Ever wake up stuck to the pillow? Lethargic, head achy, thinking you're getting a cold and feeling really grumpy about it? Is this a common feeling?
Then you may have an imbalance with your endocrine system.
This is my absolute favourite topic. Yes its up there with bowel movements as my 'most talked about subject' because nearly everyone I meet can relate to having a run down endocrine system.
The Endocrine System sends messages all around our bodies to keep everything ticking along nicely. One of our most important glands is the adrenals. These triangle-shaped glands sit on top of the kidneys and produce our fight or flight response. Its the burst of adrenaline when we are nervous or excited that gives us the butterflies in the belly.
In today's ridiculous routine, we pretty much all live off of adrenaline. The noisy alarm clock first thing in the morning, the rushed breakfast, the traffic jams, the deadlines at work, the coffee hit, the gym work out and the school run. All these things produce an adrenaline response.
Our adrenals are not supposed to be on the go all the time like this. After a period of time the adrenals become exhausted. The glandular system works together like a beautiful orchestra. If the adrenals become tired this has a knock on effect to the rest of the family.
The pineal gland which controls sleep (by producing the hormone melotonin and our happy hormone serotonin) struggles and we can't sleep and we begin to feel low and depressed for no reason
The thyroid gland which governs metabolism struggles and we start putting on weight as well as feeling tired and emotional
The thymus gland which governs the immune system struggles and we get colds and flus
The pancreas which processes sugar struggles and we start craving the food we know we shouldn't be eating
The ovaries or testes struggle and a womans monthly cycle goes all over the place and sex drive decreases
These are just some of the symptoms that are caused by ongoing stress on the adrenals.
But what can we do? Here are six top tips to get your endocrine back into balance
- Eat well. Its so easy to eat rubbish when you're stressed especially when your pancreas is demanding it. Start the day with protein rather than carbs to avoid the sugar highs and lows throughout the day and make sure there are lots of greens on your plates
- Cut out the coffee and tea. Caffeine is a stimulant which triggers an adrenaline response as well as being a diuretic which uses water in the body rather than hydrating it
- Sleep in the dark. The pineal gland responds to light so make sure you turn off all TV and stereo lights and sleep in the pitch black
- Stop running. If you're stressed and functioning on adrenaline all day long, a run at the gym is going to make things worse. Go for a swim, do some yoga or go for a nice stroll
- Relax. Turn off the TV which stimulates your mind and have a bath, read a book or do absolutely nothing. Its so important to rest your body especially when things are crazy
- Endocrine Boost. In Kinesiology we have a powerful technique called the Endocrine Boost. This pinpoints what is happening with the glandular system and finds nutritional, physical and emotional solutions to re-balance it. It can pull you down from the ceiling or scrap you off the floor, depending on where you're at.