Adrenal fatigue? Say what, now?
Tired and slow in the morning but so wired at night you can’t sleep? More often than not the culprit is adrenal fatigue. Your adrenals are two hard-working glands that sit on top of your kidneys. ‘Hard-working’ because their job is to manage stress in our bodies and let’s be honest -- when does stress ever really go away?
Careers, kids, romance drama, traffic, and our ever-connected world is to blame for constant background noise that stress creates in our bodies. Who doesn’t scan the headlines in the morning and then immediately start browsing for fallout shelters on Amazon? Anyone? Just me?
Because stress is nearly constant, adrenal fatigue has become a bit of buzzword in the health community, but it doesn’t mean it’s some made up extra-crunchy granola term that was invented by hippies. Stress creates an overproduction of the hormones adrenaline and cortisol in our bodies and that hormonal spike wreaks havoc on our bodies.
The increase in adrenaline is why is you can’t relax and get to sleep at night. Once you are asleep, you’re also less likely to stay that way as too much adrenaline will cause frequent night wakings. Too much cortisol in your system causes -- you guessed it! -- inflammation, one of our most popular but least favorite words at TruGardens. A spike in cortisol will deregulate your blood sugar and suppress your immune system.
When your blood sugar deregulates this means it rises and falls dramatically over a short period of time, as it does with people with diabetes. Low blood glucose will make you feel shaky and irritable. High blood glucose will make you dehydrated and can cause blurred vision and make you sick to your stomach.
These physical reactions to overtaxed adrenals are not to be taken lightly and, if severe, should be treated under the supervision of a healthcare professional. There are, however, a few small things you can do at home to give your adrenals a break and allow you to get better sleep for a better day.
Treating Adrenal Fatigue
Talk to a nutritionist about treatment and recovery plans for your adrenal glands. Approaches could include cutting out caffeine, refined carbs, and sugar. You can also try switching to smaller meals, not eating after 8, and putting yourself to bed without your iPhone.
In addition to these strategies, you can supplement your treatment with essential oils which have been shown to greatly reduce inflammation in your body and get your internal environment back to a healthy happy pH for all your glands and bits and pieces.
Here is our favorite essential oil blends for overly taxed adrenals:
- TruGardens Energy Synergy Blend. Unfortunately, one of the first lifestyle changes a nutritionist will suggest when treating your adrenals is that you greatly reduce or eliminate your caffeine intake. Getting over the morning hump can be easier with this energizing blend of cinnamon bark, eucalyptus, ginger, grapefruit, juniper berry, lemon, lemongrass and lime for the ultimate boost (...outside of espresso…). The ginger will boost your mental acuity and the cinnamon bark will chases away fatigue. Diffuse in your bathroom while you get ready for your day for an instant boost.
- TruGardens Calm Energy Blend. This blend combines bergamot, grapefruit, orange, patchouli and ylang-ylang essential oils to provide a center of calm and put your adrenals to bed. Ylang-ylang, grapefruit, and orange all reduce inflammation, giving your body a break from cortisol production. After getting home from work, place a few drops in a hot bath, light a candle, and unwind with a good soak before bed. If you’re chasing toddlers and packing lunches in the PM, drop this blend into your diffuser or dilute with water, spritz on your pillowcase, and inhale deeply.
Learn more about Energy Synergy and Calm Energy or browse for more TruGardens Essential Oil Blends here.
