We have glands in our body, which are located at the top of each kidney. When our bodies cannot cope with stress, the adrenal glands become overloaded. The effect of this manifests itself as Adrenal Fatigue.
Your first port of call to try to treat Adrenal Fatigue is to address what has caused your stress levels to get to the point that your body cannot cope. This is not always as simple as it sounds.
Experts believe that emotional stress is the highest contributor to Adrenal Fatigue. Think about the doctors, lawyers and other professionals in the fast paced world. How often do you hear the wording "burnt out"? This goes hand in hand with Adrenal Fatigue. They have had such high levels of stress in their bodies, their body cannot cope any longer and they become "burnt out", or fatigued. Even if you are not in a fast paced, high stress job, there are still a number of ways emotional stress can play its part such as a newborn baby, a relationship breakdown or the death of a family member. Your first step is to be a self analysis of your stress levels. Is anything worrying you or stressing you out, if so can you change it so as you aren't stressed anymore or your levels are at least lowered? Try to take some time for yourself at least three times per day to lower your stress levels. This could be reading a book, going for a walk or just talking with friends, anything that can help you relax will help.
There is a big link between diet and someone who moderately suffers with adrenal fatigue and someone where it really floors them. The best plan is eat a well balanced diet that is packed with vitamins and minerals and do not skip meals. Important vitamins are the B vitamins; namely B6, B9 and B12, as well as vitamin C. When you are suffering from Adrenal Fatigue breakfast is your best friend. Fatigue is literally a killer, you already feel like you are running on empty, so why do sufferers insist on skipping meals, especially breakfast? Breakfast really is the single most important meal of the day, it will kick start you metabolism, but most importantly it provides your body with the energy to get up and go and combat the fatigue. Try to avoid sugary sweet snacks, such as breakfast biscuits, pop tarts and sugary pastries as these will make you crash and your fatigue to increase.
A large number of US Adrenal Fatigue sufferers are turning to alternative therapies to try to combat the symptoms and help their body help itself. One of the most successfully reported herbs is liquorice root. Liquorice root has been used for many years as a stimulant and although not scientifically proven, a number of people suffering from Adrenal Fatigue have reported increased endurance, stamina and energy levels. One point to note however, is that liquorice root has been known to increase blood pressure levels. For those who suffer from high blood pressure and Adrenal Fatigue, another herbal alternative would be the Maca root. Research has been conducted with Maca root and it's been proven to beneficially regulate cortisol and blood sugar levels. Maca root also helps the efficiency of hormone levels in the body, which are generally lower in Adrenal Fatigue sufferers.
Whichever route you decide to follow, you should always do it under the advice of a medical practitioner, especially is taking other medications. We hope that some of the advice above will aid sufferers in fast tracking their recovery.