Managing Adrenal Fatigue
Most commonly associated with intense or prolonged stress, adrenal fatigue can also arise during or after illness, such as influenza, bronchitis or pneumonia. As the name suggests, its paramount symptom is fatigue that is not relieved by sleep. You may look and act normal with Adrenal Fatigue, yet have a general sense of tiredness or low feelings. People suffering from Adrenal Fatigue often have to use coffee and other stimulants to get going in the morning and through the day.
Typical symptoms:
Tired for no reason; trouble getting up in the morning even after a good sleep; feeling rundown or overwhelmed; feeling weak or shaky; prolonged recovery from stress or illness; craving salty and sweet foods; feeling best in the evening; allergy increase and sensitivity to light or noise
What causes Adrenal Fatigue?
The adrenal glands manages your body’s response to every kind of stress through hormones that regulate energy production and storage, heart rate, muscle tone, and other processes that enable you to cope with the stress. If they are overworked their response becomes inadequate and you will experience some degree of Adrenal Fatigue.
Triggers for Adrenal Fatigue:
• Prolonged stress or a severely stressful event; nutrient deficiencies or poor dietary habits; excessive use of caffeine, sugar, and refined carbohydrate; environmental pollutants or toxins; food allergies; excessive use of cortisone therapy
Recovery Programme
Includes nutrition, exercise, mind work and lifestyle changes.
Nutrition
• Eat breakfast before 10:00 a.m. It is critically important to replenish your blood sugar in the morning, so preferably a slow releasing carbohydrate and protein full meal, but at least a healthy snack, is needed to support your adrenals. Eat lunch before 2pm have a health snack at 3 or 4pm, and eat dinner between 6pm and 7pm. Have a small, healthy snack just before bedtime to maintain blood sugar through the night.
• At each meal, consume sufficient high-quality protein and fat to stabilise blood
sugar until the next meal.
• Eat complex carbohydrates such as natural grains in raw form, instead of
refined grains.
• Make fresh fruits and vegetables a daily staple.
• Try wherever possible to eat foods that are in a whole, unprocessed state e.g.organic, raw
almonds are better than conventional, dry-roasted, salted almonds (which are
highly processed).
• Reduce exposure to toxic substances, such as pesticides, chemicals etc. in food,
by eating organic foods whenever possible.
• Consume 8 glasses of high-quality water (spring or highly-filtered water)
throughout the day. Replace soft drinks with water, herbal teas, and fresh
vegetable juices.
“Super Foods” for Adrenal Fatigue:
• Celtic sea salt; olives; vegetables, especially brightly-coloured; oily fish, e.g. wild-caught salmon; chicken and turkey; beans; nuts, such as walnuts and almonds; seeds, such as pumpkin and sunflower; avocado; kelp and seaweed
“Foods to Avoid”:
• Soda; sugar; fructose and high-fructose corn syru; alcohol; fruit juices; chocolate; trans fats (hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, margarine,
french fries, fried foods, baked commercial baked goods; high-potassium foods, such as bananas, dried fruits, potatoes, asparagus; oranges and grapefruit; white bread (bagels, rolls, muffins, pancakes), white rice, white potatoes and white pasta; artificial sweeteners, such as aspartame (NutraSweet, Equal), Splenda/Sucralose,
Saccharin; artificial preservatives, additives and colourings
Exercise
Regular, moderate exercise is very important to gradually rebuild strength and endurance.
Begin with light exercise, such as a 10-minute walk, and work your way up to more
moderate physical activity.
Mind & Lifestyle Recommendations
• Control stress levels through cognitive and behavioural techniques, such as relaxation,
visualization, meditation, breathing techniques, or yoga or other activities.
• Take short, horizontal rests during the day, 15-30 min. if possible, especially
when drained or stressed.
