Proudly Australian made
Articles, Videos & Podcasts
1 November, 2017
Fatigue, ‘burn-out’, and low energy are feelings of tiredness that persist even after sleep. These symptoms are often caused by a variety of factors including nutritional deficiencies, chronic (long-term) stress, poor sleep, and unhealthy lifestyle choices.
Here are 7 simple treatments for adrenal fatigue so you can quickly and easily get back to enjoying life and getting the most out of it!
1. Improve your diet
The foods we eat provide the energy and nutrients we need to function every day. Therefore, the quality of foods we consume determines how well our body functions and how vibrant and energetic we feel. Here are some simple steps you can employ to boost your energy and overcome fatigue fast:
- Eat more natural foods. This means you should eat more food like fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds, wholegrains, and lean protein sources (fish, chicken, eggs, and red meat).
- Drink more clean, filtered water. Dehydration can contribute to feelings of fatigue and burn-out. Therefore, consuming more water may help you feel more energised and help your body function better.
- Eat small meals regularly. By consistently providing your body with a wide range of essential nutrients throughout the day, you are far more likely to improve your energy levels and prevent fatigue.
2. Take adaptogenic herbs like Rhodiola Rosea
Most people experience varying degrees of stress on a daily basis throughout their lives, usually resulting from personal, relationship, vocational (job), or financial issues. If stress is chronic it may result in symptoms of fatigue, ‘burn-out’, or ‘stress overload’.
Adaptogens are herbs, like Rhodiola Rosea, are safe, non-toxic, and have a range of health benefits, including the ability to reduce the impact stress has on the body. They are able to do this by nourishing and supporting the adrenal glands, enabling the body’s cells to access and utilise oxygen and energy more effectively, and by helping the body remove metabolic wastes more efficiently. All of this results in improved physiological functioning.
Click here to learn more about the benefits of Rhodiola Rosea
3. Get good quality sleep
Sleep problems are common yet under-recognised and often untreated problems that have substantial long-term effects on physical, psychological, and occupational functioning. They can also have a significant impact on your energy levels and feelings of fatigue. Therefore, ensuring you have a good-quality sleep each night is essential. Here are some tips to improve your sleep habits:
- Don’t have your final meal too close to
- Don’t sleep for long periods during the day. A 10-20-minute nap during the day is okay but any longer may affect your ability to get to sleep and stay asleep at night-time.
- Go to bed only when sleepy. If you’re wide awake when you go to bed your brain may associate your bed with being awake and alert, which will affect your ability to get to sleep in the future.
- Ensure a comfortable sleep environment. This is done by maintaining a comfortable temperature, minimising light and sound in the room, and by having a comfortable pillow and mattress.bed time. During sleep, your body goes through the process of rest, recuperation, recovery, and rebuilding. If you have a meal too close to bed-time your body will have to expend energy digesting food rather than on other essential functions, resulting in you waking up feeling fatigued or tired the next morning.
- Avoid stimulants before bed. Having caffeine-based drinks or nicotine too close to bedtime may make it difficult to get to sleep and may also affect the quality of your sleep, resulting in a fatigued state the next day.
4. Increase your physical activity
Exercise increases your body’s metabolism of stress hormones, improves your mood, and promotes better sleep. Regular exercise also has an anti-inflammatory effect and helps the body fight against the damaging effects of free radicals. Each of these factors can reduce feelings of fatigue. However, ensure you don’t exercise too close to bedtime (within 3 hours), because it may have a stimulatory effect and affect the quality of your sleep.
5. Avoid harmful habits
Habits like smoking and excess alcohol consumption negatively affect your body’s functioning. It also requires organs such as your liver to expend energy breaking down and removing these toxins from your body. The components of cigarette smoke in addition to any alcohol consumed may affect your body’s ability to experience deep, restful sleep, resulting in fatigue and tiredness the following day.
6. Engage in enjoyable activities
In order to relax, enjoy life, and reduce stress levels, it is essential that we engage in enjoyable activities as often as possible. This may mean joining a sporting club, church, or community group; visiting friends or family members and simply having a chat or perhaps playing cards or board games; or exercising in a group, with a partner, or even on your own. It doesn’t matter what the activity is, just as long as it has a positive impact on your life, your health, and your mental state, and is something you can do regularly.
7. Reduce stress levels
Any stress you experience whether it be physical, mental, or emotional results in the same physiological response, the secretion of ‘stress hormones’, cortisol, adrenaline, and noradrenaline, into the bloodstream. These hormones allow your body to function above its normal capabilities; the ‘fight or flight response’. Once the cause of the stress is removed or reduced, the body expends energy returning the system back to a normal level; adapting to the stress. However, if the stress is chronic (long-term), then a state of fatigue, ‘burn-out’, or ‘stress overload’ results.
There are several ways to reduce your stress levels or at least, reduce the impact that stress has on your body. Some of the most effective strategies include learning relaxation techniques, performing meditation, using breathing exercises, and taking adaptogenic herbs like Rhodiola Rosea.
