Understanding And Overcoming Adrenal Fatigue
The straightforward, relaxed lifestyle that our ancestors were familiar with live don't exists.
We're so used to our current routines that people don't even realize how much stress we put ourselves through on a regular basis.
The concern is that our lifestyles have changed drastically, but our physical structures haven't.
Most the world human population is tired, stressed, or just plain exhausted, and not 100% sure why.
Could it be that people as a population neglect to pay attention to one of the most important hormone producing glands in our body, as a consequence we are suffering for it? The adrenals play a serious role in your body, secreting more than 50 hormones essential for life, including epinephrine (adrenaline), cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), progesterone and testosterone.
Because they produce a great number of essential hormones, the adrenal glands are responsible for a number of the functions we must stay alive and healthy.
They play a vital role in things that include: • Energy production - protein, fat and carbohydrate conversion into blood glucose • Fluid and electrolyte balance • Fat storage One hormone specifically, cortisol, is really important for keeping your body systems in balance, as well as protecting our cells.
It controls the potency of the body's defence mechanism, It normalizes blood sugar level and It regulates blood pressure level.
An excessive amount cortisol weakens the disease fighting capability, setting the path for increased vulnerability to infections and cancer, while too little cortisol can cause an overactive immune mechanism and autoimmune disease.
These tiny glands work along with other hormones and systems like a finely tuned machine to maintain our bodies in tip-top shape and functioning at full capacity.
However one part stops working, as an example what happens after menopause for women and andropause for guys, the adrenals have to pick-up the slack by producing larger levels of sex hormones.
Unfortunately, the adrenal glands' health is contradictory.
As being the manufacturer of adrenaline, they are the "stress glands," but they are also the first glands to fail during prolonged or intense periods of stress.
The trouble with stress is that it is cumulative, in the sense that their impact tends to mount up in the body with time until your adrenal glands and in all likelihood your state of mind just can't handle anymore.
As cheesy as it sounds to use, I use the phrase "breaking the camel's back,".
Many people refer to the time when the "camel's back" finally breaks as a "nervous breakdown.
" However, it's not the nerves deteriorating, it's the adrenal glands.
A "nervous breakdown" is in fact adrenal fatigue, or when the adrenals can't deal with the amount of stress they're given.
Adrenal fatigue used to be rare, but has become too common because of our not enough relaxation along with other lifestyle factors, for instance smoking, difficulty in sleeping, poor eating plan and excessive by using caffeine, along with allergies (food & others).
Diagnosing Adrenal Fatigue Doctors don't often diagnose this issue.
Why don't doctors recognize adrenal fatigue? In school of medicine, they're only taught to consider extreme adrenal failure -- Addison's Disease, which takes place when the glands produce much too little cortisol, and Cushing's Syndrome, which is due to excessive cortisol production.
They check adrenal function by testing ACTH levels, using a bell curve to identify abnormal levels.
This is where the challenge occurs.
ACTH tests only think about the top and bottom 2 percent on the curve abnormal, yet warning signs of adrenal malfunction occur after Fifteen percent of the norm on both sides of the curve.
This means that, your adrenal glands can be functioning Twenty percent below the norm and the rest of one's body experiencing the signs of adrenal fatigue, yet most mainstream physicians won't understand that there is a problem.
Signs and symptoms of Adrenal Fatigue • Morning fatigue -- You no longer really seem to "wake up" until 10 a.
m.
, regardless of whether you've been awake since 7 a.
m.
• Afternoon "low" (feelings of sleepiness or clouded thinking) from 2 to 4 p.
m.
• Burst of energy at 6 p.
m.
-- You at long last feel better from your afternoon lull.
• Sleepiness at 9 to 10 p.
m.
-- However, you resist going to sleep.
• "Second wind" at 11 p.
m.
that lasts until about 1 a.
m.
, once you finally get to sleep.
• Cravings for foods elevated in salt and fat • Increased PMS or menopausal symptoms • Mild depression • Lack of energy • Decreased capacity to handle stress • Muscular weakness • Increased allergies • Lightheadedness when standing up from a sitting or laying down position • Decreased libido • Frequent sighing • Inability to handle foods rich in potassium or carbohydrates unless they're merged with fats and protein Though the ACTH laboratory exam doesn't effectively test for adrenal fatigue, a salivary cortisol test can.
You don't need a prescription for the exam.
In fact, you may even buy the test online, do it at home and send in your sample to a lab for the results.
It is also covered by Plan B Medicare.
If you don't have insurance, don't worry this non-invasive test is also very reasonably priced.
Actions to relieve Adrenal Fatigue Below are a few easy ideas to follow: • Lying down on your work breaks (preferably at 10 a.
m.
and again anytime from 3 to 5 p.
m.
) • Sleeping until 9 a.
m.
as frequently as you possibly can • Laughing • Exercising • Minimizing stress • Taking negative people out of your life • Eating regular meals • Taking B-complex supplements that are high in B6 and pantothenic acid • Adding licorice root extract to your nutritional supplement regimen
We're so used to our current routines that people don't even realize how much stress we put ourselves through on a regular basis.
The concern is that our lifestyles have changed drastically, but our physical structures haven't.
Most the world human population is tired, stressed, or just plain exhausted, and not 100% sure why.
Could it be that people as a population neglect to pay attention to one of the most important hormone producing glands in our body, as a consequence we are suffering for it? The adrenals play a serious role in your body, secreting more than 50 hormones essential for life, including epinephrine (adrenaline), cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), progesterone and testosterone.
Because they produce a great number of essential hormones, the adrenal glands are responsible for a number of the functions we must stay alive and healthy.
They play a vital role in things that include: • Energy production - protein, fat and carbohydrate conversion into blood glucose • Fluid and electrolyte balance • Fat storage One hormone specifically, cortisol, is really important for keeping your body systems in balance, as well as protecting our cells.
It controls the potency of the body's defence mechanism, It normalizes blood sugar level and It regulates blood pressure level.
An excessive amount cortisol weakens the disease fighting capability, setting the path for increased vulnerability to infections and cancer, while too little cortisol can cause an overactive immune mechanism and autoimmune disease.
These tiny glands work along with other hormones and systems like a finely tuned machine to maintain our bodies in tip-top shape and functioning at full capacity.
However one part stops working, as an example what happens after menopause for women and andropause for guys, the adrenals have to pick-up the slack by producing larger levels of sex hormones.
Unfortunately, the adrenal glands' health is contradictory.
As being the manufacturer of adrenaline, they are the "stress glands," but they are also the first glands to fail during prolonged or intense periods of stress.
The trouble with stress is that it is cumulative, in the sense that their impact tends to mount up in the body with time until your adrenal glands and in all likelihood your state of mind just can't handle anymore.
As cheesy as it sounds to use, I use the phrase "breaking the camel's back,".
Many people refer to the time when the "camel's back" finally breaks as a "nervous breakdown.
" However, it's not the nerves deteriorating, it's the adrenal glands.
A "nervous breakdown" is in fact adrenal fatigue, or when the adrenals can't deal with the amount of stress they're given.
Adrenal fatigue used to be rare, but has become too common because of our not enough relaxation along with other lifestyle factors, for instance smoking, difficulty in sleeping, poor eating plan and excessive by using caffeine, along with allergies (food & others).
Diagnosing Adrenal Fatigue Doctors don't often diagnose this issue.
Why don't doctors recognize adrenal fatigue? In school of medicine, they're only taught to consider extreme adrenal failure -- Addison's Disease, which takes place when the glands produce much too little cortisol, and Cushing's Syndrome, which is due to excessive cortisol production.
They check adrenal function by testing ACTH levels, using a bell curve to identify abnormal levels.
This is where the challenge occurs.
ACTH tests only think about the top and bottom 2 percent on the curve abnormal, yet warning signs of adrenal malfunction occur after Fifteen percent of the norm on both sides of the curve.
This means that, your adrenal glands can be functioning Twenty percent below the norm and the rest of one's body experiencing the signs of adrenal fatigue, yet most mainstream physicians won't understand that there is a problem.
Signs and symptoms of Adrenal Fatigue • Morning fatigue -- You no longer really seem to "wake up" until 10 a.
m.
, regardless of whether you've been awake since 7 a.
m.
• Afternoon "low" (feelings of sleepiness or clouded thinking) from 2 to 4 p.
m.
• Burst of energy at 6 p.
m.
-- You at long last feel better from your afternoon lull.
• Sleepiness at 9 to 10 p.
m.
-- However, you resist going to sleep.
• "Second wind" at 11 p.
m.
that lasts until about 1 a.
m.
, once you finally get to sleep.
• Cravings for foods elevated in salt and fat • Increased PMS or menopausal symptoms • Mild depression • Lack of energy • Decreased capacity to handle stress • Muscular weakness • Increased allergies • Lightheadedness when standing up from a sitting or laying down position • Decreased libido • Frequent sighing • Inability to handle foods rich in potassium or carbohydrates unless they're merged with fats and protein Though the ACTH laboratory exam doesn't effectively test for adrenal fatigue, a salivary cortisol test can.
You don't need a prescription for the exam.
In fact, you may even buy the test online, do it at home and send in your sample to a lab for the results.
It is also covered by Plan B Medicare.
If you don't have insurance, don't worry this non-invasive test is also very reasonably priced.
Actions to relieve Adrenal Fatigue Below are a few easy ideas to follow: • Lying down on your work breaks (preferably at 10 a.
m.
and again anytime from 3 to 5 p.
m.
) • Sleeping until 9 a.
m.
as frequently as you possibly can • Laughing • Exercising • Minimizing stress • Taking negative people out of your life • Eating regular meals • Taking B-complex supplements that are high in B6 and pantothenic acid • Adding licorice root extract to your nutritional supplement regimen
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