But for now, let's go back to the case of Mr Stress yelling his head off. At the end of this commotion things went "all back to normal" as the body "recovered
until the next stress".
Rest, recovery and replenishment is just soooo important everyone!!! Our ancestors must have faced huge challenges for example when they had to contend with a sabre tooth tiger and decide whether to "fight or flight" or when they had to walk for miles without food until they found a fertile plain. Cortisol prepared
them for doing this.
The difference is, our ancestors took the time to rest and recover and also ate a diet, rich in nutrients provided solely by Nature. No HPA Axis dysfunction for them!
These days however, we are faced with a lot more stress both physically and emotionally and this stress is usually of the chronic, underlying type niggling away
Busy lifestyles, stressful jobs, financial worry, illness, allergies and intolerances, menopause (the adrenals pick up the
production of cortisol once the ovaries shut down), worry about the future, a lack of sleep (and the fatigue resulting from that), over exercising, under eating, over eating of the quick release energy foods and stimulants such as sugar laden refined starch, cigarettes, drugs, excess coffee and booze etc.
We have to consider certain
major events in our lives like family deaths, divorce, major sickness, rough upbringings, even the health of our own mother during pregnancy... it all contributes along with how much we rest, how we deal with challenges and how much of a wholesome diet we eat as to the extent our adrenals have been put under stress.
The 3 Stages of Adrenal Fatigue (all happening over months and years, at various lengths and often overlapping)
Stage 1).The first stage of adrenal stress is known as the ‘adaptation phase’. In this
state, you will have elevated cortisol levels, you won’t get sick very easily, you may even lose weight due to the adrenal glands releasing sugar stores for use by the muscles. In short you are ‘busy and getting stuff done’. This state will have minimal impact on the body if it only lasts for a couple of weeks, e.g. completing a work project etc. Cortisol is necessary after all - it keeps us strong, alert and able to face up to the challenges in life.
However, if this phase (high cortisol) continues for a long period of time with little or no chance for recovery via rest, you will inevitably enter the next phase sooner or later largely dependent on your genetic disposition.
Stage 2).‘Adrenal fatigue’. When the adrenal glands are
fatigued, it literally means they are running out of steam and resources. You are relying more on adrenaline now in times of stress and you will favour being busy as you find it hard to relax, due to feeling ‘wired but tired'. You will also be more likely to get sick on weekends or on holidays now because when you relax, the usually high adrenaline lowers which leaves the immune system less suppressed and open to more bugs and infections. So insomnia, poor immunity, digestive issues,
bowel function problems, allergies, intolerances, autoimmune conditions and many other conditions you never had any signs of before, but are genetically susceptible to, may also arise here. Of course, these cause more inflammation and stress and the cycle continues.....
It is also at this point that the human body starts to favour stress
hormone production over sex hormone production. More of the raw materials necessary for hormone synthesis are invested in the production of cortisol, rather than other hormones necessary for balance - so we are also looking at a decline in testosterone, oestrogen and progesterone levels - therefore a rise in fertility issues and other hormonal imbalances such as bad menopause and thyroid issues. After all , why would the body want to worry about making babies or keeping trim when stress is
rife.! It needs to hold on to what it can! Just as it will hold on to fat also.........
People find they store more fat around the middle also because this is the place where the energy is more readily available for the liver to convert to energy in times of stress and that seems to be quite often. Really, our bodies are
only trying to help us survive in a stressful world when it comes to fat storage around the middle.
On the subject of fat around the middle, many ladies find that their waists also widen dramatically when menopause hits... this may be because the adrenal glands have taken over the production of oestrogen from the ovaries, so that's another
demand. Oestrogen is also protective for the bones (helps with the absorption of calcium), so , yep, again the ol' body is only trying to help us! With this in mind, fat gain should be expected over the menopause, however, it needs to be around the hips and boobs rather than around the waist. Stress is what makes it primarily store around the middle as opposed to a more even distribution.
Stage 3). Adrenal Exhaustion - cortisol reserves are almost out. Sufferers have had to leave jobs from nervous breakdown and burnout. They are basically flat liners on the Adrenal Stress Profiles (figure 1), from the moment they wake up, cortisol levels are low where they are supposed to be high in the morning gradually tapering off throughout the day . They have barely enough energy to get out of bed. This is
often seen in states of severe depression, CFS, (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome), ME and Fibromyalgia and in this case, as a nutritional therapist I go straight for adrenal support. I will cover more on adrenal support in an upcoming email.
According to the Mayo Clinic up to 80% of adults have adrenal fatigue at some point in their lives. Have a
look at their list of symptoms and see how they relate to this email today and also, if you can relate to any of them. Maybe it's time you took a step away from the over busy world out there, addressed any underlying issues (emotional and physical), gave yourself plenty of rest and relaxation, good food (reduced alcohol!, skipped military boot camp and adopted a exercise program that suited to your needs.
.
- Fatigue, lethargy:
- Difficulties getting up in the morning.
- Lack of energy in the mornings, and also in the afternoon between 3 and 5 pm.
- Often feel tired between 9 and 10 pm, but resist going to bed.
- Sleep difficulties.
- Difficulty concentrating or remembering (brain fog).
- Need coffee or stimulants to get going in the morning.
- Feel better suddenly for a brief period after a meal.
- Cravings for salty, fatty, and high protein food such as meat and cheese.
- Lowered blood pressure and blood
sugar.
- Lightheadedness (including dizziness and fainting) when rising from a sitting or lying-down position.
- High frequency of getting the flu and other respiratory diseases -- plus a tendency for them to last longer than usual.
- Tendency to tremble when under pressure.
- Pain in the upper back or neck with no
apparent reason.
- Increased symptoms of PMS for women; periods are heavy and then stop, or are almost stopped on the 4th day, only to start flow again on the 5th or 6th day.
- Reduced sex drive -- particularly in women.
- Tendency to gain weight and unable to lose it, especially around the waist.
Just
as we have to be in tune with our bodies whilst exercising and making nutrition changes, being acutely aware of the subtle messages our bodies send us is a game changer!
Stay relaxed and be one step ahead,
Kim
IMPORTANT: We have had feedback that some of you don't receive these every day. We do send them daily so please note that your spam filter may block emails where we have put in links. Easiest way round this is to add this email address to your contacts and, if possible check your spam folder and mark as not spam.
We will never send anything that
we don't deem as valuable and useful!
