Why Stress makes us tired.

Do you often feel tired and stressed? Do you have trouble sleeping despite being exhausted? You are not alone. In our fast paced, high stress culture it is not a wonder that many people are showing signs of adrenal exhaustion. It‘s the result of racing through life with a constantly aroused sympathetic ("fight or flight") nervous system.

In this continual heightened nervous state the body overproduces adrenaline, cortisol and other stress hormones. Eventually, this causes the adrenal glands, our front line in the response to stress reaction, show wear and tear and become depleted. This frequently leads to an impairment in the thyroid gland, which can cause a further decline in energy level and mood and is one of the reasons why it becomes difficult to lose weight (for women in particular). 

Fortunately, you can help reverse this problem by making a few simple lifestyle changes:

Eat steadily, all day long. Skipping meals is one of the worst things you can do for your body. When you‘re hungry, your blood sugar drops, stressing your adrenal glands and triggering your sympathetic nervous system – which causes light-headedness, cravings, anxiety and fatigue. You are also likely to reach for sugar or caffeine as an energy boost at this point – which further exacerbates the drain on your adrenals.

NEVER skip breakfast! It is a sure fire way to gain, not lose, weight. 

Eat more raw uncooked food and ensure you eat enough protein – this should be 1g per kg of your body weight per day.

Get enough sleep. During sleep your adrenal glands are restored and repaired. Unfortunately, most of us place little value on sleep, and end up getting less than we need, night after night. Result: Your adrenal glands stay depleted (every new Mother will attest to this).

The average person needs six to eight hours of sleep each night. Sleeping under six hours has been clinically proven to accelerate aging and increase your risk of type 2 diabetes. 

For a better sleep avoid before-bed snacks, particularly grains, sugars and alcohol. This will raise blood sugar and inhibit sleep. Later, when blood sugar drops too low (hypoglycemia), you might wake up and not be able to fall back asleep.

Sleep in complete darkness or as close as possible. When light hits the eyes, it disrupts the circadian rhythm of the pineal gland and production of melatonin and seratonin. There also should be as little light in the bathroom as possible if you get up in the middle of the night.

Avoid using loud alarm clocks. It is very stressful on the body to be awoken suddenly. Maybe set a nice melody on your phone as your alarm.

Avoid energy-zappers. A variety of toxins in food and the environment contribute to your stress response. Consider reducing some of the following:

Sugar: When you eat sugar in any form, it throws your blood sugar out of balance, activating your sympathetic nervous system and causing a variety of other disruptions.

Household and self-care products: Empty your cupboards and medicine chest of chemical-based cleaning products, air fresheners, gardening supplies, shampoos, soaps and deodorants, and find non-chemical alternatives.

Start by making just a few of the changes mentioned above and you will begin to see major improvements within a short space of time. Add some relaxation breathing or some yoga or activity outdoors and you will speed the process to recovery.