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Thursday, February 9, 2017

Are you TIRED all the time? It could be ADRENAL FATIGUE

If you struggle with fatigue - you are stressed, anxious, or have trouble with concentration, poor memory, thyroid issues, losing weight, you may have Adrenal Fatigue. This is one of the most common health issues. Adrenal fatigue is still not diagnosed by most doctors until it becomes Addison's disease, the last stage of adrenal fatigue. Most fatigue problems and adrenal insufficiency come from issues with the adrenal glands.

What is Adrenal Fatigue?

Adrenal fatigue is characterized as a feeling of weakness and constant fatigue, regardless of how many hours you sleep or rest. Drinking several cups of coffee or tea will not yield any improvement in sleepiness, and sometimes you will feel even more tired after these caffeinated drinks.
Many people who consider themselves night owls (someone who is more active in the evening or at night) may actually have adrenal fatigue.
Chronic stress and traumatic life experiences can cause issues with adrenal control. Adrenal glands pump out the hormones aldosterone and cortisol, which regulate electrolyte balance (managing fluid retention and body weight, helping you sleep and concentrate, giving you sex drive, etc.). For those with adrenal fatigue, their hormone levels are typically lower than normal.

Adrenal glands are responsible for balancing the following hormones:
  • Glucocorticoids are responsible for energy and food metabolism, balancing the body’s blood sugar, helping with stress, and managing your immune response.
  • Mineralocorticoids maintain healthy blood pressure and manage blood hydration level.
  • Sex Hormones such as estrogen and androgens.
  • Adrenaline affects your heart health and aids in supplying your whole body with enough blood. It also helps the liver convert glycogen into glucose.


The list of symptoms for Adrenal Fatigue is quite long and might surprise you. If you have experienced more than three of these symptoms, that may be a sign that you suffer from Adrenal Fatigue.

  • Fatigue and weakness just after waking up, despite long hours of sleep
  • Troubles with falling asleep despite tiredness
  • Getting up in the middle of the night
  • Troubles waking up in the morning
  • Depending on stimulants such as coffee or tea
  • Low libido, lack of sex drive
  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Panic attacks
  • Irritability
  • Problems with memory and concentration
  • Decreased ability to handle stress and more often feeling stressed
  • Feeling exhausted and overwhelmed
  • Dizziness, light-headedness when standing up too quickly
  • Afternoon tiredness (between 3-5.00 PM)
  • Evening tiredness (between 8-9.00 PM) and later boost of energy
  • Feeling energetic just after the training but exhausted one hour later
  • Muscle and joints pain
  • Loss of muscle mass
  • Low blood pressure
  • Increased craving, especially for fatty and salty foods
  • Overuse of sugar, coffee, tea or other energy drinks
  • Shortness of breath
  • Numbness and tingling of limbs
  • Osteoporosis
  • Cold hands and foot
  • Low temperature of body
  • Dry skin
  • Hair loss
  • Dark circles under the eyes
  • Constipation
  • Slower metabolism
  • Increased urination
  • Hormonal dysregulation
  • Hypoglycaemia
  • Endometriosis
  • Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
  • Uterine fibroids
  • Breats fibroids, lumps, cysts
  • Breast cancer as a result of increased estrogens
  • Premature menopause
  • Irregular and painful menstrual cycles
  • Recurrent miscarriages
  • Autoimmune diseases, Graves Basedow disease and Hashimoto disease
  • Problems with fructose tolerance (FODMAP)
  • Gastritis
  • Abdominal obesity

What are the causes of Adrenal Fatigue?

The most common reasons are our hectic, modern lifestyle and chronic stress. Though adrenal glands are meant to help our body cope with stress, overusing them can easily destroy your health. Emotional stress, especially over long periods (months, years), or certain trauma can lead to adrenal burnout through intensified secretion of adrenal hormones. This can leave you feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, and burned out.

Other possible causes of Adrenal Fatigue include:
  • overuse of caffeine and other stimulants, including drugs
  • alcohol dependence or overindulgence
  • poor sleep patterns (working until late and pushing yourself despite feeling exhausted),
  • exposure to artificial, blue light (LEDs, TV, Computer Screens, Smartphones, etc.),
  • poor diet, too much processed food,
  • over-exercising or a lack of exercise,
  • exposure to environmental pollution (air, water),
  • chronic stress at work or family problems.

How to heal Adrenal Fatigue?

There is no magic pill that will heal adrenal fatigue overnight. It usually takes anywhere from 6 months to 2 years to return your body to its natural state. This might seem surprising but consider that adrenal fatigue may have developed over the course of several years. It's not only necessary to fix your dietary habits, but also your lifestyle
Treatment involves reducing stress on your body and your mind. You will need to eliminate toxins, avoid stress and negative thinking, and, most importantly, replenish your body with healthy and wholesome food and a positive mindset.
To heal Adrenal Fatigue naturally I have prepared some helpful tips for you below, based on my own experience and knowledge. You will feel better and will help set a foundation for a healthy life.

Steps to Heal Adrenal Fatigue

1. Remember the 8-8-8 Rule

8-8-8 stands for 8 hours of work8 hours of rest and 8 hours of sleep. Remember that 8 hours of sleep is the minimum amount you should get every night, so try to be in bed before 10 PM. It's vitally important that you keep the same sleep schedule every night, otherwise falling asleep and waking up become even more difficult.

2. Don't Worry!

This simple technique has helped me so many times. If you take nothing else away from this article, at least make the effort to stop worrying so much. Try it, you'll love it!

Remind yourself every time you start to stress out or worry that it's unnecessary! If you start to overreact, ask yourself one question: does this help me? If not then: stop, start a deep breathing exercise, and try to calm yourself down. We tend to stress and worry about things in our life we don't have any control over. All this worrying makes it impossible to think straight! It makes everything worse.

3. Avoid blue light 3-4 hours before bedtime
3 to 4 hours before bedtime, stop watching TV, working on your computer, and put away your smartphone. The screens on these devices generate blue light, which causes the brain to think that it's the middle of the day. This disrupts the production of melatonin, which is essential for regenerative sleep and rest. If you want to avoid blue light you can also use special blue light blocking glasses - either from your optometrist or from Amazon.

4. Don't over-exercise
Now this might sound ridiculous, because "exercise is good for you", right? It turns out if you suffer from Adrenal Fatigue then heavy exercise might actually make it worse. Light exercise such as walking, yoga, and cycling (in small amounts) can help repair your adrenal glands without wearing them out.

5. Get outside!
Whenever possible, exercise and spend time outdoors - not only has this been clinically proven to improve your moodcreativity, and focus, but being in the sun is the best way to increase your Vitamin D levels. Many of us are deficient in Vitamin D with the overuse of sunscreen and most of our working hours spent inside with fluorescent lights (yuck!). You can also increase your Vitamin D levels with a supplement such as this one: Vitamin D3+K2 Thorne

6. Rest and relax
We often feel bad taking a break or doing something "unproductive." Others judge us and often we judge ourselves. We don't want to be considered lazy. We are so selfish trying to be selfless that we don't give ourselves enough of what we deserve. If we don't take care of ourselves first, we don't feel good. We become upset and, ultimately, we become unproductive. Don't feel bad for taking a break or sleeping longer than usual. If you feel like you need it, then it's good for you!

And most importantly: be good to yourself :)

Adrenal Fatigue Healing Diet

Foods to avoid:

1. Coffee and other stimulants
Caffeine makes it hard for your adrenals to recover and disrupts your natural sleep cycle. If you must drink coffee or any caffeinated beverage, then have a limited amount before 2 pm. If you drink coffee only because you like the taste of it then try Mount Hagen decaf coffee - it tastes amazing and doesn't have the profound side effects that regular coffee does.

2. Simple Carbohydrates
Avoid food high in refined sugars and grains. You can swap refined sugar for coconut sugar which has low glycemic index and doesn't cause spikes in your blood sugar. Grain is a filler used in grain-based feeds to fatten up cows and other animals. It's not as nutritious as other foods, but it is high in simple carbohydrates, which cause spikes in your blood sugar and inflammation in the body. Be sure to eat plenty of vegetables and other complex carbohydrates which the body needs for optimal nutrition and maintaining energy through the day.

3. Hydrogenated Oils
Hydrogenated oils like soybean, canola, and mixed vegetable oil can cause inflammation in the body and drain our adrenals. Use only healthy fats such as avocado oil, coconut oilextra virgin olive oil, grass-fed butter (such as Kerrygold) and ghee.

4. Processed food

5. Alcohol

Healthy Habits to Heal Adrenal Fatigue

1. Drink at least 8 cups of water a day
Your body is made out of 65% water. We often forget to drink enough water because we only get thirsty once we are already dehydrated. Drinking coffee or tea dehydrates your body so you need to drink more pure water to make it up for it. Sometimes you can add a little bit of natural sea salt or himalayan salt into your water will help you feel better.

2. Don't be afraid of salt
If you suffer from Adrenal Fatigue, avoid iodized salt at all costs. Instead, be sure to use natural himalayan salt to help regenerate your adrenals. It contains over 60 minerals which are crucial for body to function properly. Himalayan salt also helps regular Aldosterone, the hormone released by the adrenal glands in response to blood sodium concentrations.

3. Regular eating
Adrenal Fatigue sufferers struggle to maintain optimal blood sugar levels throughout the day, because cortisol is involved in keeping blood sugar stable. Focus on eating a lot of small meals throughout the day. This will not only reduce food cravings but also blood sugar crashes.
Eating regularly reduces bad cholesterol (LDL) and resistance to insulin.

4. Healthy fats
Start incorporating healthy fats into your diet. Avocados, coconut oilextra virgin olive oil, organic butter, ghee, avocado oil, olives, nuts, seeds, and wild-caught fish. It will not only help you absorb vitamins (A, D, E, K) better but will also balance your hormones and cravings.

6. Protein for breakfast
For breakfast you should be eating a high quality source of protein and fat combined with a small amount of high quality complex carbohydrates. For example, vegetable omelet cooked in ghee or two poached eggs with grass-fed butter and blueberries. This will support your adrenals throughout the day.

7. Vitamins and minerals
People who suffer from adrenal fatigue usually have vitamin and mineral deficiencies. To support your adrenals, add berry/acerola powder (or other natural vitamin C supplement) to your diet. You might also benefit from taking a super greens powder regularly, make sure it's food based! Indian herbs such as ashwagandha, saffron, turmeric, and ceylon cinnamon add trace minerals back to your body that are necessary for good health.

Healing Supplements for Adrenal Fatigue

2. Vitamin B Complex (B5, B6 and B12 + folic acid are crucial for adrenals)
6. Probiotics (at least 50 billion per day to support healthy gut flora)
8. Tulsi/Holy Basil (in form of capsules or tea)

Don't give up if you don't  experience immediate results. Recovery from Adrenal Fatigue can take longer than you might expect. Getting to the point of fatigue takes months or years to wear out your adrenals. For full adrenal recovery, expect to wait 6 months (for minor adrenal fatigue) up to 24 months (for severe adrenal fatigue).

If you have any questions or want a personalized consultation you can use my page to sign up for an individual recommendation from me!

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1 comment

  1. You look a fountain Angel in that photo :) Such a cute nose :P