Are Your Adrenal Glands Stressed Out?
The adrenal glands are triangular shaped and sit as a pyramid on top of the kidney. Its main fu
The non-specific symptoms of an overtaxed adrenal gland may include:
- Depression
- Irritability
- Constipation
- Fatigue
- Body aches
- Hypoglycemia
- Unexplained weight loss
- Difficulty building muscle
- Low sex drive
- Poor digestion
- Poor concentration
- Inability to cope with life’s pressures.
- Low blood pressure
- Lightheadedness
- Loss of body hair
- Sleep apnea
- Skin discoloration (hyperpigmentation)
If you ever have been diagnosed with adrenal issues or have the above non-specific signs and symptoms, it is important to start taking care of your health by:
- Taking time for self-care: Try to do things that make you feel relaxed or happy. If it is listening to music, painting, walking, dancing. Do what ignites joy in you!
- Make sleep a priority.
- Get adequate daily exercise.
- Practice deep (diaphragmatic) breathing. Most of us are not truly breathing all day, and we are not aware of it. I have been mindful of this when in stressful situations like driving during rush hour or trying to finish a mentally challenging project. I endeavor to remind myself to breathe. Breathe! You’ll be okay.
- Learn effective ways to deal with negative emotions and situations. Lack of/poor communication has been linked to a lot of modern healthcare problems (more of this later), and the ability to effectively have difficult conversations is key to our emotional wellness, and having healthy relationships.
- Avoid things that can strain the adrenal glands like smoking, alcohol, added sugars, drugs, caffeine, excessive exercise, poor sleep, and environmental pollutants.
- Purse things /people that matter to you. Let go of all that does not serve you to make room for the wonderful things that you do deserve.
Dr. Tolu Oyewumi is a people developer, divergent thinker and voracious reader who is madly in love with learning. With her strong scientific and artistic talent, she invites you to look at the world through a different set of binoculars and microscopes.