Chronic Exhaustion + Adrenal Fatigue
Adrenal fatigue is fast becoming the most common issue that I see as a Naturopath in clinic Modern life offers us many perks, but one of the downfalls is that collectively, our health is suffering – and so often, this is simply from burning the candle at both ends, being too busy and never slowing down, always saying ‘yes’ It much more accepted (and expected) that we just keeping pushing, keep going, that we often don’t have time to balance this with adequate rest, it eventually must take its toll. And it does... physically, mentally and spiritually. Often these symptoms are seen as ‘normal’ and brushed off.. Signs and symptoms your bodies way of speaking to you, letting you know that something needs to change. It’s not normal to feel chronically exhausted, all the time.
Sure, we all have busy periods in life where we get rundown. These times can vary in length, and sometimes it’s just a phase of life that needs to be passed through before much can change (such as early motherhood).
But when you’re health starts to slip, when you’re snappy, irritable, and rundown, tired, but wired and buzzing with anxiety on the inside, you can be fairly sure that your adrenal function, and stress hormones, are having something to do with it. Eventually you can not sustain this level of pressure on the body and Chronic exhaustion sets in and commonly results in adrenal fatigue. So if you find your self dragging your self out of bed in the morning, can’t sleep at night, exhausted all day, snappy, relying on stimulants such as coffee, sugar and alcohol to keep up going, it’s time to give your adrenals a much needed break. Slow down and breath. Breathing techniques and meditation are a powerful tool to bring the body back into parasympathetic nervous system control. Say no! Stoping saying yes to things that you don’t really want to do! Stop people pleasing others and put your self first. Enjoy proper nutrition, eating regular home cooked meals, avoid take away and limit coffee intake. Stop and rest. Enjoy silence. Put down your phone and switch off. Especially before bed, and don’t grab your phone and start scrolling as soon as you wake. Instead when you wake go stand in front of a window with the morning sun to help retrain your natural cortisol production. Relax with some nourishing adaptogenic herbal medicine to restore and support the adrenal glands. Move. Exercise regularly. But don’t over do it. . Me time. Go and do it. Get a massage, read a book, take a bath. And start giving back to your body and looking after yourself :)
