Talking about adrenal fatigue, what it is, and some of the best foods to help with adrenal fatigue.

Hi friends! How’s the day going so far? I hope you’re having a great one! Today, I wanted to chat a bit about adrenal fatigue. It’s a huge topic and something that’s near to my heart because I suffered from chronic stress for many years. I couldn’t figure out why my hair was falling out, I was exhausted all of the time, and my hormones were out of whack. A huge contributing factor: stress. Stress affects so many processes and systems in the body and can take its toll.

Please keep in mind that this post is not medical advice and not intended to diagnose, prevent, treat, or cure any disease or illness. I’m just sharing some of my own experience, some things I’ve learned, and things that may help in general for a healthy lifestyle. 😉 If you have questions, as always, talk to your doctor. I am not a doctor (obviously).

What is adrenal fatigue?

There’s some debate about adrenal fatigue (more below), but it’s something that affects a lot of women, which can lead to hormone imbalances and poor health. Adrenal fatigue can occur when you are under chronic fatigue for a sustained amount of time.

Your adrenal glands sit on top of your kidneys (like a lil hat), and produce a variety of hormones, including cortisol. Cortisol is our “get up and go” hormone, which helps us to wake up in the morning, respond to stressors, and take action. Cortisol is often blamed for a lot of things, but it can actually be a good thing when it’s secreted in the appropriate times.

When you’re under chronic stress, it can deplete the adrenal glands’ ability to produce cortisol. This is why high cortisol eventually becomes low cortisol; the adrenals can no longer keep up with the demand and burn out. It can also cause them to produce cortisol in the inappropriate times, like late at night (which can lead to feeling “tired and wired” before bed) or in the middle of the night (when you wake up in a panic or stressed and can’t go back to sleep).

It can lead to symptoms that include:

– Poor mood

– Fatigue

– Brain fog

– Sugar or salt cravings

– Poor healing and recovery from illness and workouts

– Sleep disturbances

– Inability to fall asleep

and so much more.

You may hear people say that adrenal fatigue isn’t real because it isn’t thoroughly backed by science. But, there’s a huge problem with people feeling constantly stressed and exhausted. There’s also a chance that the things you’re experiencing could be due to HPA axis dysfunction: when the signals between your brain, pituitary gland, and adrenals get mixed up due to chronic stress.

Even if the adrenals are functioning properly and you’re under a huge amount of stress that’s affecting your daily life, it’s worth it making some lifestyle changes that can help your body deal with the chronic stress. 

Your body under stress:

Read more