The alarm goes off and you’ve hit snooze by now about three times already, because somehow those extra ten minutes each and every time seem like they’ll do you a world of good.
You hang onto your coffee as your saviour so you can just make it through the morning without killing a village.
You find yourself struggling with anxiety and you have no idea why.
You may even find yourself struggling with depression because can’t seem to recognize the person staring back at yourself in the mirror.
So you go to a practitioner, and you’re told you have adrenal fatigue.
And here’s where I step in to pose a very important question…
Is adrenal fatigue real?
I know this may throw you for a loop, but here’s my take: I don’t believe that it’s real, and when I say that, I’m not trying to ruffle your feathers or devalue your pain. What I am telling you is that it’s more about a communication issue between the glands in the brain hypothalamus and pituitary with the adrenals (aka, “the HPA axis”). You see, unlike the ovaries, the adrenals aren’t meant to give out. If the the glands in the brain feel we already have enough cortisol, it’ll stop the adrenal glands from producing more.
To explain this a bit more, it’s important to explain how this works:
The adrenals are told to produce cortisol from the brain and then it converts that cortisol into cortisone. And when you’re stressed out, you make loads of cortisone and it’s the body’s way of making you really tired so you can rest. But you’re a do-er, right? So resting hasn’t really been an option for you has it?
And side note: how’s that been working for ya?
If the body is trying to give you a bit more pep to your step, then it’ll convert that cortisone back into cortisol, problem is your adrenals aren’t the only things creating cortisol – so is your fat tissue. This poses an issue for the brain as it thinks, “Woah, we have too much cortisol! We need to stop telling the adrenals to produce more of it.”
Which leads me to the fact that it’s not the adrenals that give out, but the brain that feels like you’ve got enough, so it tells the adrenals to stop producing more of it.
The key to fixing this whole issue is to improve the communication in the HPA axis, and to create a full-on holistic approach.
You can get started by downloading my FREE Adrenal & Thyroid Guide now. It’s why I also created today’s video that details some more tools to help get you started.
Here a synopsis:
- Get off social media and get to bed. It isn’t just about putting the warming light on your phone or wearing those God awful yellow glasses, it’s also about the electromagnetic frequencies emitted. That disrupts your circadian rhythm that will mess with your sleep patterns and yes, even with the communication with your brain and the adrenals. With all that light and energy, your brain isn’t producing melatonin.
- Cut out the coffee for 30 days (and yes you can do it). One of my favourite replacements is matcha green tea. Yes, it does have caffeine in it but it’s no where as stimulating on the nervous system as coffee. Instead, matcha has the amino acid L-Theanine that acts almost as a chill pill. This helps substantially during the first phase of the HPA axis from going awry.
- Make sure you stay hydrated and add salt to your water. Dehydration actually promotes stress on the body, so make sure you’re getting in your 2L of room temperature water daily. You’ll also want to make sure you add salt to your water because it nourishes the adrenal glands and helps you to more efficiently hydrate.
- Set boundaries! Ladies, we are the WORST for this, but getting better isn’t just about being a yes ma’am and blaming the world for why you’re sick. It’s time to buck up, take responsibility for where you’re giving your power away and set some boundaries.
Now onto a delicious, adrenal-loving treat that I absolutely adore. They’re my Matcha Coconut Cups and here’s how to make them:
Ingredients
- 1 cup coconut oil by St. Francis Herb Farm
- 1 cup coconut butter
- 1/2 cup full fat coconut milk
- 1 tsp of organic vanilla extract
- 2 tsp matcha green tea
- 1 tsp of maca powder
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 2 tsp stevia or 1 tbsp raw honey
- Topping: Coconut flakes
Instructions
- Mix ingredients together with the exception of the topping and pour into a muffin-lined tin. Top with coconut flakes and freeze for 15 minutes. Then simply remove one and enjoy.
