Lately, I've been hearing a lot about adrenal fatigue. Several coaches and fitness mentors have mentioned it. With my obsessive need to learn, I looked it up. Some medical websites aren't completely convinced, so I'll let you make your own decisions. Adrenal fatigue is an "illness" where the adrenal glands are not functioning correctly or producing the hormones the body needs. The adrenals produce adrenaline, cortisol, and aldosterone: fight or flight, metabolism control, and blood pressure control. When your mind and body are experiencing constant or repeated stress, the adrenals start to tire out. They can only control those hormones so much!
So what does adrenal fatigue feel or look like? Here's a quick run down of major symptoms:
- Tired, all the time, for no reason
- Struggling to wake up, even with enough sleep
- Run down, overwhelmed, depression, lethargic
- Energy boost or feeling best in evening
- Cravings for sweets or salt
- Weight gain or trouble losing weight, especially on waist
- Sleep issues
- Eye sensitivity to sun
- Muscle weakness or back/knee pain
Yep, sounds exactly like me. I also took this adrenal fatigue quiz, just to see what it says. It suggested I had a moderate case. Now, I'll be honest, I haven't seen my doctor about this. I'm going off of information I've found on WebMd, Mayo Clinic, blogs of those who've dealt with it, etc, I also know my body and have learned to trust my intuition when it comes to medical conditions. I have this strange knack of being able to correctly diagnose myself.
So, what do you do about it? Again, I am not a doctor and I have not seen my doctor (yet), so I can only suggest natural methods. I will never suggest something I haven't tried or wouldn't be willing to try myself. The first thing I would suggest would be what I call "adrenal water". I found the original recipe while surfing Pinterest (original post here). I ended up tweaking it a bit, so here's my recipe:
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar (with mother is best): regulates blood sugar, cholesterol, digestion, and hormones; anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory; controls cravings/hunger; detox
- 1 Tbsp of lime (or lemon) juice: regulates blood sugar, and digestion; weight loss; detox
- 4 tsp of stevia (or to taste): sweetener, minimizes vinegar taste
- dash of cayenne pepper (to taste): metabolism boost/weight loss; detox, regulates blood sugar, blood pressure, and digestion
- 32 oz distilled water: weight loss; detox; reduces stress hormones, regulates digestion; increased energy/mental function
Sounds exactly what someone experiencing adrenal fatigue would need, right? The goal is to drink at least 32 oz of this water daily, until symptoms improve. I'm on the last day of 2 weeks drinking this daily. I felt an improvement after 3-4 days. Now, I only drink my normal 2 cups of black tea in the morning for caffeine (and other health benefits) and do not suffer from an afternoon slump (Big surprise today...the BF admitted he thinks it's helping him as well. Huge deal!). My sugar cravings have decreased and my overall feeling of wellness has increased, My digestion and regularity have improved. I'm not sure if I've lost weight yet, but my stomach feels flatter to me. I still struggle to get up in the morning...well, ok, I take that back. I can get up at my normal 6:30am wake up call for work, but I've been working on getting up earlier for exercise (planning ahead for the HOT AZ summer) and meditation and it hasn't worked. So, dont expect miracles after a day or two. If you have a moderate to severe case, it may take awhile to improve your internal health.
So what else can you do in the mean time? Rest!! Lots and lots of rest!!! With our busy schedules and active minds, it's hard to do, but it is the BEST thing you could do. Try to go to bed earlier, sleep in on the weekends, take naps if needed. You can also try meditation, or yoga nidra to relax. Read my Freed{om} post for benefits of meditation and yoga. A healthy diet is also key! Avoid refined sugars and caffeine. Eat quality proteins, carbohydrates, with plenty of fruits and veggies
Since I'm into natural and alternative medicine, I'm also using a couple of Young Living Essential Oils, specifically EndoFlex and En-R-Gee. This combination helps perk me right up. You can diffuse them together or apply externally over adrenal areas or adrenal vita-flex points.
- Sesame seed oil
- Spearmint
- Sage
- Geranium
- Myrtle
- German Chamomile
- Nutmeg
- Rosemary
- Juniper
- Lemongrass
- Nutmeg
- Idaho Balsam Fir
- Clove
- Black Pepper
If you suspect you may have adrenal fatigue, always check with your doctor. I can only tell you my story and what I'm doing that makes me feel better. If you give any of these a try, or want to know more, please comment or send me a message. I'd love to know how it works for you!!
Namaste!
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