Jan 31 2008
Exhausted Adrenals
If you suspect you have exhausted adrenals, the first thing to do is have your cortisol levels, adrenal function and hormone levels checked. If you can’t fall to sleep at night, you are low in melatonin, a sign of high cortisol. If you find yourself waking up in the middle of the night and no matter how you try, you can’t fall asleep again, you most likely have burned out adrenal glands.
The first thing to do in this situation is to see a doctor for hormone balancing with bioidentical hormones. Progesterone will strengthen the adrenal glands. For nutritional supplementation, see a naturopath who will advise you on exactly what supplements you should be taking. They will probably recommend Vitamin B complex Vitamin C in high dosages, an adrenal cortex extract and licorice root.
Nature’s Sunshine makes licorice root supplements and it can be purchased online at Amazon.com
If you find yourself in the situation of burned out adrenal glands, slow down the pace of your life. Find time to relax, rest, meditate. It is okay to continue exercising, but exercise should be at a gentler pace. Yoga, long walks, slowly pace bike rides are great ways to continue exercising.
Licorice Root can also be consumed as a tea. Yogi Organic teas make delicious licorice tea. Read our review here.
A change in diet is also necessary. Avoid refined sugars and caffeine. Caffeine is one of the worst things you can consume in a state of adrenal burnout. Caffeine raises your blood sugar which in turn lowers insulin levels. However, in a state of adrenal burnout, cortisol is no longer available to raise the blood sugar back to normal and a person with this condition will become hypoglycemic and end up with chronic fatigue.
