Adrenal Health 101

If you?re tired, stressed, overwhelmed, anxious, have brain fog, difficulty concentrating or have a hard time getting to sleep or staying asleep, chances are your adrenal system is working overtime.

This is something I?ve struggled with for most of my life. I love being productive and pushing myself to get things done. It makes me feel good to check things off my (way too long) to-do list.

But there?s a price to pay if we don?t take the time to restore our energy. We may experience some or all of the symptoms I mentioned above. Which is not a good feeling. At its worst, we can become so debilitated that even something as simple as picking out what to wear can be incredibly difficult.

Let?s start with the basics.

What are adrenal glands and where are they located? More importantly, why should you care?

Your adrenal glands play a critical role in maintaining your health. They?re incredibly small, about the size and weight of a coin and are located above your kidneys, just below the muscle tissue of your lower back.

What exactly do adrenal glands do?

Our adrenal glands are responsible for many things that assist in regulating our body and hormones, including thyroid and reproductive hormones. They?re also responsible for managing stress, the amount of inflammation in our body, our immune system, blood sugar levels and the electrolytes in our blood. They influence all the physiological functions and processes of the body and help stave off physical fatigue.

Signs your adrenal health isn?t the greatest

When there?s something wrong with our body, it starts to signal us that something needs to be addressed. Here?s how your adrenal glands will signal you that something is wrong:

1. Your blood sugar level will either drop or spike suddenly.
2. Your hormones will be all over the place. One moment you are happy and the other moment you will find yourself crying over something that normally wouldn?t bother you all that much.
3. You get sick more often because your immune system will not function properly without healthy adrenal glands.
4. You?ll be stressed out and you?ll have a hard time managing your stress levels.
5. Your sex drive will decrease. This is NOT normal. Libido doesn?t just go down because you?re getting older or it?s hereditary.
6. It?ll be hard to complete your daily tasks because those tasks will require a lot more effort than usual.
7. It?ll be hard to keep yourself awake even if you know that you need to sacrifice sleep for a very important task.
8. You?ll constantly crave food, mostly salty/crunchy and savory foods, and it?ll be hard you satisfy these cravings. You?ll find yourself craving them more even if you?ve just eaten something.
9. Your body will take longer to heal properly.
10. You?ll have a hard time finding happiness or excitement in tasks and hobbies that you enjoyed before.
11. You may find yourself skipping meals.

How to improve your adrenal health

If you suspect your adrenal glands may need some care and attention, try some of the following tips.

1. Get your sleep schedule in sync: Make sure that you get quality sleep for 9 to 10 hours. Sleep and wake up at the same times to get your body in a rhythm. It needs to follow a routine to start to heal.

2. Daily exercise: Set aside at least 30 minutes a day for exercise, no matter how busy or tired you may be. Do something you love so it won?t seem like a chore.

3. Add these to your diet: To improve your adrenal health, add proteins, healthy carbs, zinc, calcium, and vitamins (especially C and D) to your diet. Also increase foods like coconuts, avocados, olives, chia seeds, bone broth, nuts, vegetables and fish, but make sure you do all of this in moderation.

If you would like to learn more about how you can get your adrenals back on track just click here for a complimentary Discovery Session.