Adrenal Fatigue - Are adrenal glands the devil?
Adrenal fatigue is a syndrome caused by poorly functioning adrenal glands. This is often seen in people who are overly stressed, have poor sleep quality, are over weight, don’t exercise regularly and drink excessive amounts of alcohol and/or caffeine. All of these create an environment in which, over time, your adrenal glands lose their ability to regulate hormone levels, particularly cortisol, drastically reducing your energy levels. The adrenal glands have become the ultimate scapegoat for some, when the body isn’t quite right. When in doubt, blame the adrenal glands! It seems no other part of the body cops as much blame as these evil little glands. But it’s important to remember, the adrenal glands are simply doing what they are told, mostly by the brain. The adrenal glands are really nothing more than manufacturing plants that release hormones based on inputs from other areas of the body. In other words, if someone is having symptoms of adrenal malfunction, perhaps it's not the adrenal glands that need help, but rather something in the body that is actually telling the adrenal glands what to do.
Of course, dysfunctional adrenal gland physiology can cause symptoms of feeling tired, stressed and run down. Other common complaints surrounding adrenal fatigue are feeling exhausted, suffering from poor concentration, trouble thinking clearly, trouble falling asleep in the evening and difficulty losing weight. Can adrenal gland malfunction really cause all these problems? Or more importantly, can supporting adrenal gland function provide ergogenic aid? Yes and no.
This is how they work…
The adrenal glands are located on top of the kidney, and are responsible for producing hormones such as adrenalin, aldosterone and cortisol. These hormones influence many important physiological processes within the body including;
- Protein, fat and carbohydrate metabolism
- Blood sugar regulation
- Immune competence
- Hormone regulation
- Cardiovascular and gastrointestinal function.
Picture this… You’re crossing the road on your way to the gym. You’re pumped and ready to tear it up. Suddenly, a taxi turns the corner at pace and is heading right for you. Luckily, like a ninja, you’re able to jump to safety, avoiding eminent death. Not surprisingly, your heart rate is elevated, your hands are clammy and shaking and you’ve worked up a light sweat. What happened?
Upon sight of the rogue taxi driver, you’re brain tells the adrenal glands to secrete epinephrine (adrenaline). Epinephrine increases blood pressure, respiration rate, heart rate, blood glucose, and dilates the pupils, all for the purpose of enabling you to quickly and safely get out of a potentially life-threatening situation. This was a purely autonomic reaction that came straight from your brain. Simultaneously, several other reactions are occurring to secrete cortisol. Cortisol's primary role is to increase blood glucose levels to provide fuel to your muscles and brain during a stressful situation.
What’s the big deal, you might be asking, so let me give it to you straight. Cortisol is elevated when we suffer from chronic elevated stress, eat diets high in refined carbohydrates and sugar, consume high amounts of caffeine and sleep poorly. Firstly, suppression of pituitary function can lead to low testosterone levels. Yep, that’s not good. Furthermore, thyroid dysfunction can cause weight gain, or fluctuations in blood sugar and insulin levels making weight loss difficult. Other side effects include inflammation, poor liver detoxification and suppressed immune system. Did i mention insomnia? Cortisol is meant to be highest in the morning to wake you up, and lowest at night to let you sleep. If your circadian rhythm is all kinds of backwards, the quality of your sleep is compromised, your recovery from training will most definitely be affected and adaptation is unlikely. Moreover, here develops a worsening cycle as many turn to processed foods and caffeine to help give them energy throughout the day. Hence, despite all your best efforts and intentions, abnormal levels of this hormone will wreck your efforts in the gym! Just incase i haven’t made my point, neuroendocrinologists are using cortisol circadian rhythm as an early biomarker for Alzheimer’s!
How to Approach Adrenal Fatigue
To deal with this issue, we must focus on the symptoms of adrenal fatigue and address what is causing these glands to behave badly. Remember, they just do as they’re told. We need a lifestyle that is conducive to reducing stress and allowing the adrenal glands to repair themselves. This lifestyle includes a diet low in refined carbohydrates and sugar, quality sleep via addressing hygiene and supplementation, utilising stress management techniques, appropriate levels of exercise and a healthy amount of alcohol and caffeine consumption. Lifestyle changes overtime give you the best chance of success of recovering from adrenal fatigue.
