Straight Talk About Stress and Sleep

  What do you do when you’re late for work, you didn’t get enough sleep, the kids are reenacting the barbarian invasion of Rome in the living room and the world is against you? Easy, you bite the head off your spouse, throw back some caffeine and sugar, shake your fist at the universe and you’re off.  If that’s your current strategy you’re suffering from exhausted adrenal glands and in need of an intervention.
   Every day in my practice I see patients who complain of unrelenting fatigue. They wake up at 2 am every night, struggle to get back to sleep and drag themselves through the day.  Patients report waking up exhausted, feeling unmotivated, irritable and have often lost the joy in daily life.  Activities that once gave them pleasure do not anymore and most feel inundated with the slightest amount of stress. It is as if their body’s coping mechanisms are completely exhausted. These patients also have an incredibly hard time losing weight. Even though they may exercise and eat healthy, they just can’t seem to shed a pound!
   Do these symptoms sound familiar?  If so, you might have what’s called adrenal fatigue. The adrenal glands are two small glands that sit on top of each kidney and are the body’s main stress responders. The body typically responds to physical and emotional stress by producing adrenal hormones such as epinephrine, norepinephrine and cortisol ...