Hypoadrenia, or adrenal fatigue, has become one of the most common conditions out there.
But sadly, it has not yet been widely recognized by the mainstream medical community. This leaves many people without the help they need. That’s why, in this article, we’ll give you a quick overview of what it is and what to do about it.
What is Hypoadrenia?
Hypoadrenia is what happens when your adrenal glands are not functioning optimally. This is usually due to them having to overwork to produce cortisol. Cortisol is your body’s most important stress fighter, and for you to feel well, it needs to stay within a healthy range. And although your body can handle acute stress from time to time, it was not made to handle chronic stress. Which is exactly what causes your adrenals to overwork.
Many adults will experience adrenal fatigue at least once. And that’s because of the chronic stress that's part and parcel of the modern lifestyle. Some of the most common stressors that contribute to hypoadrenia include:
Eating an unhealthy diet
Leading a sedentary lifestyle
Having a chronic disease
Getting recurring infections
Having a stealth infection
Taking certain medications
Being exposed to toxins and biotoxins
Eating foods you’re sensitive to
Overconsumption of alcohol
Not getting enough sleep
Mental/emotional stress
Any of the above on its own can lead to adrenal fatigue if it persists long enough. But most people suffer from two or three of these stressors consistently. And that will not only trigger the adrenal glands into overworking but your entire NeuroEndoMetabolic (NEM) stress response.
Hypoadrenia and Your Hormone Circuit
Your NEM is your body’s global response to stress. It’s composed of the Hormone, the Bioenergetics, the Cardionomic, the Neuroaffect, the Inflammation, and the Detoxification Circuits. Your adrenal glands are one of the main components of the Hormone Circuit, along with the thyroid and reproductive organs.
As soon as a stressor is present, your NEM kicks into gear. The Hormone Circuit is the first to react because the adrenal glands are the NEM’s first line of defense. The cortisol they secrete will carry out several functions during a stress response, such as increasing your blood sugar levels to give you energy and also increasing your heart rate so that blood carrying oxygen and glucose can provide your muscles with that fuel.
Oxidative Stress and Skin Aging- Colostrom and Gut Health
Other functions it’s responsible for include suppressing your immune system once it has done its job, neutralizing inflammation, regulating your sleep/wake cycles, and increasing your appetite after a stress response to replenish your depleted nutrient stores. And, as a hormone, it interacts with many other hormone systems in the body. Including the thyroid and reproductive hormones, which are also part of the NEM’s Hormone Circuit.
For these reasons, hypoadrenia, which is a decrease in cortisol below healthy levels, will manifest as a variety of symptoms. And usually, this happens after an initial increase in levels. This increase and subsequent decrease are stages of adrenal fatigue, and they show up as varying intensities of the following symptoms:
Fatigue
Insomnia
Brain fog
Anxiety
Mild depression
Loss of libido
PMS, infertility
Dry skin
Hair loss
Heart palpitations
Hypoglycemia
Salt and sugar cravings
Lowered immunity
Food and drug sensitivities
An inability to handle stress
Lightheadedness
Weight gain.
The Hypoadrenia Recovery Protocol
There are five main steps to recovering from hypoadrenia. But before you take any of them, you need to first find a health professional experienced in this condition that will not only guide you through these steps but also individualize them to your specific situation and needs.
Recovery Step #1: Eliminate or Reduce the Stress
Recovery can’t happen if your stress response is constantly switched on. So you need to identify what your stressors are and then take steps to either eliminate or reduce them. For example, if you realize that you’re sensitive to gluten, you need to go gluten-free. If work pressure is getting too much, either reduce your workload or take time off. If you’re exposed to toxins or biotoxins, such as mold, it’s time to do something about it or to move houses. It takes a lot of questions and finding out your health timeline to figure out what stress is causing your body harm.
Recovery Step #2: Eat an Adrenal Fatigue Diet
In most cases of hypoadrenia we see, the patient’s diet is part of the mix of stressors. The standard Western diet is not what the human body thrives on. So eating an adrenal fatigue diet will be the cornerstone of recovery. An adrenal fatigue diet consists of anti-inflammatory, nutrient-dense, and blood-sugar-stabilizing. Secondly, it’s free of the most common allergenic foods. And, lastly, you eat at specific intervals that allow your body to replenish its nutrient stores and stay fueled.
Recovery Step #3: Get Lots of Rest and Sleep
Adrenal fatigue recovery is a long process. While recovering, you need to get a lot of rest and sleep to recharge. This means reducing your to-dos as much as possible and applying good sleep hygiene practices. Those include keeping your room cool and dark, not looking at a screen at least two hours before bed, and eating a small snack before sleeping so you don’t wake up from a hypoglycemic episode at night.
Recovery Step #4: Take Gentle Nutrients
Supplementation is a tricky step in this protocol, and it needs expert guidance. But it’s also one of the most beneficial. The supplements you will use here will either fill in any nutritional gaps or give you a therapeutic boost. Different types of supplements can help with hypoadrenia, including vitamins, minerals, adaptogens, herbs, hormones, and glandulars.
The reason you need expert guidance here is that you can get paradoxical reactions. Especially if your adrenal fatigue is more advanced. You can even get adrenal crashes with these steps that are supposed to make you feel better but instead put your body at more harm.
Recovery Step #5: Do Gentle Exercise
Exercise is something you have to be very careful with. You don’t want to overdo it and put more pressure on your adrenals. That’s why choosing very gentle forms of adrenal breathing and adrenal exercises are your best bet. If you find that you are drained after you exercise, then the intensity of your exercise should be greatly reduced. Once you’ve recovered, you can try other forms of gentle exercise, such as brisk walking or stretching.
