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Colleen Bow

Are you at risk of Adrenal Fatigue?



If you find yourself needing more and more stimulants to get through the day, then you will probably want to understand the negative impact that adrenal fatigue can have on your life. Adrenal fatigue is pretty terrible to deal with and it is thought that those with ADHD are a group at increased risk of the development of adrenal fatigue – probably as a result of consuming stimulant ADHD medication, dealing with extreme levels of stress, and working too much.

Adrenal fatigue is a growing epidemic that occurs as a result of your body’s inability to handle stress.

Because, if you’re like the average South African, there’s a very good chance that you experience far too much stress – which usually leads to cortisol depletion (low cortisol) over time.

Cortisol is the “stress hormone” that’s made in your adrenal glands - two small glands located above your kidneys.

Your adrenal glands play an extremely important role in helping your body manage stress, control blood pressure, regulate metabolism, and oversee your “fight or flight” response. But, problems typically occur when your adrenal glands become overworked.

For example, people who undergo a lot of physical stress force the body to produce more hormones like cortisol and epinephrine. This usually happens as a result of dealing with a stressful career, relationship, health condition (ADHD), financial problems, or just life in general.

As you can probably imagine, prolonged stress can ultimately wreak havoc on your entire endocrine system, and make you feel depressed, anxious, lethargic, mentally exhausted, and even uninterested in sex. This is essentially what life with adrenal fatigue is like. You may feel like you need MORE coffee, MORE stimulant medications to keep going throughout the day - but the truth is that this can cause more harm than good in the long run!

Don’t get me wrong. I’m very appreciative of stimulant medications, and natural stimulants like coffee.

But, it’s also important to be aware that these “lifelines” are often double-edged swords – since both synthetic and natural stimulants can easily be used in excess, and throw your hormones way out of whack. Ignoring the signs of adrenaline fatigue can make your mental fatigue even worse, resulting in a life that feels like a dizzy fog.

Using stimulant-based medications like Ritalin, Concerta or even drinking too much coffee can contribute to adrenal fatigue. Stimulants act by increasing fast Beta activity in the brain, essentially forcing your brain to speed up as if danger was approaching. Being in this frame of mind for a prolonged period of time can result in the body reacting in a "stress response" triggering the overproduction of Cortisol and other Stress Hormones.

How to heal adrenal fatigue

The most obvious way to heal adrenal fatigue is to take more frequent breaks from using stimulants. Limit yourself to one or two cups of coffee a day and take breaks from stimulant medications over weekends or holidays.

Forms of therapy such as Neurofeedback will help by lowering the required dosage or even enabling you to titrate medication altogether.

And most importantly, it’s so crucial to take frequent vacations, enjoy therapeutic massages, have healthy relationships, and do whatever it takes to keep away from stress.

If you can lower your dosage of stimulant medication, drink just a little bit of caffeine, eat a healthy diet, and take plenty of vacations, you’ll drastically improve your odds of preventing and healing adrenal fatigue.

Essential supplements for healing adrenal fatigue

Supplements work surprisingly well for fixing adrenal fatigue because of the healing power of ADAPTOGENS.

Adaptogens can actually increase or decrease the amount of cortisol that your body produces in order to bring your stress hormones into a natural state of balance.

So, when you use the proper adaptogens to heal your adrenal fatigue, you will be able to feel an almost immediate change in your body.

Adaptogens like Ashwagandha and Rhodiola Root extract help naturally balance cortisol levels and restore the health of your adrenal function.

Magnesium is also important for nervous system functioning. Stress Relax Powder has a variety of compounds in one product to help restore balance. Overall, adrenal fatigue is a condition that all of us need to be concerned about. I’ve personally experienced the energy-draining feelings of anxiety and depression that comes with adrenal fatigue. It’s no fun at all.

So, it’s going to be up to you to: Find strategies that combat stress, such as deep breathing, meditation and exercise Take more vacations (if possible) Go on small weekend getaways or “staycations” to constantly change your environment Take short breaks from using stimulant medication and natural stimulants



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