Nutrition, Exercise, Stress Management and Sleep Tips for Balancing Hormones

Nutrition, Exercise, Stress Management and Sleep Tips for Balanced Hormones: Part 2

I will be discussing various lifestyle factors including diet, exercise, stress management, and how to get a better night’s sleep. These are some of the tips that I use to help my patients heal & repair their adrenal glands and balance their hormones naturally. Ultimately, I’m here to help you find a way to feel like you again. That’s the most common thing that I hear from my adrenal fatigue patients, “I just want to feel like me again.”

So, let’s start with one of the most important factors, which is what you put into your body daily… the food and drinks you are consuming. You want to try to limit foods and drinks high in refined and processed sugar as well as unhealthy fats. Some of these major unhealthy foods would be… white sugar, white flour, fried foods, processed foods, soda, and artificial sweeteners.

I recommend that you eat 3 well balanced meals throughout the day. Skipping meals can affect your blood sugar levels which can lead to a spike in cortisol and eventually affect your insulin. Also, missing meals with adrenal fatigue will lead to further fatigue & lower energy throughout your day. If you are forced to eat a late lunch or dinner, I recommend that you pack healthy snacks with you to maintain your energy levels between meals.

A nutrient dense diet including protein, healthy fats and the right type of carbohydrates is essential. Examples would include… lean meats (chicken & turkey), fish, grass fed beef, eggs, nuts & legumes. You want to consume lots of leafy green and colorful vegetables with your meals and relatively low-sugar fruits like berries & citrus. Choose gluten free or whole grains versus foods made with bleached & enriched flours. If you buy anything off a shelf verse in the refrigerator section, then it most likely contains preservatives. I tell my patients to spend the bulk of their grocery shopping trip around the perimeter where you can get fresh foods from the refrigerator & freezer sections versus the middle isles where all the packaged & processed foods are. Healthy fats in moderation are good for inflammation, energy, cell function, organ function as well as hormone balancing so eat things like avocado, nuts, seeds & healthy oils (olive & coconut) and limit your foods with saturated & trans fats.

It is also important that you remain hydrated. Dehydration can influence your stress levels and cause your adrenal glands to produce more cortisol. You want to limit your caffeine drinks, especially soda which contains a lot of sugar and caffeine as well as diet drinks which contain artificial sweeteners. Alcohol is a largely refined carbohydrate which when consumed on a regular basis depletes your body’s nutrients to detoxify the liver. Both soda & alcohol overstimulate your adrenals and drive hypoglycemia which can eventually lead to an adrenal crash. Learn to drink more distilled water as your beverage of choice and you can liven it up by adding a squirt of your favorite citrus fruit (lemon, lime, or even an orange). I’m also a fan of making my own herbal or green tea.  Green tea is lower in caffeine and has the added benefit of antioxidants. You can drink it hot or brew up a larger pot to make a pitcher of iced herbal tea that you can drink throughout the week. I recommend adding some local honey as a healthier alternative for a sweetener. For your coffee drinkers, try and stick with one cup in the morning, and always follow it up with a good breakfast to counteract the effects of the caffeine. And remember that if you need those extra cups to get though the day, then your chances of having adrenal fatigue are high.

Next, let’s talk about exercise! Exercise does not have to be a dreaded chore. But unfortunately, it can feel that way with adrenal fatigue. Exercise triggers hormones in the body that help with the body’s natural rhythms. If you exercise with adrenal fatigue, you can see positive results including: a decrease in cortisol, an increase in endorphins which are your bodies natural pain killers and mood enhancers, more restful sleep, a boost in metabolism, as well as more endurance & stamina which can help you to handle stress better.

The important thing to remember when exercising with adrenal fatigue is to listen to your body. I recommend starting off with daily stretching to warm your body up and prepare it for working out. Remember to do most of your stretching after your muscles are warmed up (mid afternoon to early evening). Then, start by incorporating walking into your routine, preferably daily but at least 3-4 days per week. Swimming is a great exercise since it is low impact and best for your joints. And keep in mind that exercising outdoors on nice days is an added bonus for positive well-being. Along with being a certified yoga instructor, I’m a big fan of yoga and Pilates for everyone. Incorporating breathing with your stretching & strengthening program is great for adrenal fatigue in that it oxygenates your blood flow & muscles to help with pain and inflammation. As your adrenals are healing and you are feeling ready to increase your workouts, I would recommend low impact interval training using lighter weights and resistance bands.

Stress Management is such a crucial part of your adrenal health & healing but unfortunately most do not keep up with it. I’m sure most of you have attempted a yoga class, tried meditation and take a few deep breaths when you feel like you need it. But adding these types of practices into your daily routine is essential! Most of us Type A personalities that push through the day to complete tasks regardless of how we feel or who gets in our way, is who needs this the most but typically does this the least. You must realize how much more productive you can be and how much better you can feel if you can find what works best for you and stick to it daily. Being a chiropractor and certified yoga teacher, stretching is one of my most recommended home care therapies. I see patients do so much better when they are doing their home care regularly. Weekly yoga classes are a must…not just for stretching, but for grounding and breathing properly as well and this practice teaches you how to do that. Most of us shallow breath throughout the day because of stress. This leads to poor oxygenation and blood flow to the brain resulting in low energy & fatigue. The next time you’re at work and feeling low on energy, take a few minutes to do some controlled deep breathing, with your eyes closed to tune out the world for a moment. This is a great stress management practice to do when you can identify that you need it. Afterwards, you should feel more energy and that weight lifted from your chest. This is a good way to reset your breathing pattern throughout the day by reminding yourself to take full, deep, cleansing breaths. There are great meditation and breathing apps online. They allow for guidance with your practice and accountability to stay on track. You just need to find the right one for you.

An important thing to remember with adrenal fatigue, is to try and counteract a stressful time or situation by doing these things before the stress gets the best of you. You can’t remove stress from your life, but these are ways that you can keep it from doing too much long-term damage to your body. The end goal is to avoid hitting that wall of brain fog at all costs!

Now let’s talk about how to get a good night’s sleep! Cortisol helps to raise blood sugar.  If your blood sugar drops while we are sleeping, your adrenal glands naturally release cortisol.  This increase of cortisol will cause you to wake up in the middle of the night. A lot of people eat dinner early. If your last meal was at 6 pm, by the time 2 am hits your blood sugar can drop causing the cortisol to rise to keep your blood sugar from getting too low.  Having a small healthy snack of protein about an hour or two before bed can help maintain your blood sugar level all night, such as, a handful of nuts or seeds, an egg, a small protein shake or half an apple with nut butter are great options.

Caffeine elevates cortisol.  Drinking any caffeinated beverage will raise your cortisol level.  And if you have it later in the afternoon, it can disrupt your cortisol levels at night, causing disrupted sleep. Alcohol can also cause your blood sugar to drop in the middle of the night.  When your blood sugar drops in the middle of the night, your adrenal glands will secrete cortisol.  When that cortisol rises, you will wake up in the middle of the night. What I have observed in my practice, is alcohol is very sensitive to women and their sleep. Because alcohol is a depressant, it can help you fall asleep. But it will not help you stay asleep.

Melatonin is a great way to help you fall asleep. But it works for only about 3 hours, so it is not as helpful for people that have trouble staying asleep. Melatonin is a natural over the counter supplement, but it is not for everyone as some people have reactions to taking it. Some complain that they feel overly tired, “hungover” the next morning and others report having intense dreams. There are a handful of natural herbs such as lemon balm, passionflower, and chamomile along with Full Spectrum CBD gummies & tinctures that I recommend to my patients to help with sleep. But ultimately the goal is to repair your adrenal glands which will most likely give you the most effective and long-lasting solution.

A few other helpful sleep tips would be to keep your bedtime routine consistent each night, try to shoot for around the same bedtime each night, reduce screen time an hour or two before bed (including phones, ipads and even television which can stimulate your brain too much before bed). Also, don’t exercise too close to bedtime because the endorphins that are produced with exercise will keep you awake as well. And finally try to end the day with something that helps you wind down, such as reading or meditation. Do this while diffusing your favorite essential oils; whatever puts you in a place of ease and relaxation.

What we covered in this blog were some of the key factors & protocols that I use with my patients for healing from adrenal fatigue and natural hormone balancing. If you’re looking for specific information or have personal questions about yourself, please feel free to contact me via email or schedule a consultation which can be done in our office or online. We will discuss your health history, what you’ve been doing and how we can help.

Call us today or book an appointment to see how our services can benefit you!