When you have kids, the word ‘tired’ takes on a brand new level of meaning. While feeling exhausted as a parent is a given, surprisingly, your kids (and parenting them) might not always be the reason.
If you are feeling extremely fatigued on a daily basis – kids aside – it could be due to an issue with your adrenal glands.
Extreme fatigue: Looking beyond just kids
What are adrenal glands?
These glands, which are located just above your kidneys, play an important role in your health. One of the things they do is produce the hormones you need to combat stress.
But when your adrenal glands are overworked, they struggle to produce the hormones that regulate stress (and sex).
This gives rise to ‘adrenal fatigue’ – a major source of chronic tiredness in adults that is often missed or ignored when it comes to identifying the cause of extreme fatigue.
What causes adrenal fatigue?
When your adrenal glands don’t produce enough crucial hormones, such as cortisol and adrenaline, the result is a feeling of heavy tiredness every day.
One of the main causes of this irregular hormone production by the adrenal glands is emotional stress. So, if you haven’t been dealing with your emotional stress in an appropriate way, your adrenal glands could take a hit.
Poor diet, not enough sleep and chronic illness are among other reasons.
Symptoms of adrenal fatigue
According to Mayo Clinic, these are some of the more common symptoms and signs of adrenal fatigue:
- High levels of tiredness every day
- Unexplained weight loss
- Loss of body hair
- Body aches
- Inability to handle stress
- Difficulty getting up in the morning, even after a good night’s rest
- Cravings for salty foods
- A weak immune system
- Higher energy levels in the evening
- Hyperpigmentation
As you have probably realised, these symptoms are quite commonly noticed in other conditions too, which is why it’s important to get a proper diagnosis by a medical professional.
Image source: Pixabay
Once diagnosed, you’ll be put on a treatment plan, that will probably focus on getting to bed early (before 11 pm), a diet good for adrenal health (food rich in B vitamins as well as brightly coloured vegetables, lean clean protein, and whole-grain gluten-free carbohydrates) and adequate hydration through the day.
So there you go mums and dads – we can’t always blame our kids for feeling tired, right?! Do speak to your doctor if you think you are experiencing any of the symptoms outlined in this article.
References: Mayo Clinic, Mind Body Green, Cheat Sheet