Did you know that chronic stress can affect your body’s ability to recuperate from physical, mental or emotional stress? This is likely why most people have dealt with adrenal fatigue at some point in their lives.
Many proponents of this condition estimate that almost every person can experience adrenal fatigue to some degree at a particularly stressful point in his or her life. Because the adrenals influence many parts of the body, symptoms of adrenal fatigue can mimic a number of disorders and isn’t always easily recognizable.
Steps to healing your adrenal glands:
Get tested! There are multiple ways for a qualified practitioner to test the functioning of your adrenal glands and get to the root of your issues.
Eat a whole food, anti-inflammatory diet. Focus on anti-inflammatory foods including wild fish and other sources of omega-3 fats; red and purple berries (rich in polyphenols); dark green leafy vegetables; orange sweet potatoes; and nuts. Add anti-inflammatory herbs – including turmeric (a source of curcumin), ginger and rosemary – to your daily diet. Eliminate inflammatory foods such as refined, omega-6 and inflammatory oils, like corn, soy and safflower oils.
Don't skip meals. It can be hard for your body to recover from skipping meals if you have adrenal dysfunction. This is why keto diets have to be considered differently for women vs. men, in particular.
Find ways to relax that work for your life. I like to go for walks, get a massage, or take a hot bath at night. I take two cups of Epsom salts, half a cup of baking soda, 10 drops of lavender oil, and you soak for 20 minutes. Lavender oil lowers cortisol and helps to balance the whole hormonal system. After this bath, you will end up with a really decreased stress response. I also LOVE deep breathing exercises. There are all sorts of tools and resources available for you online.
Exercise is always important — gentle, regular exercise like a morning walk, a light jog, a little bike ride. Do something out in the fresh air to get natural light that affects your pineal gland and helps reset your brain and the stress response. Avoid intense exercise programs like high intensity interval training that will only tax the adrenals further.
Boost Your Stress Resilience with Supplements. Supplements are one of the simplest ways to boost your adrenals. Adaptogens are amazing herbs that help you adapt to stress naturally. Try adding the following to your daily supplement routine to help balance adrenals:
Siberian ginseng or Rhodiola or Cordyceps – all wonderful herbs that also help your stress response.
Vitamin C (500 to 1000mg, once a day), zinc (30mg, once a day), B vitamins, especially vitamin B5 and B12. I have an amazing methylated liquid B and zinc vitamin!
Ashwagandha and theanine (from green tea) can help calm an overactive stress response and improve sleep. I have a great natural sleep supplement that my clients swear by!
If you don’t seem to be getting any better, I recommend working with a Functional Medicine practitioner or health coach to help you get to the root of your issues. [Over here!]
So, if you have any of the symptoms listed above, if you’re worried about your adrenal stress response, if you’re thinking that you might have adrenal burnout, I encourage you to take some time, find things you like to do to hit your pause button, get into rhythm, try a few vitamins and herbs, and reset your life.
And, as always, I'm only a free consult away!
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