Stress... Is it affecting your health?
I'm stressed... It's not uncommon to hear people say that on a daily basis dealing with day to day life troubles.. but could this excess stress be affecting our health and we're not aware of it?
Your adrenal glands are responsible for balancing many hormones in the body.. when your body is put under stress, the adrenal glands release adrenaline to help you to react to the 'threat' or event causing you stress, so your body is in a so called 'fight or flight' mode. This will cause a rush of blood to your brain, heart and muscles. However, it also releases hormones to slow down processes such as digestion, immune system response and other systems that aren't necessary in an emergency situation. This is fine in short term scenarios of emergency or when you need to escape from a dangerous situation, but when you put your body under that much stress day in day out, it takes its toll and you may suffer from adrenal fatigue or insufficiency.
Adrenal fatigue is when your body and adrenal glands can't physically keep up with the huge amount of pressure put on them every day.
Wellness doctors and practitioners believe that an episode of acute stress or prolonged, chronic stress can cause adrenal glands to become overloaded and ineffective. They believe that adrenal fatigue can be caused by:
- Stressful experiences like death of loved one, divorce or surgery
- Exposure to environmental toxins and pollution
- Prolonged stress due to financial hardship, bad relationships or work environment, and other conditions that entail feelings of helplessness
- Negative thinking and emotional trauma
- Lack of sleep
- Poor diet and lack of exercise
What happens when the adrenal glands stop producing hormones efficiently? Every bodily function is affected, and as adrenal hormone levels shrink, even the normal “get-up-and-go” you get from them disappears. Adrenal fatigue symptoms include:
- Morning fatigue or trouble waking up
- Decreased libido
- Depression
- Muscle weakness
- Poor focus
- Bone loss
- Inflammation
- Increased allergies
- Difficulty sleeping
- Irritability
- Fatigue
- Cravings for sugar
- Hair loss
- Weight gain
- Muscle tension
- Inability to tolerate high-carb/potassium foods unless paired with fat and protein
There are many natural remedies to help adrenal fatigue Diet is a huge factor in healing adrenal fatigue, Foods to be avoided include; Caffeine, sugar (especially refined sugars), microwaved food and Hydrogenated fats. Your diet should include good fats, coconut, Cruciferous vegetables, fatty fish, good lean proteins (chicken, turkey) and nuts (walnuts, almonds). Supplements that will help support your adrenal glands include; Ashwagandha, Holy Basil, Fish oils (Omegas), Magnesium, Vitamin D, Vitamin B5, B12 and Vitamin C. The last and most important key to restoring your adrenal function is to relax your mind and stress needs. Pay attention to your body!
- Rest when you feel tired as much as possible.
- Sleep 8–10 hours a night.
- Avoid staying up late and stay on a regular sleep cycle — ideally, in bed before 10 p.m.
- Laugh and do something fun every day.
- Minimize work and relational stress.
- Eat on a regular food cycle, and reduce your caffeine and sugar addiction.
- Exercise (even moderate exercise and walking can help).
- Avoid negative people and self-talk.
- Take time for yourself (do something relaxing).
- Seek counsel or support for any traumatic experiences.
We now provide an Adrenal stress test in Lillys Pharmacy and Health store, for more information contact us here or call us on 01-6896819
