise less vigorously if your adrenal fatigue has advanced because hard or vigorous exercise may lead to a catabolic state which may end up making the adrenal fatigue worse by leading to adrenal crises.

While exercising, try as much as possible to cover the following areas:

• Anaerobic- Push-ups, chin-ups, weightlifting and sit-ups
• Aerobics- Nordic track fast walking treadmill swimming and stairs climbing
• Flexibility- Yoga

Also, you can treat adrenal fatigue with nutritional supplementation, however, you need to consult your doctor to get a proper advice and guidance on the best supplements to take. This is because when you take in many nutrients at the same time, it doesn't work well, in fact, it often backfires over time. The nutritional supplement has to be individualized based on your body metabolism, history, background, and clearance system and that is why you need to consult your doctor.

Well, you can also read more about adrenal fatigue to get more information and most importantly, you should talk to your doctor if you're experiencing the symptoms earlier mentioned.
Thanks for reading, and learn to reduce your stress level because stress is dangerous to your health.

Sources

http://www.balancedconcepts.net/AdrenalFatigue.pdf
https://briewieselman.com/wp-content/themes/one-medicine/brie-weiselman-adrenal-fatigue-5b.pdf
https://adrenalfatiguesolution.com/adrenal-fatigue-symptoms/