What is adrenal fatigue?

One health issue that is frequently linked to our high-stress lifestyles especially as women over the age of 40  is adrenal fatigue. If you're curious about what is adrenal fatigue and wondering if you may be suffering from it read on for symptoms and strategies.

However, due to the lack of a widely accepted definitive test for adrenal fatigue, the condition remains somewhat controversial. If you ask your doctor what is adrenal fatigue you may be met with a blank stare.  Nevertheless, fatigue, cravings, difficulty sleeping, and mood swings are all very real and common symptoms.

In this article, we will explore what we currently know about adrenal fatigue and also provide some strategies for managing it, including a non-food recipe at the end just to make you feel great!

Do you often feel stressed, tired, or have a strong desire for sugar? Are you having trouble sleeping? If so, it may be related to the constant stress we feel in our lives, which can have a significant impact on our health and well-being. This is especially true for women over 40, who may experience changes in hormone levels that contribute to increased stress, or their stress levels contribute to their hormone changes.

What is Adrenal Fatigue in Women Over 40?

Your adrenal glands, which are walnut-sized glands on top of your kidneys, play a crucial role in producing stress hormones. When you experience chronic stress, the hormones produced by your adrenal glands can become overworked, leading to adrenal fatigue or “HPA Axis Dysregulation."

Adrenaline and cortisol are the two stress hormones that give you an adrenaline rush, the "fight or flight" response that makes you feel alert and alive. However, if you experience constant stress, your adrenal glands may become fatigued and unable to keep up with the demand for these important hormones. Think of it as feeling as if you are perpetually stuck in 'fight or flight' mode.  

Symptoms of adrenal fatigue

Symptoms of adrenal fatigue in women over 40 may include fatigue, difficulty sleeping, mood swings, weight changes, joint pain, sugar cravings, and frequent infections like colds and the flu.  You may feel wired and tired or totally exhausted and needing to run on caffeine. 

Although there are no medically accepted blood tests for definitively diagnosing adrenal fatigue, it's essential to see your doctor to rule out other potential conditions that may be contributing to your symptoms. Your doctor may also be open to discussing what is adrenal fatigue and able to suggest some wellness strategies that can help reduce your stress and symptoms.

Also to note - when you are going through menopause and have dramatically lowered estrogen from your ovaries, your adrenal glands will actually step up and start to produce some of your much needed sex hormones.  However, if your adrenals are literally stressed out from cortisol and adrenaline overload they are unable to help with this. 

Stress reduction is key to preventing adrenal fatigue.

Some stress reduction techniques that may be helpful for women over 40 include meditation, mindfulness, walking in nature, light exercise such as walking and yoga, more sleep, or taking a relaxing bath. Additionally, reducing sugar and processed food intake and eating more fruits and vegetables can help support your body's overall health.

Caffeine is also known to raise cortisol levels so you may want to take a look at your coffee consumption habits if you do drink it.   Our cortisol levels naturally rise in the morning and go down in the evening so by drinking additional caffeine in the morning you be actually be spiking those levels far too high.  Consider switching out to green tea which has less and gentler caffeine content and can also help with burning body fat. 

Additionally if you are having consistent difficulties with sleep try cutting out caffeine by noon and if you're able to, consider taking an afternoon nap.  Many of my clients are running around stressed out and exhausted and sometimes a simple nap is better for them than forcing themselves to go to the gym and work out.  Get really good at listening to what your body needs and not ignoring the very loud signals it is giving you. 

In conclusion, if you're experiencing symptoms of adrenal fatigue, it's crucial to take steps to reduce your stress and improve your overall health and energy levels and optimize your bodies ability to create sex hormones.

By implementing stress reduction techniques and healthy lifestyle changes, you can help support your adrenal glands and maintain optimal health and wellness as you age.

Recipe (Stress-reducing bath salt): Lavender Bath Salts

Per bath

2 cups epsom salts

10 drops lavender essential oil

As you're running your warm bath water, add ingredients to the tub. Mix until dissolved

Enjoy your stress-reducing bath!

Tip: You can add a tablespoon of dried lavender flowers.

References:

https://www.dietvsdisease.org/adrenal-fatigue-real/

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