From the basics like not sleeping because you are stressed out, or not fueling your body because you cannot manage life’s hectic and frantic pace…to creating a cascade of hormone imbalances that alter your metabolism and drain your energy: stress can have horrible consequences. Stress can behave like a slow poison that can indeed kill you.
Fatigue that is not diagnosed by thyroid or iron blood tests (your tests are ‘normal’) can be due to stress.
This does not mean that you have to suffer on your own or see a psychologist! Of course, a psychologist may help you look at your stress in a different way; and manage it better:
Stress hormones can have nasty consequences. Because stress hormones cause an imbalance in your other hormones and this is what makes you exhausted and dysfunctional.
THE SLEEP QUESTIONS
- Do you hit the snooze button a few times and pray for more time to sleep each morning?
- Do you feel like you will grind to a screeching halt if you slow down at some points in your day?
- Do you feel that no matter how much you sleep, it is never enough?
- Do you need to sleep more on the weekends just to handle the week ahead?
- Do you depend on caffeine to kick start your energy and get you through the day?
- Do you need naps to recharge your batteries?
- What if you don’t think you are stressed but still feel this way?
STRESS AND ADRENAL FATIGUE
Perhaps you are the type of person who thinks it is ‘my way or the wrong way’. Maybe you always have deadlines or long lists of things you need to get done in a hurry. Possibly you put pressure on yourself to do more things or to do things better, yet you feel that somehow nothing is ever quite good enough. Such scenarios can put you in a state of constant stress response. When your body and your mind just cannot sustain the pace anymore, naturopathic doctors say you are suffering from adrenal fatigue.
The clinic team at [Better] Medical Centre has both medical and naturopathic doctors who can assess you and provide all the necessary recommendations that are medically safe for you, if you are troubled by adrenal fatigue.
STRESS AND THE ADRENAL GLANDS
Dr. Natasha Iyer describes the adrenal fatigue condition as ‘adrenal dysregulation’ or ‘adrenal hypofunction’: your adrenal glands are your glands that produce stress coping hormones. Cortisol is one of them. Cortisol helps you handle long term, continual stress, while adrenalin helps you deal with sudden onset stressful situations.
In some ways, your adrenal glands are like your shoes. If you continually place a high demand on them, after a while they will wear out and become less than satisfactory. Like your shoes, your adrenal glands require maintenance, care and repair. You need to look after them.
Your adrenal glands are the most active tissue in your body and have high nutrient demands. They require nutrients to function efficiently and optimally. Under stress; your body has higher demands. However, most people do not increase the nutrient supply to keep the body fueled optimally and hence the decline begins.
FIGHTING ADRENAL FATIGUE
Eat nutrient dense foods. Quinoa, kale, berries and broccoli are super foods. Salmon, tomatoes, romaine lettuce and spinach are others to consider. Eating these vegetables and raw fruit is most helpful.
Keep fit – even if it is simply regular walks outside in the fresh air.
Avoid toxic people that drain you.
HOW BETTER MEDICAL CENTRE CAN HELP YOU WITH STRESS AND FATIGUE
You are invited to e-mail [Better] Medical Centre for a list of vital nutrients that can help protect your body from the ravages of stress. You can also visit our nutritional supplement store.
Always practice relaxation. Consider acupuncture to help block the stress response. Book your appointment with Dr. G Wu today: call (403) 237 2353
Learn relaxation techniques eg. PMR, meditation, breathing exercises. These can be learned from a trained professional. At [Better], we have a Registered Psychologist on our team to help instruct you in that regard.
Body-Mind therapy can also be helpful. Retraining your subconscious mind to react to stress differently is a novel and exciting way to improve your health. In as few as 3 sessions with Ravneet Saini, Psychologist at Better Medical Centre, you can train your subconscious to embrace a new, much more relaxed and far less stressful approach to life .
Acupuncture, Naturopathic Medicine and Psychology at the Better Medical Centre – are all covered by health benefits when applicable. Contact [Better] today for more information.