Do you wake up tired in the morning, unable to function without your cup or two of coffee? Do you crave high carb snacks and often fall asleep mid afternoon, only to stay up till all hours of the night, wired and unable to rest? Wrapped tighter than a ball of twine, many people find themselves unable to reduce speeds long enough to give their body adequate rest. Sound familiar?
Stress and Adrenal Health
The tiny adrenal glands are designed to help mitigate stress during a flight or fight situation. This means if you are being chased by a wild animal your adrenals will kick in allow you the energy necessary to manage the life threatening stress.
However, consistent exposure to chronic stress puts a tremendous strain on the adrenal glands that were not designed for continual response to stress. Their response to this stress is to release the hormone cortisol.
Unfortunately, our adrenal glands do not know the difference between a real emergency and everyday stress and our cortisol levels stay elevated and become less and less sensitive to the regulatory mechanism.
Problems with Cortisol
The longer cortisol levels remain elevated, digestion, sleep, immune function and the body’s ability to produce other necessary hormones such as estrogen, progesterone DHEA and thyroid hormone is impaired.
Too much cortisol contributes to excess abdominal fat, high blood sugar, high blood pressure and muscle aches due to inflammation.
Bone health, immunity and sex drive, are also compromised. With increased pressure on the adrenal glands, it is harder for them to make cortisol and extra adrenalin is produced to compensate. This adrenal fatigue results in low blood sugar, inability to focus, irritability, lightheadedness, anxiety, low blood pressure, allergies and exhaustion.
Managing Stress
It is paramount to get a grip on managing stress if you feel that your adrenals are in overdrive, stress management is a key regaining balance. How you respond to stress in your life, has a lot to do with whether or not your adrenals become fatigued.
Practicing yoga, meditation and relaxation techniques, are a good place to start. Understanding that stress is inevitable and employing strategic coping techniques will help protect you from adrenal failure and other stress-related conditions.
Eating: When and What
Many people underestimate the impact that diet has on adrenal fatigue. Changing what, when and how you eat can make a tremendous difference. Providing high quality nutrition to the body is like fueling your car with the best gas possible.The better the gas, the better the car runs.
It is also important to eat at regular intervals throughout the day so that your blood sugar doesn’t drop. Low blood sugar alone puts tremendous stress on the adrenals. Our bodies are in constant need of energy, even when we are sleeping.
Cortisol helps to moderate blood sugar between meals to be sure there is a constant supply of energy. If you go a long time without food, the adrenals work harden and releases more cortisol and adrenalin to keep the body functioning.
Three nutritious meals and healthy snacks are recommended. Even if you are not terribly hungry, it is necessary to keep energy levels constant.
Cortisol works with the body’s natural circadian rhythm, rising at around 6am and reaching a peak at 8am. During the day, it declines and begins to prepare your body for rest.
It is best to cooperate with your natural cycle by timing your meals accordingly, eating within an hour of waking, and making the evening meal your lightest meal of the day. A lot of people overeat before they go to bed, and this can cause an overconsumption of foods high in unhealthy fat and sugar. This will only upset the hormone balance more.
What you eat is also important. The quality of your meals and snacks is essential to adrenals support. Fast food such as muffins, cakes, bagels, dry cereal and fruit drinks will not provide the necessary nutrients to support adrenal health.
Stress can often push us to make unwise food choices, and we have to be aware of this if we are to break the vicious cycle.
Healthy meals and snacks re balanced and nutrient dense. High sugar meals and snacks cause a spike and crash reaction in the blood sugar which increases carbohydrate cravings.
The best foods to support overall health are whole and organic. Try to find local organic foods, these are best. Include plenty of healthy fats from raw nuts, seeds, coconut and olive oil each day.
These fats will temper sugar spikes and promote feelings of satiety. Including some protein with each meal and snack will also keep cravings at bay.
Other Adrenal Health Tips
- Consume high quality Himalayan salt
- Drink plenty of filtered water daily
- Try to exercise earlier in the day rather than later
- Go to bed by 11pm and get up by 7am
- Limit caffeine
- Take a high quality raw multivitamin
- Get plenty of fresh air
- Drink herbal tea
- Limit processed foods
-The Alternative Daily
Sources:
http://www.womentowomen.com/adrenalhealth/adrenalglandfunction-nutrition.aspx
