Do you feel burnt out? Or really anxious? Do you feel tired even though you get plenty of sleep? Do you also consume more than 2 cups of coffee a day?
If you answered yes, then let me ask you another question. Have you ever heard of adrenal fatigue? If you haven’t, you may want to learn about it.
Adrenal Fatigue was first coined by James Wilson, PhD in 1998. It is a theory that is supported by many naturopathic and complementary doctors.
We will put it in simple terms so that it is easier to understand. Every person, without birth defects, has adrenal glands. They are activated to give the body cortisol and adrenaline which starts the “Fight Or Flight” mode in the body.
During primitive times, stress resulted from fight or flight which was commonly to fight for your life or run away from something trying to kill you. This still occurs in many parts of the world
today. But, for most people, the adrenal glands get activated from stressors such as being late for work or even waiting in line for too long.
This causes the adrenal glands to be activated on a regular basis. Something else that can also produce stress and activate the adrenal glands is large quantities of caffeine. Here is how that works.
You drink coffee to get an energy jolt. Your body builds up a resistance to it. You need to consume more coffee for the same jolt. Your body builds more resistance. The cycle continues.
This dramatic increase in caffeine can place the body under stress which, in turn, activates the adrenal glands and keeps them working more. Which can result in them underperforming due to always being activated. The adrenal glands are not designed for constant use. So they can get tired or fatigued. Which can result in us becoming tired or fatigued.
When we wake in the morning, our bodies naturally ramp up cortisol production during the first 2 hours. So, when we consume caffeine during the first 2 hours after we wake, it can continue to put more stress on our bodies, which activates the adrenal glands and they produce more cortisol.
The natural increase in cortisol in the morning combined with the caffeine causing stress and making the body produce more cortisol can leave someone feeling very jittery and/or quite anxious first thing in the morning.
Here is a great article about adrenal fatigue and coffee > https://happyhealthyhippieco.com/…/adrenal-fatigue-coffee
So, if you are feeling consistently tired or fatigued even if you get enough good sleep. If you are feeling jittery or anxious first thing in the morning. Or if you are feeling generally burnt out, you may want to take a closer look at adrenal fatigue.
What can you do about it? You can wait to have your first cup of coffee until after you have been awake for at least 2 hours. Only drink coffee in the mid morning and early afternoon. And do not consume energy drinks or soda that has caffeine.
@happyhealthyhippieco
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