Yesterday a patient asked me if I thought she might have adrenal fatigue. Her friend had mentioned it when they were discussing their health and she wondered what type of symptoms are caused by adrenal fatigue.
This is such a common question and, in our culture, a very common state of being. Lets rewind and explore the historical aspect of adrenal fatigue; our lifestyle has evolved faster than our bodies. We no longer have to spend our days hunting or gathering for our next meal, putting ourselves between tiger and snake in order to find food, this is the type of stress that our 'fight our flight' response was designed for. Fast forward to now; our rush, rush, rush lifestyles, long days, no time for sleep, worries about finances, work, spouses, children, etc. causes us a different type or stress. The stresses of today are usually not life threatening, but they still engage the same 'fight or flight' response. Unfortunately, this builds up, our hormones levels rise (particularly cortisol), and we begin to develop a resistance to them. This becomes a vicious cycle, building up resistance causes the body to release more hormones in order to get the actions it requires.
High cortisol can cause weight gain, insomnia, anxiety, pain, infertility, fatigue, erectile disfunction and so much more. Here are a few things you can do that will make a big impact and assist in lowering your cortisol levels.
Eat a high protein low carb breakfast within an hour of waking up everyday
Eat only whole grains at lunch and dinner (this means you open the bag and poor the whole grain into the pot and cook it, barely, brown rice, quinoa, etc.)
Put away screens 30 minutes before bed and commit 8 hours to sleep
Cut out any caffeine after noon
Walk 30 min 3-4 times per day and hike for 3 hours one time per month
Take a multivitamin with B, D, and fish oils
Read the book Adrenal Reset Diet by Dr. Christianson
Get acupuncture to regulate hormones