What Is Adrenal Fatigue?
In our modern world, stress is everywhere. And it doesn’t just come from work, childcare, finances and traffic. Stress can result from “healthy” things too: calorie restriction and dieting, intermittent fasting and intense workouts. Although it has always been a factor, the technological advances of the last few decades and fast-paced living we embody here in America have pushed our adrenaline pathways to the max. We are always connected, always on, always multitasking, and hardly take enough breaks. In fact, the sayings “there’s not enough hours in the day” and “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” have become commonplace phrases among people of all ages.
The problem is we’re so busy that we are literally working ourselves into chronic conditions, illness and disease. According to Dr. Mark Hyman, 80% of doctors’ visits are due to stress. Everything from insomnia and anxiety to aches, pain and fatigue traces back to stress, a catabolic state that causes the tissues of the body to break down. And we don’t spend enough time repairing and rebuilding (i.e. resting, meditating, relaxing, deep breathing), so the body continues to take hit after hit until the symptoms (resulting from the continual breakdown process) become loud enough for us to pay attention.
And this is where Adrenal Fatigue comes in… Categorized by exhaustion (especially in the morning), Adrenal Fatigue is a condition and cluster of symptoms that result from having too much stress without enough rest. Additional symptoms indicative of Adrenal Fatigue include: weight gain (especially in the abdominal region), anxiety, insomnia, puffy eyes, low libido, missed or irregular menstrual cycles, low blood pressure (do not overlook this one!), and intense cravings for sugar or crunchy, salty foods.
If these symptoms resonate, here are a few tips to help you rebalance and reboot:
Eat a protein-packed breakfast within 90 minutes of rising.
Do not drink coffee on an empty stomach (if you can, wait until 9am to consume caffeine).
Use a high-quality unrefined sea salt.
Drink only filtered water (trust me, this is worth the investment).
Move your body daily, but don’t push too hard with long cardio sessions or high-intensity interval training.
Get to bed by 10pm as often as possible.
Eat small, protein-rich meals every 3-4 hours.
Practice mindful eating.
Detox, Detox, Detox (your diet, personal care products, cleaning products, etc.).
Create boundaries and say “no” more (especially when the “no” favors self-care).
Listen, stress is inevitable and we all have the same 24 hours in a day. Each and every one of us has to actively work to manage the hustle before the hustle manages us.
If you’re struggling with energy, addicted to caffeine, can’t lose weight and feel anxious more often than not, it’s time to do something about it. Click here to book a 15-minute Discovery Call.