Adrenal fatigue may not be formally recognised by conventional western medicine. Although adrenal fatigue is an extremely common condition that can affect most of us, adrenal fatigue is a condition that can result in our bodies no longer being able to handle the daily demands of our busy lives. In the long term the small glands that is our adrenal glands can’t keep up with the busy lifestyles we try and maintain, they simply don’t function as they should. Adrenal fatigue is a condition than can creep upon us through unhealthy lifestyle habits.
The adrenal glands are two walnut sized glands that rest on top of the kidneys. Although small, they play a significant role in our health and vitality.
They have the ability to handle stress, keep us alert, keep us energised, regulate our blood sugar and reduce inflammation. If the adrenal glands are pushed to the limits on a consistent basis they will wear out because they are not evolved to handle this type of demand on a regular basis. Once adrenal fatigue occurs this has an affect on other parts of the body such as bone and muscle integrity becomes compromised, hormones become imbalanced, brain and nervous system function becomes impaired, digestion is compromised, thyroid function is inhibited, and immunity weakens. This puts our health at risk and can cause unpleasant symptoms and increases the susceptibility to disease.
Modern Living
With the burden of a busy lifestyle this in turn is putting pressure on the body. For millions of year our primary concerns were food and safety, with today’s technological advancement we enjoy many of its advantages however this has completely reinvented how we live today and we push ourselves well beyond our capacity and this promotes unhealthy habits.
The good news is something can be done about it. The following are areas that need to be reviewed and looked into in order to avoid or recover from adrenal fatigue:
Nutrition
Foods that are high in sugar and refined carbohydrates often cause dramatic increases in blood sugar. This can be dangerous as it can put significant pressure on the adrenal glands because many people eat high levels of sugar on regular basis without realising it isn’t good for our bodies. And because the adrenal glands are responsible for regulating blood sugar levels, by eating foods that are high in sugar and refined carbohydrates as a result puts a massive burden on the adrenal glands. To start it is a good idea to find out what food your system is sensitive to.
Sleep
Because there are many sources of artificial light many people continue their lifestyles late into the night and it is our adrenal glands that support this. what we don’t know is the adrenal glands are not evolved to support it on a consistent basis adding extra pressure for the adrenal glands to recover from the demands put on them. It’s also a good idea to develop good sleeping habits that will help you fall asleep more easily each night.
Stress
Any type of stimulating activity (whether exciting or aggravating) is a form of stress that stimulates the adrenal glands. We try and pack as much stimulating activity into our daily lifes making the adrenal glands work hader and push them oner it’s capacity. To avoids this, it is essential to learn how to moderate your stress levels.
What next
The excellent news is you can recover from adrenal fatigue. A healthy lifestyle comes under the umbrella of good nutrition, limit your stress levels, have a great nights sleep. A healthier lifestyle can indeed make a great difference to most people’s life but for a more well rounded healthy lifestyle supplements are needed to support the recovery of the adrenal glands.
photo credit: Matti Mattila
