Do you spring out of bed in the morning feeling optimistic, with boundless energy to get you through each hour of the day? If your answer is no, then know that you are not alone and you can turn this around.
Many of us burn out and battle to get through the day without stimulants like caffeine and sugar to keep us going. Although you already know this isn’t the right solution, unless you can identify what the underlying cause of your dis-ease is then nothing is going to change. It is not about treating the symptoms or side effects, but removing the root cause so that there simply are no side-effects.
Adrenal fatigue is something affecting more and more people today, and a large part of the reason is due to the chaotic lives we are living. In modern-day society, we are expected to work highly demanding jobs while balancing everything else we have going on in life. Unfortunately, this lifestyle leaves us barely any time to take care of ourselves. Chronic levels of stress and not enough downtime is a recipe for adrenal fatigue and the longer the chronic stress is present in your life, the greater the chance your adrenal glands will become taxed.
Our adrenal glands produce hormones that make our bodies and brains stronger, faster, and more alert. But when the adrenal stress hormones are always elevated, the performance of the brain and body steadily deteriorate. That is how too many of us now live, with worsening fatigue as a result.
These are the top 7 signs of adrenal fatigue:
You’re exhausted by mid-morning
You crash after eating
You need caffiene/energy drinks to fuel your day
You have low blood pressure/experience dizziness
You’re moody
You crave sugar
You have a low libido
Unfortunately, many health professionals are unfamiliar with how to assess and address adrenal fatigue. There is actually a lot you can do to heal your adrenal fatigue with the right diet and lifestyle choices. So here’s what you can do about it.
Listen to your body
Adrenal fatigue can often leave you feeling very weak so you don’t want to add any unnecessary pressure on top of that. Healing fatigue is all about taking it easy. Don’t partake in excessive or extreme forms of exercise. Opt for a nice stroll on the beach or restorative yoga. At the end of exercising, you should feel amazing, invigorated, full of more energy than when you started. If you feel jittery, weak, exhausted, like you need a nap, or have heart palpitations after a workout, then you overdid it. Remember that you don’t have to say yes to everything. Learning how to say no is going to benefit your condition immeasurably. Take the time for yourself and try to make it as relaxing as possible. Read a book, watch the sunset, sit back and relax.
Nourish your body
While supporting your adrenal glands involves taking a look at stress reduction, sleep quality, and other lifestyle factors – diet is a huge factor. What you eat on a daily basis is either going to enhance your adrenal function or burn them out even further.
The food we eat is what fuels our entire body and all its complex biological functions—including our adrenals and nervous system. Definitely avoid refined sugar, gluten, and other foods that cause a spike in blood sugar. Caffeine can put your body into fight-or-flight mode, which is the last thing you want when dealing with adrenal fatigue. Caffeine sends signals telling the adrenals to pump out more adrenaline as well as cortisol, which will cause even further chaos for your adrenal glands. Finally, avoid alcohol as it is high in sugar, which we want less of to help balance blood sugar.
Eat breakfast within 30 minutes of waking to help stabilise your blood sugar. Eat a high-protein snack in between meals. Ideally, you will want to eat every two to three hours to keep your blood sugar levels stable. Remember this is just until your energy levels are back to normal.
Your best friends should be celery juice, avocados and sea salt!
Start your day with a glass of celery juice, follow it with a balanced diet of unprocessed whole foods such as fruit, vegetables, beans, legumes, quinoa, buckwheat, nuts, seeds and lean protein. You can also add a slice of lemon to your water to help balance blood sugar levels.
Energy, fatigue, and mental clarity are all tied to our adrenal glands. One of the big drivers of fatigue is exhausted adrenals. If you don’t get to the root of why the adrenals glands burned out, the exhaustion can’t be stopped. But we can begin to recognise the signs with conscious intention and reshape our lives to better support our adrenal function.
There are many herbs that can support and help restore your adrenal glands. See your naturopath for a consultation or join us on our naturopathic facilitated detox and yoga retreat where you will have the time and space to rest and restore your adrenal glands.