Adrenal fatigue is surprisingly common in modern society
This blog is based on my own experiences, and by sharing, I am hoping to get the word out about this often unrecognised yet debilitating condition.
Adrenal Fatigue is your body’s way of telling you that it is being overworked. It is a sign that your Adrenal glands have been working overtime with little reward (rest), and they are in need of major repair work. Generally caused by prolonged stress, it can be caused by intense acute stress and infections.
First
Here are some of the symptoms that I experienced:
- Tiredness
- Irritability
- Difficulty socialising
- Sleep-deprived/unable to sleep through the night
- Inconsistent energy levels during the day
- Waking up exhausted in the morning
- Lack of motivation
- Shortened attention span
- Dependant on stimulants, like caffeine and sugar, to get going
- Body aches
- Frequent infections
- Slow recovery from wounds
- Loss of fitness and muscle tone despite regular exercises
I had the above symptoms for many years (most of my life) but completely ignored them. ” I’m just tired.” and ” It’s been busy lately” were my reasons for feeling below average physically and mentally.
Then
At the end of 2011, the symptoms became unbearable, and I started noticing more apparent signs such as:
- Running out of breath after walking only 50 metres
- Emotional rollercoaster – OK one minute, crying the next
- Reversed sleep patterns (tired during the day and wired at night)
- Feeling exhausted and out of breath ALL THE TIME
- The NEED to lie down after a daily task i.e. showering, grocery shopping, washing, cleaning
- Unable to complete these tasks without a break
- Constant headaches
- Increased food intolerances
- Short term memory loss
- Constant muscle and joint aches even without exercising
After a few weeks of not knowing why I was experiencing the above symptoms (far too long!) my partner and I started researching. We suspected that I may be suffering from Adrenal Fatigue, possible triggers being the Christchurch earthquakes and moving to Australia.
How little did I know that these two events were just the icing on the stress cake – I will touch on this in later blogs.
A couple of weeks later, test results from a Naturopath confirmed that I had Adrenal Fatigue.
From worry, anger, frustration to acceptance. Knowing that I had Adrenal fatigue created a vital emotional shift. Of course, I went back and forth between these emotions during the long term treatment but I managed to pull through.
Listen to Dr James Wilson, a world renowned expert in Adrenal Fatigue, here .
You are not alone
If you think you have Adrenal Fatigue or know of anyone who may be suffering from it, I am more than happy to have a chat. Comment below or contact me at kayogillhealer@gmail.com
Love
K
xxx