It seems that more and more people find themselves under stress that just never lets up. But that’s not good news where our endocrine system is concerned. Our adrenal glands are designed to act in response to acute stress – acute meaning short-lived situations. Stress today, however, is becoming chronic in nature. The response demanded of our adrenal glands from chronic or long-term stress overloads and overtaxes them until they simply wear out.
Stress – Not Just a Psychological State
We have all heard the buzz words – “stressed out,” “frazzled,” “anxious.” Those descriptions sound like fundamentally psychological conditions that affect the realm of mind and emotion, but what you may not realize is that the human body translates these mental states in physical terms. To understand this concept, take a step back to a time when our ancestors might have been faced with being chased by a bear or a wolf. In such a situation, our adrenal glands would snap into active “fight or flight” mode and release hormones such as adrenaline in order to give you extra strength and speed to handle the threat. After the threat passed, another hormone, cortisol, would be released and we would most likely feel extra hungry and seek out calorie-dense foods to replenish our spent reserves. Today, however, our stress is of the chronic type and often never goes away. As such, cortisol is constantly being released and we end up overeating and causing our adrenal glands to work overtime.
Dietary Causes of Adrenal Fatigue
An unhealthy diet can also cause adrenal fatigue. A diet that is high in sugar, refined carbohydrates, and processed foods is the main culprit of adrenal fatigue. These types of foods are easily broken down and digest very quickly. This fast digestion causes a spike in blood sugar. In turn, insulin is released to handle the increase in sugar. It sounds like everything is working as it should except that the human body isn’t designed for the levels of blood sugar that are brought on by these processed carbs. Instead, we are designed for foods that digest more slowly like animal protein, fruits, and vegetables. The release of too much insulin brings about a drop in blood sugar and a vicious cycle of eating more refined carbs to get blood sugar levels up again ensues. The process gets more complicated with the release of cortisol which is also involved in the regulation of blood sugar levels as well as stress. Suffice it to say that the adrenals are severely taxed by the hormonal ups and downs brought about by excess stress and poor dietary habits.
Obviously, changing your diet is one of the easiest things you can do to help your adrenal glands to function properly. In addition to only eating whole natural foods, it is important to learn how to handle everyday stress. Make sure to relax every day and learn some stress-relieving techniques like deep breathing and meditation. A daily exercise routine like walking or yoga is also good for your endocrine system.
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Thanks for this article. I suffer from this and its nothing to mess with. It can lead to health problems such as Meniere’s Disease. Lowering stress is so important. That is why I love Cathe’s Stretch Max. Its one of my most used dvds.
I believe I suffer from this as well and have been doing a lot of research for it. The sad part of it all is the lifestyle I am used to living consisting of intense exercise sessions and a strict diet have contributed to it. A need for perfection in every aspect of life is a precurser as well. I have always enjoyed my 60 minute sweat sessions with Cathe several times a week but found that I could not recover from them at all, I wasn’t getting any sleep at night and I had developed many physical problems along with anxiety. I have not yet accepted that I may have to give up my Cathe dvd’s for some time and find a less stressful source of exercise such as yoga or Tai Chi. I miss the shapely, defined muscles I had only a year ago. I have since divided all of my dvd’s into 15 min push-pull so that I only work each body part once a week and have cut my cardio down to 30 minutes of low intensity 5 times a week. I still get very sore and tired but it isn’t taking me 3 days to recover anymore. If anyone else has any suggestions, I would love to hear them. I have actually been looking for this information on other’s posts but did not find much. Would anyone recommend Cathe’s yoga dvd as being less strenuous?
@ Wendy – I have both Cathe yoga DVDs and find them much less strenuous than any cardio or weight workout. As a recovered perfectionist myself, I understand the anxiety caused by seeing all of the “things that need work” in my life. I used to dwell on the negative things that needed work, knowing that acheiving perfection was impossible, yet still trying to attain it. Eatting disorders, depression, anxiety were all I had gained. An excellent book helped me: When Your Best Isn’t Good Enough by Dr. Kevin Leman.
Your solution could be a psychological one. Something as simple changing your perspective to a more positive one such as focusing on what is great about you and how far you have come could relieve the pressures of perfection and decrease your stress. Or your solution may be a physical one such as decreasing your intensity of workouts and scheduling frequent recovery days/weeks to avoid overtraining (I take one day/week and one week off after every 12 weeks). However, you should also consider consulting a medical professional familiar with working with fitness enthusiasts. They may be able to give you a proper diagnosis and some practical help to get you back on the road to enjoying your sweat sessions again!
Thanks for your support Jennifer! The crazy thing about being a perfectionist is that I throw myself into trying not to be a perfectionist with the same perfectionist attituce. I find it funny that trying to reduce the stress in my life actually causes more stress because I don’t know how to slow down or do it any other way. I find myself researching ways to relax instead of just relaxing. It is going to take time to make it a happy habit. Thanks again.