We have all heard of the phrase adrenal fatigue, but do we really know what that is or how it comes about? Gaining weight around your belly has been said to be a classical sign of adrenal fatigue because if you have excess adrenal hormones they go straight to your waistline. It's fascinating that the majority of people including doctors don't recognize warning signs of adrenal fatigue until it's too late. This paper will therefore discuss what is adrenal fatigue, its causes and signs, and ways to treat it.
What’s more fascinating is that the enormous energy fluctuations one feels with the constant slumps and dips are our body screaming at us that our adrenals are really struggling and if nothing is done they will end up in fatigue. So what really causes adrenal fatigue/ heard of stress? The phrase we have made our daily mantras? Yes, that one causes adrenal fatigue. This stress could be physical, emotional, chemical, spiritual, or dietary. So once any of these stresses kicks in, we end up in adrenal fatigue which amazingly has phases too. There is the on high alert phase which simply means our hormones are elevated to meet certain deadlines which after they are done, we feel more worn out than usual. Then there is the tired but wired phase, where we are under chronic stress forcing cortisol to steal other hormones. in this phase we get things to keep us going. So you see that coffee or tea you keep drinking boosts your flagging energy levels? That may be because you are in this phase. Then comes the burnout phase, here it simply means your body is now cortisol resistant. The hormone therefore no longer peaks in the morning or lower in the evening.
So one may wonder what the signs of adrenal fatigue are. Good, because they are many and include; tummy fat accumulation around the waistline. That doesn't necessarily mean you are eating well, it might be your adrenals screaming for attention. You tried but can't fall asleep? That's another sign of adrenal fatigue, but again once you get to step you have to drag yourself from bed is yet another prime sign. What about when you are exercising hard but can't seem to lose weight or tone your body? That could be another sign of adrenal fatigue.
I guess you are wondering how can one test for adrenal fatigue then? It can be tricky, yes but that doesn't mean it can be done. The use of urine and saliva is a far more accurate way of testing for cortisol levels. So here are the two tests you can try; the DUTCH test and the iris test but I won't bother you with the complicated details but just know good tests are the ones that test cortisol levels around four times over the course of the day.
Let's now turn our attention to how we can treat adrenal fatigue and break the cycle. Let's start with the one that seems the easiest but most people have a challenge doing it, get enough sleep. Sounds easy right? Enough sleep means 8 to 10 hours of uninterrupted sleep which can only be achieved by setting healthy sleep habits. Another treatment is by following an adrenal fatigue diet. What I mean by this is; regular meals, the right food for your body, reducing sugar intakes, heavy breakfast and don't live on caffeine. Other treatments include finding the root cause of your stress, exercising smart and not hard, and most importantly become a pleasure seeker! Yes. I'm telling you to go to that movie, listen to music, and orgasm on a regular basis.