Chronic Exhaustion Part 1 - Am I Just Lazy or Crazy
No, you are most likely not lazy or crazy! Have you ever heard of adrenal fatigue?
Adrenal fatigue is the decreased ability of your adrenal glands to carry out their normal God-given function, which is to help your body cope and respond to all the stresses in your life-(physical, chemical, or emotional).
You have a small, yet mighty, walnut-sized adrenal gland sitting on top of each of your kidneys. Adrenal hormones influence all major physiological processes. You cannot live without your adrenal glands, so you need to learn how to take care of them and recognize when they are dysfunctional.
The most common symptom of adrenal fatigue or hypoadrenia, is true, fatigue. This type of fatigue happens when stress (-(physical, chemical, or emotional) exceeds your body’s capacity to respond to that particular or a combination of stresses. Too much chronic stress causes a reduction in the secretion of adrenal hormones, particularly cortisol. The extreme end of hyponatremia is Addison’s Disease. This is life-threatening and the rarest form of adrenal fatigue. Unfortunately, this is the only recognized form of adrenal fatigue within the mainstream medical community. I meet many people with fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, hormone imbalances, and auto-immune diseases who have never had their adrenal function tested or even addressed in a conversation by their medical professional. If you have any of the above-mentioned health challenges, I would encourage you to seek a healthcare practitioner who can properly and assess and address your adrenal dysfunction via a dehydrated urine test.
The adrenal glands also have an effect on your mental well-being.
People with adrenal fatigue tend toward fear, anxiety, depression, mental fog, alcoholism, hypoglycemia, frequent colds, decreased concentration, and acute memory recall issues. They also become more easily frustrated and suffer from a lack of sleep or insomnia.
What stresses affect our adrenal glands? All of them J! Adrenals respond to EVERY kind of stress no matter the source (physical, chemical, or emotional. “Adrenal fatigue occurs when the amount of stress exceeds the body’s ability to compensate and recover from that stress or the combined stresses.” (James L. Wilson, Adrenal Fatigue, The 21st Century Syndrome)
Adrenal fatigue is NOT normal and anyone can experience this type of exhaustion. Here are a few signs/symptoms of adrenal fatigue:
- Constant fatigue is not relieved by sleep and difficulty getting up in the morning.
- Craving salty food
- Lack of energy
- Hard to complete everyday tasks
- Decreased sex drive
- Decreased ability to handle stress
- Increased recovery time from illness
- Lightheaded when standing
- Mild depression, sad, increased PMS
- Brain fog decreased concentration and memory
- Easily frustrated
- Feel better after supper
- Chronic respiratory illness
- Auto-immune disease (MS, Diabetes, arthritis, celiac disease, lupus)
So how can you strengthen and rebuild your adrenal glands? I will address 5 basic things you can start doing today:
- Avoid all forms of processed sugar. Processed sugar weakens your immune system, causes inflammation, and makes your adrenal glands work overtime. Sugar is a stressor on the body, so get rid of it! Add in natural sugars such as honey, maple syrup, stevia, and coconut sugar.
- Eat REAL food like fresh veggies, fruit, meats, squash, nuts, seeds, fermented foods, and drinks. No processed or packaged foods.
- Avoid caffeine in all forms. Small amounts may be beneficial, but not when your adrenal glands are exhausted.
- Exercise no matter how tired you are. Start with 10 minutes of walking, then add some sit-ups, push-ups, and other low-impact activities. You can’t recover if you don’t get up and move.
- Go to bed around 10 pm. You can’t heal if you don’t sleep. You MUST get the right amount of sleep at the right time of night. Your adrenals do most of their repair between 11 pm and 3 am
Be intentional with your health. Don’t wait until you are in a crisis to begin a healthy lifestyle…start before your body starts screaming at you.
Laurie Hammer