Tired all the time? It could be your adrenals…
In March of 2014 the Miami Herald ran an article entitled “Chronic Stress is Linked to the Six Leading Causes of Death.” That isn’t surprising as stress has long been associated with health issues.
Physiologically, the adrenal glands are designed to handle and react to stress as they are responsible for the fight or flight response. In today’s modern society, the adrenal glands are working overtime. Because they don’t have a brain, they can’t decipher chronic stress from acute stress.
For example, in primitive times when our ancestors had a simpler yet more perilous existence, if a wolly mammoth charged at them, they either died or ran away. Regardless it was over pretty quickly and so was the stress.
In today’s world, people are continually dealing with chronic stress. Everything from economic tribulations, government incompetency, multiple bills, debt, children, long to-do lists, making meals, doing laundry and dealing with work stress all contribute to chronic stress. As a result, the adrenals never get a break and are constantly in the fight or flight mode, which wears them out. It is much like having the gas pedal of a car to the floor without ever using the brake; as a result people are exhausted.
Clinically, I see people on a daily basis who are run down, fatigued, unable to handle stress and feeling out of balance. While fatigue is one of the most common symptoms of adrenal overload (often called adrenal fatigue), it is far from the only one I see.
Symptoms associated with adrenal overload include but are not limited to: difficulty getting up in the morning (even after a long night’s sleep), poor sleep quality, waking up extremely ‘foggy’, inability to manage and handle stress, salt cravings, increased energy late in the day, a compromised or weak immune system, tiredness after exercise, frequent urination, constipation, lines in the fingertips, loss of muscle tone, low blood pressure, low blood sugar, no or low sex drive, low back pain, numbness in fingers, poor circulation and weight gain.
Adrenal overload leads to an imbalance of hormones, which can affect the body’s ability to function properly as the adrenals glands are part of the complex and sometimes delicate hormone system. They are also very closely connected to the thyroid gland and when one is off, both are usually compromised.
If you are dealing with adrenal overload fear not, there is hope! While healing adrenal overload takes time, it is possible. Even though most people need supplementation to help get back on track, the first step toward healing the adrenal glands is sleep. Sleep long and sleep often. If your adrenals are overloaded, you are not lazy, your adrenals are just tired. Take naps, go to bed early and rest regularly. Do whatever you can to reduce your stress by delegating out superfluous tasks that burden you. Meditate daily and take a break from the gym; with adrenal overload, asking your body to workout is like beating a dead horse.
If you or someone you know are suffering from adrenal overload, call the office today for help. Having dealt with this personally, I know firsthand how it feels 🙂
Call the office to schedule your appointment today 517-721-1904.
Sources:
http://www.miamiherald.com/living/article1961770.html