Feeling sluggish and low on energy? Are you tired even though you have just got out of bed?
If so, you may have adrenal fatigue – a little known condition that manifests itself through a number of seemingly unrelated symptoms such as persisting fatigue, fuzzy thinking, lack of sex drive, mood disorders and cravings for salt or sugar.
While you may look normal with no obvious symptoms of acute disease, your unexplainable low energy levels leave you with little doubt that something has gone wrong.
Fortunately, you don’t have to suffer needlessly because there is a lot you can do to restore and support your adrenal glands naturally.
Adrenal fatigue – are YOU at risk?
Adrenal fatigue is one of those illnesses the medical community knows little about. It can be frustrating to have persistent symptoms your health care provider can’t readily explain. If you suspect you may be suffering from adrenal fatigue, take a look at the following symptoms and see if they sound familiar to you:
Common symptoms of adrenal fatigue include:
- low energy levels
- trouble sleeping at night but wanting to sleep during the day
- poor libido
- cravings for salt and/or sugar
- feeling confused and overwhelmed
- impaired cognitive function – brain fog, lack of concentration
- blood sugar irregularity
Who is at risk? We now know that adrenal fatigue tends to affect people who have experienced major stress in their lives. If you overload your body with stress, your adrenals—the glands sitting atop your kidneys— have to deal with it.
The problem is that nowadays many of us face chronic stress–the kind of stress that just doesn’t let up. This means our adrenal glands aren’t able to replenish and recover.
Unable to keep pace with our always-on-the-go lifestyle, our adrenals can’t produce quite enough of the hormones we need to feel good and that’s when adrenal fatigue eventually sets in.
4 simple strategies to overcome adrenal fatigue naturally
Our lifestyle has changed, but our bodies haven’t.
Here are four simple, but effective, strategies to help you overcome adrenal fatigue and keep your adrenals healthy…
1. Reduce stress :
Try meditation, deep breathing and other relaxation techniques together with moderate exercise.
Try this short, easy-to-follow instructional video on stress-reducing “square breathing” to get started…
2. Change your diet:
Reach for quality organic foods with a sensible glycemic index.
Ditch sugar, caffeine and alcohol. These “pick-me-ups” put more pressure on your body and will only worsen your adrenal fatigue in the long run.
3. Get outdoors:
Get plenty of sunshine and fresh air. There’s nothing like communing with nature to drive your stress levels down. Even if it’s just a walk through a local park at lunchtime, make sure to spend a little bit of your day outdoors.
4. Get more sleep:
Sleep is critical to stress reduction and healthy adrenals. Get at least eight hours of uninterrupted sleep every night.
If you find you’re still nodding off during the day try a 20 minute power-nap.
Recovering from adrenal fatigue takes time but it’s well worth the effort. Your well-being depends on the health of your adrenals. Reducing stress and making healthy dietary changes will let you experience amazing health you may not have expected to see again.
James Schreiber was a long time sufferer of Candida yeast infection - a little known condition manifesting itself with unexplainable, seemingly unrelated signs such as chronic fatigue, digestive problems and flu-like symptoms. After completely transforming his lifestyle to triumph over his disease, Schreiber made educating people on how to better cope with Candida overgrowth a mission. He shares the secrets of his success at http://www.ecandida.com
Latest posts by Jim Schreiber (see all)
- Raise Awareness of Candida Infection - July 5, 2015
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There are supplements, too, that can help support adrenal function. The B vitamins and vitamin C are really important. Herbs like ginseng, rhodiola, ashwaganda, and shizandra are considered adaptogens, allowing the body to adapt to stress more efficiently. And ditching sugar and other refined carbs IS really important. It’s too bad our medical community doesn’t recognize adrenal fatigue. It’s epidemic, but in the eyes of pharma, if there’s no medication for it, it doesn’t exist. I’ve seen too many people prescribed anti-depressants for adrenal fatigue, which only makes the situation much worse.
Another helpful herbal is Tulsi, available as a tea from Organic India (no commercial connections!). Licorice is good too, although be careful if you have problems with high blood pressure. One of the signs of having adrenal fatigue is blood pressure that falls significantly when you stand up.
The author’s article and the commentary are timely ,accurate and applicable to millions of unsuspecting americans. in todays world.for those interested in more info consider james l wilson’s book “Adrenal Fatigue”.He mentions three do it yourself tests to see if you have adrenal fatigue.You can also put Ragland’s test in your computer.Saliva tests are dependable. Blood tests are not. High cortisol levels precede adrenal failure.Good sailing.
The article and comments are valuable info .Adrenal fatigue is preceded by an overactive adrenal brought about by constant stress.This may well be accompanied by hypothyroidism with symptoms similar to hypoadrenalism .Checking your body temperature before arising in the AM can reveal the status of your thyroid which controls body temperature.Under 97.8 you are suspect.Under 97.2 you are probably hypo Don’t assume your doctor will be knowlegeable.He may put you on an antidepressant or a synthetic thyroid .Inform yourself..Books are available for self help.”Stop the thyroid madness” is one of many.