Do you wake up feeling tired, even after a good night’s sleep? Do you feel constantly run down and tired? Do you have trouble starting your day until you’ve downed your double shot morning coffee? Do you find yourself reaching for sugary foods for a burst of energy to pick you up throughout the day? Chances are that your adrenal glands might need some serious TLC to help reduce the effects of stress on your body.
The way your adrenal glands work
Adrenal glands are your anti-stress glands – the control centre for our bodies which modulate stress. They are about the size of a walnut and sit just above your kidneys. When adrenal glands are overworked, our bodies find it difficult to handle the simplest everyday chore and this can lead to fatigue and weariness.
GO Healthy New Zealand naturopath Janeen Howard says, ‘Our bodies are equipped to cope with stress, but only short term – not long term. Adrenal fatigue affects 80% of adults at some point, and can manifest as anxiety, sleeping problems, or feeling constantly tired, run down or sick.’
Janeen says that doctors often diagnose this adrenal fatigue as depression and prescribe anti-depressant medications as a fix, which doesn’t address the real problem.
Why we are more stressed out now than ever before
Janeen puts it very simply. ‘When we were kids, the Kiwi lifestyle was really cruisy. Now we work hard all the time and although modern technology has made many things easier, it has also made it difficult for us to ‘switch off’ (from television, computer screens, iPads, cellphones, Facebook…) which puts a lot of stress on the adrenal glands,’ she says.
It’s important to address this through lifestyle changes to help reduce stress – for some ideas, read our article ‘Stressed out, overworked and overtired? Try slow living‘ – but you can also use natural vitamins and minerals to support healthy adrenal function and help those wee walnut-sized adrenal glands power through the day.
Key natural ingredients that help
Eating a healthy, well balanced diet with plenty of fresh vegetables, fruit and whole foods can go a long way to help nourish your body and protect it against stress. If you need some extra help, GO Healthy has a product called GO Adrenal Support, which is a comprehensive blend of herbs, vitamins and minerals, designed specifically to tone, support and nourish the adrenal glands.
Key ingredients to help your body cope with everyday stress include:
• Vitamins B5, B6, B12 – to nourish the health of the nervous system, and provide support for adrenal function and repair.
• Vitamin C – critical to immune function and a powerful antioxidant.
• Magnesium – to relax muscles and encourage calmness.
• Zinc – to support the health of the immune system.
• Potassium – a deficiency in potassium may lead to fatigue.
• Siberian Ginseng – traditionally used stimulate and nourish the adrenal glands and support mental alertness.
• Rose Root – linked with supporting mental clarity and focus.
GO Healthy’s Top Stress Busting Tips
Here are some final ideas from GO Healthy to help de-stress your life a little more:
- Keep a Gratitude Journal… it worked for Oprah! This will help you focus on the positives in your life rather than the negatives.
- Spend time with people that make you feel happy – good friends and a cheeky wine will make you smile!
- Treat yourself to a new pair of shoes – we all know retail therapy is a sure fire way to put a smile on your face (even if it is a little self-indulgent)
- Take yourself for a long leisurely walk! Exercise is a great way to eliminate stress… so find that mountain, push yourself to the top, pat yourself on the back… give yourself a medal… go you!
- Go to the cinema in the middle of the day to watch that cheesy flick your partner would never agree to see with you… turn your phone off … three hours of uninterrupted bliss!
Image / FreeDigitalPhotos.net – Marin