Self Care Part 2: Adrenal Function

Self-Care: Caring for Yourself First Makes It Possible to Care for Others Better

I have previously expressed how important it is for caregivers on any level to make it a priority to first care for themselves.  While it may seem counterintuitive and even selfish to make yourself a priority when caring for aging parents, special needs children, or even just staying on top of normal tasks associated with managing a career, maintaining household and raising a family, it’s actually a necessary part of doing these jobs effectively. Of course, sometimes feeling tired and overwhelmed comes with the territory, so we tend to ignore these symptoms and hope they’ll pass. When they don’t, and excessive fatigue become chronic, especially when accompanied by other symptoms, it’s time to take note and, possibly, action. We’ve discussed how an improperly working thyroid can play a role in chronic fatigue.  For this issue, we’ll talk about how important adrenal function is to overall wellness.

The Adrenal Glands The adrenal glands are known as the stress glands, because they are responsible for managing your body’s response to a range of emotional and physical stressors through the release of the hormone's adrenaline and cortisol.  Also called your “fight or flight response,” the release of these hormones prepares your body for action by allowing you a surge of energy and an elevation in blood pressure and suppressing other body functions -- like reproductive hormones and immunity -- that aren’t crucial in the moment. While this is one of your body’s most natural and valuable survival mechanisms, it works best when activated temporarily and then allowed to return to a normal state. 

When in a constant state of stress, as many multi-tasking caregivers are, the continual release of cortisol can suppress the immune system, raise stroke, cancer and heart attack risk, decrease sexual drive, disrupt sleep patterns, and contribute to a host of other chronic illnesses and conditions.   Natural Solutions There are several tests that can help determine if your stress glands are functioning properly.  If adrenal function is compromised, there are a variety of natural remedies involving proper nutrition and, not surprisingly, stress management, to get you back on the road to adrenal health.

• Strive for quality sleep. For maximum wellness and healing, most people need 7+ hours of sleep per night, with five of those hours being uninterrupted.  Avoid electronics and heavy foods in the hours leading up to bed time, crank down the air to create a cool environment and consider a white noise machine or natural sleep aid to help you relax and prepare for sleep.
• Eat a nutritious diet. Empty calories may keep you from being hungry, but they do little for healing and wellness. Healthy foods help keep you healthy, so add more protein and complex carbohydrates to your diet while avoiding caffeine and carbonated beverages, simple (white) carbs, refined sugars, processed junk foods and fast foods.
• Work herbal support specific for adrenal gland function into your diet to help rebuild glandular function. In addition, consider supplementing your diet with a quality multivitamin, magnesium, Vitamin C and the appropriate B complex to take some of the burden off the adrenals.
• Participate in light exercise 3-4 times per week. Because strenuous exercise raises cortisol levels, it is best avoided when you’re already stressed. Save that for less stressful times and instead try Pilates, Yoga, or walking during high stress times.
• Learn to meditate. While you don’t have to become a Zen Master to help manage your stress, learning to relax, really focus and master deep breathing can be helpful.  At the very least, reserve a few minutes every day for journaling or concentrating on positive thoughts or happy memories.  Taking time to focus on things you are grateful for can keep other stressors in perspective.