Do's and Don'ts for Feeling Chronically Fatigued
The adrenal glands are small glands that lay on top of the kidneys. Their job includes putting out fires (inflammation) in the body by making anti-inflammatory hormones like cortisone. The adrenals also help make your sex hormones like estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and more.
If your adrenals aren't working up to par, you'll often feel achy, arthritic, and brain-fogged. If you get tired after eating (especially lunch), your adrenals aren't helping keep your blood sugar in balance. That could lead to "flat-head syndrome" when you are so tired in the afternoon that you smack your forehead on the desk when you can't stay awake! Do you wake up in the morning around 2 - 3:00 with an inability to get back to sleep? You guessed it, adrenals (and low blood sugar).
Under lots of stress? It's the adrenals that help you to "fight or flee". Hormones are secreted by the adrenals to handle the stressors. If you don't burn off these stress hormones through exercise, breathing, proper rest, and calming the mind (prayer, meditation, relaxation techniques) we go into chronic burn-out and start spiraling down the path to ill health and chronic disease.
The following are some of the most important things to do and not to do to recover from adrenal fatigue.
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AVOID THESE: |
DO THESE: |
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Pushing yourself to exhaustion |
Pace yourself; take regular, planned breaks |
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Sugar, caffeine, & junk food |
Eat real, whole, fresh food |
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Being critical and harsh with yourself |
Be compassionate and kind to yourself |
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Skipping meals |
Eat frequently enough that you don't feel an energy drop from low blood sugar |
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Eating carbohydrates by themselves |
Eat a combination of carbs, fat, and protein |
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Staying up late and catching your “second wind” |
Get to bed by 10:00 pm |
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Arising early if you don’t have to |
Get 7 hours of sleep each night |
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Foods that you react to or are allergic to |
Eat balanced, nutritious food |
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Drinking sodas, coffee, alcohol, juice |
Drink water and herbal teas |
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Making someone else responsible for your health |
Become empowered and informed about your health |
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People who steal your energy |
Be with people who are concerned for your well-being and are helpful in your recovery |
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Taking care of everyone and everything else |
Take care of and nurture yourself |
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Feeling guilty about caring for yourself |
Find an inner balance and sense of peace with taking care of yourself |
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Excessive seriousness |
Find things that make you laugh |
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“The grind” |
Do things you enjoy, find new hobbies |
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Aggressive exercise |
Mild to moderate exercise |
A great reference book: Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome
by James L. Wilson, N.D., D.C., PhD., Smart Publications, 2001
Chart from Thyroid, Adrenals, & Blood Sugar ©Copyright 2002,2006-2007
Dr. Janet Lang: Integrative Health Seminars
Revised 8/28/2007
