Exhausted For No Reason: Adrenal Fatigue

Adrenal fatigue occurs when pronged stress “fight or flight” reaction has dissipated the hormones that initiate the body’s response behavior—the fight or the flight behavior. Not only do we have “life threatening” stresses in our lives from war (the threat of war), famine, reckless vehicle drivers, chronic diseases, raising crime rates, emotional or physically abuse relationships. But we can be affected by constant low level stress arising from joblessness, dysfunctional work environments, and economic insecurity, as well as our personal psychology and world-view.

Stress and stress levels are unique to the person mind, body and spirit. Individual functioning should be respected not denigrated. Self-acceptance is a key step to wellness. Denying stress keeps you from putting in place a plan to support adrenal gland health.

Typical symptoms of Adrenal Fatigue:

• Feeling tired for no reason
• Trouble getting up in the morning, even when you go to bed at a reasonable hour.
• Feeling rundown or overwhelmed.
• Difficulty bouncing back from stress or illness
• Craving salty and sweet snacks.
• Feeling more awake, alert and energetic after 6PM than you do all day

The adrenal glands are located above the kidneys. The adrenals synthesize the hormones corticosteroids, catecholamines, cortisol and adrenaline and regulate the body’s stress response. Hormones are chemical messengers that initiate a biologic response. Adrenal glands create the body’s “fight or flight” hormonal resources by instantly increasing heart rate and blood pressure, releasing energy stores for immediate use, slows your digestion and other secondary functions, and sharpens your senses.

Healthy adrenal glands keep cortisol hormones at a level appropriate to optimal health. Normal levels of cortisol are essential to the body’s adequate response to stress and to support a healthy immune response. A balanced cortisol level is essential to life and affects every tissue, organ and gland in the body. Cortisol is essential for balancing stress hormones and curbing inflammation.

Adrenal fatigue occurs when high amounts of cortisol are produced to counter the effects of stress on the body. Severe and prolonged stress may be caused by physical stress from infection, illness, or disease and/or emotional stress. The adrenals can become exhausted from the constant demand for more cortisol when the body is in a constant state of stress, and may stop producing adequate amounts. Stressors add up each contributing to the body’s inability to meet its cortisol needs, further weakening the adrenals.

Adrenal fatigue may result from chronic recurrent infections, which weaken the immune system, leaving the body vulnerable to additional infections and physical stress. Chronic underproduction of cortisol and adrenal fatigue syndrome can also be caused or aggravated by the ongoing use of corticosteroids. Often Allopathic Medicine treats disease symptoms using synthetic hormones like prednisone. These synthetic hormones are often prescribed for many illnesses in dosages that far exceed the amount of cortisol the body requires. This is a serious concern as heightened levels of cortisol can shut the adrenal glands down, suppress the immune system, and in some cases bring on psychotic-type behavior.

Life Style Indicators of Adrenal Fatigue

What is your energy level?  Exhaustion for no apparent reason, meaning there has been no prolonged physical exertion, and you are exhausted and tired and when waking up. You may experience extreme fatigue in the afternoon typically between 3 and 5 PM.


Do you struggle to get through the day but have a burst of energy around 6-8pm? Is it easy to stay up beyond midnight regardless of when you woke up? 


Is your thinking is unfocused and unclear? You have difficulty processing simple information that you didn't have problems with before. You may have difficulty with information recall and short-term memory, or lose your thought in the middle of a conversation.

Are you more susceptible to stress? Does most benign stress, such as a minor traffic jam, or stubbing one's toe cause you excessive frustration and stress levels to go up? Is your stress response high than need be for the situation? Do you experience “road rage” or over react to minor offenses?

Do you recall feeling more nervous and anxious recently?  Stress hormones circulating in the body create a feeling of anxiety. Your hands may be jittery when you are nervous or under pressure. 



Individuals with adrenal fatigue syndrome put on weight inexplicably. Weight gain is generally distributed around the midsection creating a thick layer of belly fat. There is an inability to lose weight, despite dieting. Restrictive diets and heavy exercise are countering productive and put the body in further stress exacerbating the adrenal fatigue and weight problem.

Changes in appetite and or food cravings? The brain will try to use food to medicate itself and fix exhaustion with sugar or salty, starchy foods. Do you depend on caffeine (coffee, caffeinated drinks) to help pep you up? 
 

Adrenal fatigue syndrome affects digestion and elimination creating an alternating pattern between diarrhea and constipation. 



Women may experience intensified premenstrual symptoms including very painful menstrual cramps. Women with adrenal fatigue may demonstrate an interrupted menstrual cycle that is heavy for the first few days, stops on the fourth day, and resumes on the fifth day. 



Other physical symptoms include heart palpitations, low blood sugar levels, unexplained hair loss, dry skin, low blood pressure, low body temperature, and mild depression.

Diminished sex drive. Because the body’s hormones are synergistic and interactive across body systems Adrenal Fatigue can depress or cause complete loss of libido.

As adrenal function decreases every organ and system in your body is adversely affected. Carbohydrate, protein and fat metabolism, fluid and electrolyte balance, heart and cardiovascular system, and even sex drive are affected. Alterations take place at the biochemical and cellular levels in response to and to compensate for the decreased adrenal hormonal production that results from adrenal fatigue.

Life Style Changes to Support Adrenal Functioning 

• Laugh as often
• Take small breaks from stressful activity to lie down
•  Purposefully increase/promote stress relieving activities such as yoga, meditation, and prayer.
• Always eat breakfast before 10 am
•  Start the habit of eating 5-6 frequent small meals rather than 3 large meals.
• Set an early bedtime, 10 pm is ideal.
• Sleep in until 9 AM when possible.
• Consider having “silver” (mercury amalgam) fillings removed. Exposure to mercury (a neurotoxin) damages neurotransmitters and causes of Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome

Dietary recommendations for Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome include

Add to Your Life:

• Ground flax meal (healthy dietary fiber and omega-3 essential fatty acids)
• Extra virgin organic coconut oil
• Omega-3, essential fatty acids (wild caught fish oil, sprouted walnuts)
• Mineralized salt (Himalayan crystal salt)
•  Eat lightly cooked animal and vegetable proteins (meat, fish, poultry, eggs, legumes)
• Dairy products with live, organic, active cultures (probiotics, yogurt and kefir)
•  Unrefined low-glycemic carbohydrates (brown rice, sprouted grains, winter squash)
• Limit intake of high glycemic index fruits (apricots, raisins, banana, papaya, and mango)
• Vegetables and vegetable juices (kelp, sprouts, green and black olives, peppers, spinach, chard, celery, zucchini).
• Unprocessed nutrient dense foods such as sprouted nuts and seeds to your diet.
• Drink purified water throughout the day
• Magnesium supports adrenal health.
• Vitamin C protects the body from excess stress.
• Vitamin B Complex is, balanced B formula, maintains the energy of the adrenals
• 
  
• As you create and work toward a wellness lifestyle, and as you support  adrenal gland functioning, you will need to consider what you will keep in your life style, and which behaviors need to be added or eliminated. Over time you may decide to eliminate or avoid many of the following:

 Refined sugar or artificial sugar-substitutes such as aspartame, Splenda®. (If you must use natural unrefined sugar, honey, molasses, and stevia)

 Simple or refined carbohydrates (white bread, pasta, cookies, cakes, crackers, etc.)

Potassium rich foods, which add to adrenal stress (bananas, all melons, dried figs, raisins, dates, oranges, grapefruit, etc.)

Excessive disrupts the body’s systems, causing insomnia and irregularity (constipation or diarrhea); although moderate amounts of caffeine may be beneficial,

Alcoholic beverages in excess since they hinder the functioning of the immune and energy production systems

Fermented foods such as cheese and wine

Fungi such as mushrooms

 Pickled foods

  Sweetened fruit juices that spike blood sugar levels too rapidly

Carbonated soft drinks that alter pH levels, making the blood more acidic

 Bottom crawlers such as oysters, clams, and lobster that may contain toxic levels of mercury

Deep-sea fish such as tuna, mackerel, and swordfish that may contain toxic levels of mercury. 

Yeast and wheat products (breads, crackers, pasta, etc.) that contain gluten

Sodium nitrite found in processed foods such as hot dogs, lunch meats, and bacon

 Monosodium glutamate (MSG) found in many foods as a flavor enhancer

  Hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated fats found in many processed foods, deep-fried food, fast food, and junk food.

Typically, individuals with adrenal fatiguefunction better wth fewer carbohydrates and need more protein.

http://www.ehow.com/how_4677985_recognize-symptoms-adrenal-fatigue-syndrome.html

http://naturopathconnect.com/articles/adrenal-fatigue-syndrome/

http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/features/adrenal-fatigue-is-it-real

http://www.adrenalfatigue.org/what-is-adrenal-fatigue