The way our body reacts to changes in condition is greatly influenced by the adrenals in the body. If you are having trouble feeling energized even though you’re getting enough sleep every day, or you keep wanting to eat savory foods and feeling hungry all the time, your adrenal glands may be slowing your body down more than they should.
The condition is now known as adrenal fatigue. What is adrenal fatigue exactly? How does it affect you? We are going to answer these questions in this article.
What is Adrenal Fatigue?
Adrenal fatigue is a relatively new term. It was introduced by James Wilson, PhD, a neuropath, in 1998. In simple terms, adrenal fatigue is the condition where you show signs of low adrenal glands function, including constant tiredness and lower body metabolism.
Adrenal fatigue is said to be difficult to diagnose, but the symptoms are clear and the term itself explains a condition that used to have no explanation. There are also several known things that usually cause adrenal fatigue, with intense stress and a change in routine being the most common causes of them all.
The adrenal glands produce a hormone called cortisol to deal with stress. When you suffer from long-term stress, however, the adrenal glands may no longer have the ability to produce as much cortisol after a while. This lead to lower function of adrenal glands and the symptoms that follow.
How Does Adrenal Fatigue Affect You?
The symptoms of adrenal fatigue can be very limiting. At first, you start feeling hungry more frequently than normal. You tend to go for salty food, especially food items with a lot of fat and protein. This worsens the symptoms further, because the body cannot process high-fat, high-protein intake all the time.
The adrenal glands will also produce less cortisol, leading to worn-out feel you get most of the time. Feeling tired all the time has a big impact on your concentration and your ability to solve problems or think critically. It doesn’t take long before adrenal fatigue starts to affect your effectiveness at work.
If left untreated, adrenal fatigue can also show worse symptoms. You’ll start feeling more and more stressed, even though you have nothing to worry about. The cycle continues in a vicious way from there.
How Can I Treat Adrenal Fatigue?
Dealing with the source of the problem, the things that made you stressed in the first place, is the perfect way to start dealing with adrenal fatigue. According to Dr. Alan Christianson and recoveryourhealthtoday.com, making small adjustments to your diet also helps alleviate the symptoms effectively.
You want to consume more vitamin C, vitamins B5, B6, and B12, and of course magnesium. Going on a low-sugar, low-caffeine diet is also a great thing to do when you’re experiencing the symptoms of adrenal fatigue.
There are several herbal supplements to help deal with adrenal fatigue too. Now that you know what adrenal fatigue is, how it affects you, and the best ways to treat it, you can take the necessary steps to alleviate the symptoms and regain control of your body and life.
