There’s a connection between how well your body copes with adrenal stress and the foods you eat. If you’ve been wiped out and exhausted lately, making small changes to what and when you eat can go a long way towards helping you feel energetic, rested and way less stressed.

Check out my favorite foods for adrenal support — and also learn which energy-zapping “stress foods” to avoid.

5 foods for adrenal support

Healthy proteins

Protein in all of your meals and snacks will have a stabilizing effect on your blood sugar, which, in turn,  helps to reduce adrenal-draining cortisol spikes and cravings for caffeine and sugars. My favorite source of healthy protein is wild caught salmon. It’s low in calories and easily digested. Nuts, seeds, beans and other plant proteins can be good choices. Women typically need between 60-70 total grams of protein per day. Protein is especially important to get you started in the morning.

Dark leafy greens

Kale, Swiss chard, mustard and beet greens, and other dark leafy greens are amazing sources for magnesium. The mineral provides necessary energy for your adrenals — and every cell in your body — to function properly. Magnesium also has a soothing, relaxing effect. Try to eat organic greens when you can as they don’t have the toxic pesticides that add more stress to the body. Other sources of magnesium include fish, nuts, seeds and whole grains.

Foods that are rich in adrenal-building vitamins 

Vitamin C, Vitamin E and Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) are intimately involved with production of adrenal stress hormones. If you’re under chronic stress and you’re not getting enough of these micronutrients, it’s a recipe for tapped out adrenals and the fatigue, brain fog and other symptoms that go along with adrenal dysfunction.

For foods rich in Vitamin C, think red and orange colorful fruits and veggies, including red and orange peppers, carrots, apples, and so many different choices of colorful squashes. Foods rich in Vitamin E include avocados, hazelnuts, almonds and asparagus. For Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid), egg yolks are great source and you can also try adding more lentils and split peas to your diet.

Brazil nuts

Selenium is an antioxidant that helps protect your cells from free-radical damage and is essential for thyroid and adrenal function; deficiency in selenium can be a contributing factor for adrenal fatigue. Brazil nuts are a great source for selenium — try eating two Brazil nuts a day to get the selenium you need. Other sources include tuna, organ meats, mushrooms, halibut and beef.

Oysters 

Zinc is important for balancing the body’s stress hormones. But stress itself is a natural foe of the mineral. As studies show,  prolonged stress may deplete zinc concentrations in the blood. So add a little more zinc to your diet when you’re stressed by eating zinc-rich choices like fresh oysters, sardines, beef, lamb, turkey, split peas, whole grains and sunflower seeds. All organic, please!

Foods to avoid for adrenal health

Caffeine can over-stimulate the adrenals and disrupt sleep patterns. But if you find yourself craving caffeine, it may be that your cortisol or blood sugar is low or that serotonin is imbalanced. In any case, you may not have much energy and your body probably needs a rest. Instead of cranking it up with another cup and having a caffeine crash later, take a mini-break and try deep breathing or a ten-minute walk.

Sugary foods create spikes and crashes in blood sugar levels which affects stress hormone balance. If you are craving something sweet, try some naturally sweet berries. Berries have a low glycemic index (meaning they probably won’t spike your blood sugars) and provide helpful antioxidants for oxidative stress protection.  In general, you want to spread out your meals and snacks throughout the day to maintain healthy blood sugar balance..

For more about how to tweak your diet to support your adrenal health, read our article on how to keep chronic stress levels to a minimum through food choice and meal timing.

The post Foods That Help Relieve Stress appeared first on Women's Health Network.

If you often find yourself in an antsy, agitated mood, with that heart-racing-jumping-out-your-skin feeling, there’s a good chance that excess stress has you “stuck” in your sympathetic nervous system. To get unstuck, you need to give your body support to activate its parasympathetic nervous system — the part of the nervous system that boosts emotional resilience by helping the body recover and heal from stress.

One of the most powerful ways to switch off your stress response and switch on your parasympathetic nervous system is to stimulate the body’s Vagus nerve. Extending from the brain through the face and neck to the abdomen and GI tract, the body’s Vagus nerve is considered a miraculous nexus that maintains a kind of balancing act between your stress response (the sympathetic nervous system) and your healing response (the parasympathetic).

When the Vagus nerve is activated, it shifts the balance to the parasympathetic, putting the brakes on the body’s stress reflex. As a result, blood vessels relax and widen, creating a greater sense of calm.

Best of all, you can activate your Vagus nerve in a number of simple ways.

Belly breathing to activate the Vagus nerve

One of the easiest ways to activate the Vagus nerve is deep “belly” breathing. The rhythmic action of deep breathing stimulates the nerve endings in the abdomen.

Get started with slow abdominal breathing with just a few steps:

1. Sit upright in a chair or lie on your back on a yoga mat or in bed, with your knees bent and your head supported with a low pillow.
2. Place one hand on your upper chest and the other on your belly, just below your rib cage.
3. Breathe in slowly through your nose, drawing the air in deeply towards your lower belly. The hand on your chest should remain still at first, while the one on your belly should rise.
4. Exhale slowly through pursed lips. The hand on your belly should move down to its original position.
5. The inhale and exhale should both be relaxed, but make sure the exhale is longer than the inhale.

Practice this breathing pattern for at least 10 minutes a day. If it’s been a high stress day, take a few extra deep breathing breaks to help you maintain calm. The relaxed state of mind you feel after deep breathing makes it that much easier to deal with everyday stressors.

Take a “cold plunge”

Research shows that cold-water immersion may help with stress by slowing your heart rate and directing blood flow to your brain where it provides stimulation to the Vagus nerve.

For beginners, an easy way to experiment with cold therapy is to turn the water colder for the final 30 seconds of your morning shower, then gradually work up to taking a completely cold shower for a few minutes. Cold-plunging also supports healthy immune function, improved mood, better circulation and reduced inflammation. If you need a baby step to help you ease into cold-plunging, try dipping your face in a large bowl of cold water for a few seconds at a time.

Chanting and meditation

Other ways to stimulate the Vagus nerve include chanting and mediation that uses a spoken mantra — both of these practices are so good for stress relief, partly because they stimulate the Vagus nerve endings in the back of the throat that help you to enter a deep state of relaxation. Try working a 10 or 20-minute meditation time into your morning routine. Gargling can also stimulate Vagus nerve endings in the throat.

Ear massage to stimulate the Vagus nerve

The Vagus nerve also touches the ear. You can stimulate this nerve ending placing your finger in the hollow of the “cymba conchae” (that deep curve of the outer ear) and gently rubbing the skin in a circular pattern whenever you feel stressed.

Reflexology massage

Researchers have found that reflexology foot massage assists in stimulating the Vagus nerve and can even lower blood pressure, likely through signaling to the brain, which in turn activates the nerve. For an easy reflexology technique, rub the sole of each foot with alternating gentle and firm touches while stretching your toes.

More reasons to care about your Vagus nerve

Turning on your Vagus nerve is a powerful tool for fighting stress, but that’s not all this “wandering nerve” can do for your health! We’re constantly learning more about other benefits of regular stimulation of the Vagus nerve. These include boosting mood, reducing inflammation, lowering heart rate and even providing relief for migraine headaches. Exciting research is ongoing in all these areas and we look forward to sharing more about this miraculous nerve. In the meantime, take a few minutes to breathe, hum, and splash a little cold water on your face to feel your stress melt away.

The post 5 ways to stimulate your Vagus nerve appeared first on Women's Health Network.

By Dr. Sharon Stills, NMD

Have you found yourself in situations lately where someone who is normally kind and loving is suddenly snappish and out of patience? Has that someone been you?

Non-stop stress contributes to emotional brittleness, which given the uncertain times we’ve been living in these past few years, may explain all the short tempers and irritation that seem to be everywhere these days.

If you could use some help restoring your emotional resilience, here are some surprisingly easy techniques for bouncing back.

How to boost your emotional resilience

When people are under chronic stress, the body’s fight-or-flight response becomes constantly engaged, sending cortisol levels higher and triggering the body’s sympathetic nervous system — that part of the nervous system that responds to stress with rapid and shallow breathing, constricted blood vessels and increased heart rate.

If you often find yourself in an antsy, agitated mood, with that heart-racing-jumping-out-your-skin feeling, there’s a good chance that excess stress has you “stuck” in your sympathetic nervous system.

To get unstuck, you need to give your body support to activate its parasympathetic nervous system — the part of the nervous system that boosts emotional resilience by helping the body recover and heal from stress.

Switch off stress by stimulating your Vagus nerve

A powerful and fast way to switch off your stress response and switch on your parasympathetic nervous system is to stimulate the body’s Vagus nerve. Extending from the brain through the face and neck to the abdomen and GI tract, the body’s Vagus nerve is considered a miraculous nexus that maintains a kind of balancing act between your stress response (the sympathetic nervous system) and your healing response (the parasympathetic). When the Vagus nerve is activated, it shifts the balance to the parasympathetic, putting the brakes on the body’s stress reflex. As a result, blood vessels relax and widen, creating a greater sense of calm.

One simple way to activate the Vagus nerve is deep “belly” breathing. The rhythmic action of deep breathing stimulates the nerve endings in the abdomen.

Get started with slow abdominal breathing with just a few steps:

1. Sit upright in a chair or lie on your back on a yoga mat or in bed, with your knees bent and your head supported with a low pillow.
2. Place one hand on your upper chest and the other on your belly, just below your rib cage.
3. Breathe in slowly through your nose, drawing the air in deeply towards your lower belly. The hand on your chest should remain still at first, while the one on your belly should rise.
4. Exhale slowly through pursed lips. The hand on your belly should move down to its original position.
5. The inhale and exhale should both be relaxed, but make sure the exhale is longer than the inhale.

Practice this breathing pattern for at least 10 minutes a day. If it’s been a high stress day, take a few extra deep breathing breaks to help you maintain calm. The relaxed state of mind you feel after deep breathing makes it that much easier to deal with everyday stressors.

Reset emotional resilience by taking a cold plunge

Itching to tell the irritating people in your life to “go jump in a lake”? Turns out that taking a dip is actually a great technique for lowering stress — as long as that lake you’re jumping into is cold! Researchers have found that cold exposure on a regular basis stimulates the vagus nerve, helping to lower sympathetic response and increase parasympathetic nervous system activity.

You don’t really need to jump in a cold lake to get the benefits. For beginners, an easy way to experiment with cold therapy is to turn the water colder for the final 30 seconds of your morning shower, then gradually work up to taking a completely cold shower. If you live in a colder climate, try spending short periods of time outdoors wearing a few less layers of clothing so you actually feel the chill before coming back inside. (Weather permitting, of course! If it’s frostbite season where you live, bundle up.)

Cold-plunging also supports healthy immune function, improved mood, better circulation and reduced inflammation. If you need a baby step to help you ease into cold-plunging, try dipping your face in a large bowl of cold water for a few seconds at a time.

Chanting and ear massage

Other ways to stimulate the Vagus nerve include chanting and mediation that uses a spoken mantra — both of these practices are so good for stress relief, partly because they stimulate the Vagus nerve endings in the back of the throat that help you to enter a deep state of relaxation. Try working a 10 or 20-minute meditation time into your morning routine.

The Vagus nerve also touches the ear. You can stimulate this nerve ending placing your finger in the hollow of the “cymba conchae” (that deep curve of the outer ear) and gently rubbing the skin in a circular pattern whenever you feel stressed.

Put new tools in your stress relief toolbox

If your idea of stress relief involves filling a wine glass at the end of another draining day, look for different techniques that help you “get out of your head” without the need to get inebriated. Here are some ideas to try:

• The Japanese call the practice of walking in nature to de-stress “shinrin yoku,” or forest bathing. To forest bathe, find a local nature trail and let your head empty as you walk so that you are only focused on your five senses. What do you see, smell, touch, taste and hear? Research shows that even a short 15-minute walk in nature can ease depression and stress.
• Talk to a therapist. If you just can’t stop yourself from overreacting to stress — i.e., every mole hill has become a mountain in your life — talking to a therapist can give you more coping tools and needed perspective. Mental health care is in high demand these days. If finding a local therapist in your area with openings is difficult, telehealth/online therapy options may offer you greater availability and flexibility.
• Volunteer. Read to children at your local library, or volunteer at a local school. Get involved at the senior center or animal shelter or volunteer at a non-profit thrift shop. With the pandemic finally over, volunteering is a great way to feel connected to your community again. As an added bonus, when you help others problem solve, you boost your ability to see solutions for stress that shows up in your own life.

Reframe your perspective

Catastrophic thinking is a learned cognitive bias in which our brains start to select and highlight facts that confirm a certain fear, and ignore those that contradict it. Most of us have done a lot of catastrophic thinking over the past few years and all this anxiety, worry and “doom scrolling” hasn’t helped anyone’s emotional resilience. 

The next time you notice yourself dwelling on catastrophic thinking, consciously challenge these negative thoughts. When you’re  “catastrophizing,” you might start out with a thought such as, “I feel bad today.” This thought may then expand to, “It’s only going to get worse,” or “I’ll never get better.” 

As you notice these thoughts, step in and literally say out loud, “Stop!” or “No more!” Next, use deep breathing, positive affirmations, meditation, journaling and other stress relief techniques to help you let go of irrational fears and refocus your thoughts. I also find it effective to ask myself, will whatever is bothering me in the moment matter in 5 minutes? 5 days? 5 months? 5 years? Over time, using these types of techniques will make it easier and easier to restore perspective. 

In her book, The Work, author and healer Byron Katie wrote powerfully about how this process of remaining alert to and questioning stressful thoughts changed her entire outlook on life: “I discovered that when I believed my thoughts I suffered, but when I didn’t believe them I didn’t suffer, and that this is true for every human being. Freedom is as simple as that. I found that suffering is optional. I found a joy within me that has never disappeared, not for a single moment. That joy is in everyone, always.”

All of this isn’t to diminish the very real suffering that’s happened for many. The practice of reframing your perspective is meant to help you make sure you’re not carrying an even heavier burden.

Support your stress response 

When you are under chronic stress, the constant tripping off of the body’s fight-or-flight response can create adrenal hormone imbalances and lowered thyroid function, leading to problems with mood and stress regulation.

When thyroid function slows during stress, triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) hormone levels fall. If they fall low enough, you can enter into a state of hypothyroidism (low thyroid). Symptoms of low thyroid include fatigue and depression. 

It’s difficult to bounce back emotionally when your body is struggling so much from these physiological effects of stress. You want to make sure that you are supporting your adrenal glands and thyroid to rebalance hormones and protect against stress symptoms. Are your adrenals and thyroid at risk? You can take our free Hormonal imbalance quiz to learn more about stress-related hormonal symptoms you may be experiencing. 

Healing the trauma wound

We have collectively experienced trauma over the past few years. This wound is at the root of so much of the fear, anxiety and stress we’re experiencing. Will you join me in healing this wound? The following mediation, adapted from a Metta Institute meditation focuses on loving kindness as the ultimate healing balm — for yourself and everyone around you.

Get comfortable and allow yourself to deeply feel the intention of these words as you say each line:

Think about yourself as you say: “May I be happy. May I be well. May I be safe. May I be peaceful and at ease.”

Think about a loved one as you say: “May you be happy. May you be well. May you be safe. May you be peaceful and at ease.”

Think about someone who you don’t love and/or who troubles you as you say: “May you be happy. May you be well. May you be safe. May you be peaceful and at ease.”

Think about the whole world as you say: “May you be happy. May you be well. May you be safe. May you be peaceful and at ease.”

End your mediation with the words: Safe, happy, healthy.

Inner peace makes everything easier to deal with — even that crowded supermarket with only one register open! Get in touch with me on social media and let me know how these tips worked for you.

Be well.

The post Rebooting your emotional resilience — and why it matters appeared first on Women's Health Network.

Most conventional doctors are trained to spot diseases of the adrenal glands, but not necessarily the steps that lead up to the disease. This is why adrenal fatigue — which is one of these steps — is often missed or written off as being “all in your head.”

Are you suffering from unexplained symptoms such as extreme tiredness, weight gain around the midsection (aka belly fat), brain fog and feeling depressed, insomnia, and cravings for salty foods?

As Dr. Sharon Stills explains, these symptoms are real and so is the adrenal fatigue at the root of what’s driving them.

Watch her video, “Is Adrenal Fatigue Real?” or read the excerpt transcript below to learn why conventional doctors have such a hard time acknowledging adrenal fatigue — and what you can do to finally get the help you need.

[The following transcript excerpt has been edited for clarity and length.]

Is adrenal fatigue all in your head? Absolutely not!

When I talk to my patients for the first time and I suspect they might be dealing with some kind of adrenal imbalance, I often find out they don’t really know much about their adrenal glands because in the conventional medical care they’ve received up to that point, their adrenal glands were pretty much ignored.

So, let me just give you some quick basics about the adrenal glands. The adrenals are these two glands that sit on top of your kidneys. They’re small — like the size of rolling dice — but they’re responsible for producing over 50 hormones! This includes the major stress hormone cortisol and adrenal corticoids like aldosterone and epinephrine and norepinephrine and other stress response-related hormones.

The reason why conventional doctors tend to ignore problems that may be developing in the adrenals is because they’ve generally only been trained to detect two extreme issues: Addison’s disease, a pathology in which cortisol/adrenal hormone production almost shuts down; and Cushing syndrome, a pathology in which the adrenals pump out extremely high levels of cortisol over an extended time. They know how to test for and diagnose these two recognized conditions.

But what conventional doctors lack training in is recognizing where their patients might be on the spectrum between these two pathologies. If your adrenal/cortisol test results fall between high and low cut-off points on available tests — even if you’re very close — you’ll probably be told by your doctor that your adrenal function is normal. This can happen no matter how many telltale adrenal dysfunction-related symptoms — from extreme tiredness to weight gain and food cravings to light sensitivity — you may have.

As a naturopathic medical doctor who has personally overcome adrenal fatigue and helped thousands of patients recover from adrenal fatigue, here’s what I know to be true: Just because something isn’t pathologically diagnosed in mainstream medicine doesn’t mean it isn’t real.

Taking a different approach to adrenal issues

In integrative and naturopathic medicine, practitioners take a totally different approach and look at the whole spectrum of your health to pinpoint whether you are headed towards disease and how we can turn that around. There are numerous signs of adrenal fatigue that we can catch and correct.

You may be stressed out, gaining weight, or feeling very tired, or you may be having anxiety or experiencing insomnia, or you just may feel totally burnt out. These are all signs that your adrenals are in need of some TLC. An integrative doctor is trained to recognize the level of exhaustion in your adrenals, whether other endocrine disorders coexist and how to best support your body so it can recover.

Finding out you have adrenal fatigue — and what to do next

To diagnose adrenal fatigue, some steps that an integrative practitioner might take include a four-point saliva test to look at the diurnal rhythm of your adrenal glands. This can tell us things like whether your adrenal glands may be really struggling with cortisol production in the morning, but not at night (or vice versa) and we can tailor solutions to you what you need and when.

For example, you can start to shift your meal times and some of your food choices to offer support for normalized cortisol production. Another step may be to use adaptogenic herbs (typically in the form of an adaptogenic adrenal support formula) to soothe the adrenals and re-balance cortisol production.

I find that many conventional doctors who don’t believe in adrenal fatigue like to say to their patients, “Well, what you really are is depressed.” The patient will often be prescribed some psychotropic drugs and they will get all the side effects that go along with them. However, if your body is suffering from adrenal fatigue these anti-depressant drugs may be a temporary bandaid, but they won’t fix what’s actually wrong.

When you know in your gut that it’s something more, it’s worth the time and effort to explore whether adrenal fatigue is in play. When you recover from adrenal fatigue and your energy levels start soaring again, you will know it was worth the effort.

Our Women’s Health Network site has so many helpful articles with other tips you can try! I recommend reading Burned Out? Here’s How to Cope and Best Tips on How to Boost Your Energy Naturally.

The post Is adrenal fatigue real? A doctor clears up the confusion appeared first on Women's Health Network.

Could a big clue to your body’s ability to cope with chronic stress be staring back at you in the mirror? Excess stress can set off a series of hormonal and psychological imbalances that you might not know are even happening — until a clear sign shows up like hair loss.

Is chronic stress making your hair fall out? Here’s how to tell — and how to get your hair growing again.

How stress disrupts hair growth

Hair normally grows in a healthy cyclical pattern with hair follicles cycling through four distinct phases:

1. Active growth — or anagen
2. Transition — or catagen
3. Resting — or telogen
4. Returning growth — or mesanagen

When you’re under a great deal of stress, this normal pattern of hair growth may become disrupted. Stress can block active growth and force more follicles to remain in the resting phase. When growth is stalled, hair becomes weak and thin, eventually breaking off. An imbalance in the hair growth cycle isn’t hard to miss: you see much more hair on your hairbrush and thinning hair on the scalp. When a large group of follicles all turn off in one place, bald spots may appear. Most of the time this occurs slowly, but in some cases it can happen all at once, causing a clump of hair to fall out.

The negative effects of stress on hair growth have long been known. The process by which stress influences hair loss, however, has remained a mystery — until now.

What’s at the root of stress-related hair loss?

The culprit is cortisol, the body’s main stress hormone. When too much cortisol is produced by the adrenal glands, as it can be when the body is in a state of chronic stress, the dysregulated hormone is powerful enough to disrupt cell signaling in hair follicles.

This happens, some researchers say, because high cortisol levels trigger an excess of pro-inflammatory cytokines, and it’s these cytokine molecules that prevent the hair growth cycle from moving from the telogen/resting phase to the anagen/growth phase. Cytokines may also disrupt follicular melanocytes, the part of the follicle that produces hair pigment, helping to explain why stress seems to hasten the appearance of gray hair.

In one recent study on mice, researchers pinpointed signaling receptors on hair-follicle stem cells that are influenced by cortisol. Researchers observed that when mice had low levels of corticosterone, the animal version of the stress hormone cortisol, hair/coat growth was abundant. In mice with high levels of corticosterone, hair growth stopped and shedding increased.

Returning to a healthy hair cycle

The good news about stress and hair loss? The effects can be temporary and healthy hair growth can be restored.

However, you need to know that protecting hair from the ravages of stress has very little to do with what shampoo you use or expensive hair treatments. The secret to your hair looking thick and lustrous again starts with reducing stress and returning cortisol production to its natural balance.

These steps can help…

Breathe

Deep breathing is a simple technique for stress reduction that can be used anywhere. Similar to other mindfulness-based practices, controlled breathing helps to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, known as the “rest and digest” system, which helps to lower cortisol levels.

Eat well and often

Since hunger naturally signals your adrenal glands to release more cortisol, don’t skip meals or let yourself go too long without eating. Following an adrenal fatigue diet — eating certain foods at specific times of the day — can help your body recover its natural cortisol rhythm. Avoid the “crash and burn” that follows eating sugar, white flour and caffeine. This spikes cortisol, only making problems worse.

Supplements for cortisol balance and adrenal function

Adrenals need a steady supply of B complex vitamins and Vitamin C for optimal function, including cortisol regulation. These vitamins are also great for your hair! Look for a quality multivitamin supplement to fill nutritional gaps. For deep adrenal repair and support, feed your adrenals adaptogenic herbs such as rhodiola and astragulus. These herbs are included in our natural stress supplement Adaptisol.

Modify your exercise routine if you feel drained by it

Exercise can help hair grow because it increases blood flow and circulation throughout the body. For many women, exercise is a stress reliever. If this is you, stick with it. However, others can feel exhausted by exercise when they are under stress. Listen to your body. If aerobic exercise leaves you feeling keyed up or extremely tired, try relaxing walks, yoga or any kind of exercise that recharges you rather than drains you.

Don’t overlook your thyroid

Low thyroid is another main culprit in thinning, brittle hair. Your adrenal and thyroid glands are highly interconnected parts of your endocrine system. Stress alone will not cause a thyroid disorder, but a stress imbalance in the adrenals can make any imbalance of the thyroid worse. Your hair loss could be a sign of low thyroid, or a sign that you are battling both adrenal and thyroid issues. Are you struggling with hair loss and other symptoms like brittle fingernails, weight gain and fatigue? You can check in on the health of your thyroid with our free Thyroid Health Quiz.

Taking the time to reverse stress-related hair loss comes with another big bonus: not only will your hair look better, but you’ll feel better too.

Learn more: Hormonal causes of your hair loss

The post How to stop stress-related hair loss appeared first on Women's Health Network.

In a recent CNBC survey, 53% of women said they are in a state of pandemic-induced burnout. There’s little surprise why. Over the past couple of years, millions of women have had to juggle their jobs, virtual schooling and childcare. Some women have dealt with loss of income or economic uncertainty; others may be caring for aging parents. Most are isolated from coworkers, friends and family.

If your situation fits into one or more of these categories, you probably already know that burnout isn’t just a feeling — there are real physical symptoms that come with this level of chronic stress, including extreme fatigue, brain fog, and weight gain. 

Relief from burnout starts with finding more time to relax and recharge, but you may be shocked at how much better you can feel when you dive deeper to support your physical and hormonal health, especially your tapped out adrenals. 

5 tips to rebound from burnout 

When you feel burned out, it’s an almost certain sign that your body has developed some level of adrenal imbalance. Hormones produced by the adrenal glands drive and manage the body’s response to stress. These hormones, including the major stress hormone cortisol, are activated during the body’s “fight or flight response,” that ancient system that’s designed to help us flee in the face of danger.

After this system protects us from whatever threat presented itself — whether real or perceived — the body’s stress response is intended to turn itself off and production of stress hormones drops back to normal. However, when stress is unrelenting — as it has been for many of us during the pandemic — the adrenals can stay on alert indefinitely and stress hormone production remains ramped up. As a result, adrenal hormones, especially cortisol, can be pushed out of balance, leading to the troubling symptoms we associate with burnout: extreme lack of energy, crushing fatigue, brain fog and weight gain. 

This is why solving burnout can’t truly happen without supporting your adrenals. So, as you start to take on your symptoms, try these steps. 

Repair cortisol balance to end burnout weight gain

Under normal circumstances when you haven’t eaten for a while, your blood sugar (glucose) drops and the brain sends a message to the adrenals to release cortisol to help out.

Cortisol maintains stable glucose levels in the blood by mobilizing stored glucose, amino acids and fat to prevent blood sugar from dropping too low, and to keep fueling your brain and body with energy in the absence of food. (Essentially, this is a function of that ancient system that if you need to flee from danger, like being chased by a wild animal, cortisol gives you the instant energy to do so.)

When we have long-term adrenal stress imbalances, however, cortisol levels are elevated in the blood and summon too much glucose. When glucose is not used for energy, it ends up stored in the form of fat — primarily abdominal fat cells (aka belly fat). Scientists know that fat cells have special receptors for cortisol. That’s a problem because there seem to be more cortisol receptors on belly fat cells than anywhere else!

So, this may sound contradictory if you are a die-hard dieter, but the way to rebalance your cortisol levels from this place of burnout is to eat regularly and eat well. Send the signal to your brain (and adrenals) that you don’t need any extra cortisol! Plan for and eat three balanced meals and two (also balanced) snacks per day. Spread them out across the day to work with your natural circadian rhythm. Use your meals and snacks as a time to relax and enjoy the foods you’re eating. This can stop further weight gain and help your body gradually let go of extra weight.

Some other tips to tame your stress hormones: Cortisol follows a natural cycle that complements your circadian rhythm. Normally, cortisol is highest in the early morning and declines gradually throughout the day to help you get ready for sleep. Because eating always bumps up cortisol, it’s ideal to eat your largest meal early in the day. 

When it comes to snacking, many women are accustomed to loading up on sweets and caffeine because they’re comforting and so easy to access. (Hello, Starbuck’s drive-through!) But this habit just worsens cortisol imbalance. Avoid sweets and caffeine.

Reach for specific micronutrient-rich foods that support your adrenals, like asparagus, avocado, cabbage, garlic, ginger and lean protein.

Love your lymph to decrease brain fog and fatigue 

Another important recovery step from burnout is to help your body detox by getting your lymph moving. Your body’s lymphatic system is responsible for removing cellular waste products and other toxins from your system. When you’re under constant stress, your system may be overwhelmed with waste and toxins to dump, which can contribute to burnout’s horrible feelings of fatigue and brain fog. 

So, give your lymphatic detox system some added support:

• Sweat more. Sweating helps to move and drain lymph, removing toxins along with it. Take a warm bath, go for a brisk walk, try a portable infrared sauna, and explore these other simple tips to support your lymphatic system.
• Try dry brushing. Using a bath brush, use long and light strokes to brush your skin in the direction of your heart. This helps move and drain lymph. The body’s main lymph drainage point is near the heart. Dry brushing is a relaxing self-care technique all on its own! 
• Use a rebounder. A quick and easy way to get your lymph moving is to jump for a few minutes on a mini rebounder trampoline. If you’re pressed for time, just a few minutes can jumpstart your circulation giving you a boost of energy and improved lymph flow. 

Sleep more — at least 7-8 hours of sleep each night

It’s overnight as you sleep that so many of your body’s repair processes take place, including repair of burned out adrenals. Be in bed and sleeping by 10:00 or 10:30 PM. at the latest. If you need to unwind, or it takes you a little bit to fall asleep, then get to bed at 9:00 or 9:30 PM.

If your sleep is in really bad shape from stress, over production of cortisol could be the culprit and you will need to take a few extra steps to get your sleep back on track. To help do this, you can try a really good natural sleep supplement with L-theanine and passion flower for quieting cortisol production and calming your thoughts. Other helpful nutrients for sleep include calcium and magnesium — combined, they have a very relaxing effect, especially if stress creates muscle tension. You may also benefit from supplementing with melatonin, the body’s natural sleep hormone.

Also, stop screen time from messing with your sleep! Put your electronics to bed at least two hours before your own bedtime to avoid sleep-disrupting blue light and sleep with your room in total darkness. Here some more doctor-approved sleep secrets to help you get the restorative sleep you need. 

Opt for exercise that calms you down

When your adrenals are already in a state of hyper arousal, choosing forms of physical exercise that calm you down instead of rev you up are most helpful. Walking, yoga, Tai Chi and other forms of low impact exercise are easy ways to boost your energy levels. They also work wonders for adrenal imbalance by “sopping up” excess cortisol circulating in your system, helping you feel more relaxed and allowing the adrenals to rest. On the other hand, high intensity exercise can trigger cortisol production. Listen to your body. If a certain form of exercise makes your energy levels drop even more, move on and try something else.

Give your body direct nourishment to beat burnout 

When you’re burned out, you want to make sure your adrenals have everything they need for repair and replenishment. Helpful supplements for burnout include high-quality vitamins and minerals that support a healthy metabolism and hormonal balance, contributing to adrenal health. Our Essential Nutrients, with 30 vitamins and minerals, is an easy-to-take formulation that builds a strong nutritional foundation

Specific herbal supplements, such as astragalus root and eleuthuro (Siberian ginseng), are effective at reducing the negative side effects of stress. Others, such as passionflower, produce calming effects and encourage sleep. Many of these herbs are found in our natural formulations Adaptisol and Serinisol.

The post Burned out? Here’s how to cope appeared first on Women's Health Network.

By Dr. Sharon Stills, NMD

Women’s sleep patterns are closely intertwined with their stress hormones — so, surprise, surprise — when you’re stressed, you often experience sleep disruptions at the same time.

Whether it’s tension from your job, family or marriage problems, the neighbor’s dog barking, a disagreement with someone on Facebook, or even just getting stuck in a traffic jam on the way home from work, stress triggers can cause levels of the “alert” hormone cortisol to surge. Over time, when stress becomes chronic, your body may come to view everything as a threat and cortisol remains stubbornly high — keeping your body and brain on red alert and unable to sleep.

Is your mind racing night after night? That’s a prime sign that you could have an underlying hormonal issue feeding this vicious cycle of sleeplessness.

Stress can disrupt your hormones and sleep patterns in other less direct ways too. For example, melatonin is one of your main sleep hormones. It’s triggered as daylight starts to decrease, signaling to your brain that it’s time to start winding down and go to sleep.

If after another stressful day juggling all your responsibilities, you wind down by watching a movie on your laptop or scrolling through social media, this exposure to computer and electronic device screens before bed can interfere with melatonin production. The “blue light” emitted by these devices can trick the brain into perceiving the blue light as daylight. You lose sleep as a result.

So, now that we know what might be contributing to your sleep problems,  let’s talk about the solutions. When I help women with their sleep issues, I find that rebalancing cortisol and melatonin is really effective for resetting patterns for healthier sleep.

Here are my three favorite tips to try:

1. Give yourself time to drift off. Going to sleep at 10 pm does not mean lying down at 9:55 and expecting to be asleep in five minutes. When you don’t fall asleep in the short window you give yourself, this can trigger stress — causing cortisol to lift instead of decrease. This just makes the problem worse!

I like to get in bed at 9 pm with an hour to read, listen to soothing music and just enjoy my bed. It’s freeing to know I have nine hours in bed and only need to spend eight of them asleep.

You can also create little rituals around bedtime to help your body (and cortisol production) into wind-down mode. Reflect on the day by writing in a journal, noting things that inspired you or made you feel grateful. Take a hot bath or drink a cup of non-caffeinated herbal tea — but remember no cookies with that tea. Stop eating three hours before bedtime so you’re not digesting food while trying to fall asleep.

2. Curb your cortisol. If your sleep is in really bad shape from stress, then you’ll need to more directly dial back over production of cortisol. To help do this, you can try a really good natural sleep supplement with L-theanine and passion flower for quieting cortisol production and calming your thoughts. Other helpful nutrients for sleep include calcium and magnesium — combined, they have a very relaxing effect, especially if stress creates muscle tension.

3. Stop screen time from messing with your sleep hormones. Put your electronics to bed at least two hours before your own bedtime to avoid sleep-disrupting blue light and sleep with your room in total darkness. To boost melatonin levels, you can try a melatonin supplement to help your body return to normal circadian and sleep rhythms. You can also snack on cherries in the evening! The juicy red fruit is a food source for melatonin. If you can’t find fresh cherries, try drinking a small amount of tart cherry juice.

When you get enough restful sleep, you have in your hands the key to optimal health and vitality. In all seriousness, sleep needs to become your new super power!

You can find more sleep tips in my related blog: 4 sleep secrets from Dr. Sharon Stills.

Find out if your sleep issues could be a sign of an adrenal imbalance with our quick quiz.

The post 3 steps to better sleep when you’re stressed appeared first on Women's Health Network.

When you live in a constant high-alert state, your adrenal glands are often forced to produce too much of the stress hormone cortisol. Over time this leads to a state of adrenal imbalance and even adrenal fatigue in your body. High cortisol can be the trigger for adrenal stress symptoms and related long-term health problems.

Table of contents

1. What is cortisol?
2. Signs and symptoms of high cortisol in women
3. The negative effects of high cortisol
4. How to know if your cortisol level is too high
5. How to lower cortisol and relieve adrenal fatigue

What is cortisol?

Cortisol is one of the body’s main stress hormones. When you are under stress and your body’s fight or flight response kicks in, cortisol quickly comes to your rescue, mobilizing carbohydrates and fat for instant energy. But even when you’re not in danger, cortisol hums along in the background assisting your body with key everyday functions.

Cortisol helps to:

• Regulate your blood pressure,
• Convert food into energy,
• Regulate the effects of insulin,
• Reduce inflammation, and
• Support the body’s natural sleep/wake cycles.

High Cortisol Signs and Symptoms in Women

When cortisol production is balanced, levels of the hormone naturally rise and fall during the day. These patterns are tightly connected to your circadian rhythm sleep/wake cycle.

Cortisol levels are usually lowest between midnight and 4 a.m. and then gradually increase until around 8 a.m. Rising cortisol helps you to wake up and start the day. After 8 a.m., cortisol declines incrementally throughout the day to gradually prepare you for sleep.

This daily rhythm is the norm — unless you encounter a stressful event. In response to danger, your body temporarily raises levels of cortisol and adrenaline to handle the stressful event. After the stressors have passed, cortisol and adrenaline levels return to normal.

That’s the way it’s supposed to work. Yet when chronic stress leads to unnaturally high cortisol levels, it creates a state of adrenal imbalance that often triggers a cascade of adrenal-related symptoms:

• Fatigue
• Low sex drive
• Sleeplessness
• Weight gain (especially belly fat)
• Impaired healing and cell regeneration
• Disrupted digestion, mental function (brain fog) and metabolism
• Weakened ability to fight infection
• Imbalances in other important hormones such as DHEA, estrogen, progesterone and testosterone
• Loss of muscle and bone
• Mood swings and depression
• Hair and skin problems
• Thyroid imbalances

Negative effects of high cortisol

Adrenal imbalance in women tends to peak between the ages of 35 and 55 and most often shows up in one of the following ways:

• You’re always active and feel “wired.” Your system is constantly fueled by adrenaline and cortisol to create what feels like a continual state of hyper-energy. Yet you often feel drained.
• You can’t get up in the morning — but you can’t sleep at night. Your natural 24-hour cycle of energy and relaxation is off-balance. If you’re able to fall asleep, you may wake up in the middle of the night fully alert.
• You have no energy — period. You feel exhausted all the time. Even getting out of bed often feels like a challenge. You may also experience intense cravings and unexplained weight gain.

Adrenal imbalance may be a factor in many other serious conditions, including fibromyalgia, hypothyroidism, chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, arthritis, anxiety at night and more.

How to know if your cortisol level is too high

Unfortunately standard tests of adrenal function aren’t very helpful. If your primary care practitioner calls for a typical laboratory cortisol test, it will be difficult to see anything more than the most severe cases of adrenal dysfunction, such as Addison’s disease or Cushing’s syndrome.

We recommend finding a practitioner who is willing to do salivary cortisol testing, which measures cortisol levels and a hormone called DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) throughout the day.

A lab test isn’t necessary to determine if you have adrenal fatigue or high cortisol, however. You can simply check in with how you feel. If your energy level is very low in the morning but seems to increase right around the time everyone else is getting ready for bed, your cortisol cycle is probably out of whack. It’s a good indication that you will reap huge benefits by taking steps to rebalance your adrenal glands.

How to lower cortisol and relieve adrenal fatigue

In our experience, women with mild to moderate adrenal imbalance have several options that can help them feel significantly better while keeping symptoms from becoming more severe.

The key is taking the right steps to normalize cortisol levels and restore healthy adrenal function. You can take immediate action by asking yourself these simple questions:

Are you eating in tune with your natural cortisol curve?

• When you eat your meals is just as important as what you eat to rebalance your adrenal glands. The goal is to achieve more stable energy levels throughout the day, which you can accomplish by eating three balanced meals with two snacks.
• What you eat does make a difference too! Try to reduce refined carbohydrates — such as sugar, flour, potatoes and white rice — which cause stressful ups and downs in your blood sugar that can lead to adrenal imbalance. We know this can be difficult, so just do the best you can. The goal is progress, rather than perfection!

How can nutritional supplements support your adrenal glands?

• High-quality vitamins and minerals help support a healthy metabolism and hormonal balance, which contribute to adrenal health. Our Essential Nutrients, with 30 vitamins and minerals, is an easy-to-take formulation that builds a strong nutritional foundation.
• Specific herbal supplements, such as astragalus root and eleuthuro (Siberian ginseng), are effective at reducing the negative side effects of stress. Others, such as passionflower, produce calming effects and encourage sleep. Many of these herbs are found in our natural formulations Adaptisol and Serinisol.

Which lifestyle changes are best to restore adrenal balance?

• We can’t always reduce stress, but we can take steps to reduce its effects on our lives. Take time to understand where your stress is coming from, and then think about how you’ll make changes that are right for you and your lifestyle. It’s helpful to make a list of stressors that interfere with your well being, especially those that are ongoing or self-imposed.
• Get more rest. Your body needs down time to heal! Aim for at least 7-8 hours a night. Be in bed and sleeping by 10 or 10:30 p.m. at the latest. If you need to unwind, or it takes you a little bit to fall asleep, then get to bed at 9 or 9:30 p.m.
• Get more gentle. Choose forms of physical exercise that calm you down instead of rev you up. Walking, yoga, Tai Chi and other forms of low impact exercise can do wonders for the adrenals. On the other hand, high intensity exercise can trigger cortisol production. Listen to your body. If a certain form of exercise makes you feel worse instead of better, move on and try something else.

Remember, it took a lot of time for high cortisol levels to develop and so it’s going to take time to bring your adrenals back to balance. As you work towards this goal, be kind to yourself, be proactive about all the many changes you can make and steps you can take — and know that you will be well again!

The post High cortisol levels in women and negative effects on the body appeared first on Women's Health Network.

Lack of energy in women is so common that many of us think it’s just part of getting older. Well, it’s not. If you are experiencing low energy levels and debilitating fatigue, the first step is to pinpoint the cause so you can find ways to boost your energy and get relief.

As long as there are no major health issues behind your fatigue, you can look forward to feeling energetic and vibrant again.

Table of contents

1. Top tips to boost energy naturally
2. Top 5 natural ingredients for an energy boost
3. How to get your energy back — naturally

To start uncovering the true source of your low energy and fatigue, a good first step is to investigate your adrenal function. Often overlooked by conventional medicine as a source of fatigue, the adrenal glands drive and manage your body’s reactions and responses to stress. And because stress comes in many forms — real and perceived, physical and emotional — your adrenal glands may have been working overtime for many months or even years.

We all need a healthy stress response to help us survive when our lives are threatened. After it protects us from danger, this incredible adrenal-based mechanism is intended to turn itself off. As the body enters a post-stress state of rest, production of stress hormones drop back to normal. However, when stress is  unrelenting — even the non-emergency type like a problem at work or a traffic jam — your adrenals can stay on alert indefinitely and stress hormone production remains ramped up. As a result, adrenal hormones, especially cortisol, can be pushed out of balance, leading to symptoms including extreme lack of energy, crushing fatigue, and more.

Adrenal fatigue — that is, an imbalance in adrenal stress hormone production from unrelenting stress — can cause different symptoms from person to person depending on their physiology and individual circumstances.

Top tips to boost energy naturally

• Sleep More – Plan to get at least 7-8 hours of sleep each night. Be in bed and sleeping by 10:00 or 10:30 PM. at the latest. If you need to unwind, or it takes you a little bit to fall asleep, then get to bed at 9:00 or 9:30 PM. Try these doctor-approved sleep secrets to help you get the restorative sleep you need.
• Exercise More – Modify your exercise routine if you feel drained by it. Choose forms of physical exercise that calm you down instead of rev you up. Walking, yoga, Tai Chi and other forms of low impact exercise are easy ways to boost your energy levels. They also work wonders for adrenal imbalance by “sopping up” excess cortisol circulating in your system, helping you feel more relaxed and allowing the adrenals to rest. On the other hand, high intensity exercise can trigger cortisol production. Listen to your body. If a certain form of exercise makes your energy levels drop even more, move on and try something else.
• Eating a balanced diet – Eat well and often. The goal is to achieve more stable energy levels throughout the day, which you can accomplish by eating three balanced meals with two snacks. What you eat does make a difference too! Try to reduce refined carbohydrates such as sugar, flour, potatoes, and white rice which cause stressful ups and downs in your blood sugar that can lead to adrenal imbalance.
• Let go of draining activities and learn to play. Take time to understand where your stress is coming from, and then think about how you’ll make changes that are right for you and your lifestyle. Get used to saying “no” more often to all those extraneous requests (the school bake sale can still be a success without you!) and make more time for activities that nourish your soul and lift your energy levels. You know you’re on the right track when at least part of your day feels more like play!

Top 5 natural ingredients for an energy boost

It’s not unusual for women to rely on caffeine or other stimulants to jump start their day, but doing that simply covers up (instead of solving) the problem. Fortunately, there are natural ways to boost your energy, such as herbs that help relieve adrenal stress and lack of energy — these work with your body to restore balance, rather than just masking symptoms.

Astragalus root (A. membranaceus)

Aids in the body’s natural ability to adapt to stress, bolstering the immune system so that you stay well. Also helps to regulate normal blood sugar levels and alleviate insulin resistance.

Cordyceps (C. sinensis)

As an antioxidant, it can slow aging and take the load off the adrenals by supporting the immune system, balancing the inflammatory response and helping to stabilize blood sugar.

Eleuthero (Eleutherococcus senticosus, formerly called Siberian ginseng)

An adaptogenic herb that can help protect against the negative effects of stress, while decreasing fatigue, enhancing mental clarity and helping to balance blood sugar.

Rhodiola rosea (“golden root”)

An adaptogenic herb that protects against stress-related fatigue and “burnout.” It also increases mental clarity and offers immune and blood sugar support. Added benefits of Rhodiola are its antidepressant and anti-anxiety properties.

Licorice root (Glycyrrhiza glabra)

Well known for supporting adrenal balance, licorice root aids in increasing energy and endurance. As certain forms of licorice can increase blood pressure and lower potassium, this herb is best taken under the care of an herbalist or a functional medicine practitioner.

Depending on your symptoms, you may need therapy that’s more stimulating, or one that’s more relaxing, or even a little of both. You can talk with an experienced herbalist, naturopath, or functional medicine practitioner about your symptoms, working together to find the right combination of herbs for your unique needs.

Adrenal-supporting herbs often require several weeks of regular use for you to experience their full benefit. Using herbs for energy initially has more subtle effects than over-powered pharmaceuticals and synthetic stimulants, but the noticeable difference in how you feel and function will show you they’re working.

How to get your energy back — naturally

In a world where women are expected to do more and more — and do it perfectly —it’s difficult to step back and take a breath. But you don’t really have to do it all, nor do you have to feel exhausted every day. And you can find this balance without relying on sugar, carbs, and caffeine to make it through from one hour to the next. You have choices for adrenal support that can boost your energy naturally, prevent further health issues, and put you on the path to good adrenal health.

The post Best tips on how to boost your energy naturally and ways to fight fatigue appeared first on Women's Health Network.

Don’t worry, I am not here to scold you for eating too many chips or cookies for comfort because, honestly, this isn’t the worst way that stress causes weight gain. Real adrenal stress weight gain comes from actual physiological changes that happen when your body is under chronic stress. Adrenal stress alters your hormones, setting your body up to pack on extra pounds. 

A telltale sign of weight gain caused by adrenal stress is midsection weight gain. Stress-related belly fat is so difficult to lose once it appears because adrenal stress continuously “feeds” this fat, keeping it locked in place.

But here’s the good news — once you understand what’s going on in your body during long periods of stress, you will have ways to correct underlying imbalances so your body can finally let go of stubborn weight gain.

Let’s find out how this works.

Table of contents

1. How chronic stress can make you fat
2. What are the risks of stress and weight gain?
3. Adrenal stress and fatigue cause belly fat
4. Tips to control weight gain related to high cortisol

How chronic stress can make you fat

When the body is under stress, it shifts the way it physically handles incoming food. The stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol quickly mobilize energy production from carbohydrates and stored fats. But they also make the body less sensitive to leptin, the hormone that makes us feel full, so we inadvertently eat larger portions than normal.

There is nothing “wrong” with this chain of events – it’s simply part of our body’s innate “fight or flight” response that evolved long ago to help us to run for our lives, or stop and fight for survival.

The chronic stress of modern life is very different from stress our ancient forbearers faced, of course, but the body’s biochemical response remains exactly the same. So, unless you really do need to outrun a wild animal, your body doesn’t require all those extra calories for energy when you’re stressed and that’s why they get stored as fat.

Weight problems are standard for women in a state of constant stress, operating under elevated or high cortisol levels for very long periods of time.

Cortisol is a key stress regulation hormone produced by the adrenal glands. When you’re in danger, your body is pre-programmed to release higher levels of the hormone. Cortisol helps to quickly boost your energy levels so you can react and flee imminent danger. Cortisol specifically helps:

• Regulate your blood pressure.
• Convert food into energy.
• Regulate the effects of insulin – the master hormone that controls your blood sugar levels.
• Reduce inflammation.

What are the risks of stress and weight gain?

When we live in a constant high-alert state, our cortisol levels remain unnaturally high and can cause all kinds of symptoms and long-term health problems.

Weight gain is often the most noticeable outward sign of chronic adrenal stress. But this isn’t just about your jeans feeling tight. Hormonally driven weight gain increases your risk for many serious health issues:

• high blood pressure
• insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes
• joint pain
• infertility
• heart disease and stroke
• certain cancers

Adrenal stress and fatigue cause belly fat

Let’s zero in on belly fat for a minute because it is such a major part of adrenal stress weight gain.

Under normal circumstances when we haven’t eaten for a while, our blood sugar (glucose) drops and the brain sends a message to the adrenals to release cortisol to help out.

Cortisol maintains stable glucose levels in the blood by mobilizing stored glucose, amino acids and fat to prevent blood sugar from dropping too low, and to keep fueling your brain and body with energy in the absence of food.

But when we have long-term adrenal stress imbalances, cortisol levels are elevated in the blood and summon too much glucose. When glucose is not used for energy, it ends up stored in the form of fat — primarily abdominal fat cells. Scientists know that fat cells have special receptors for cortisol. That’s a problem because there seem to be more cortisol receptors on belly fat cells than anywhere else!

And sadly, belly fat doesn’t just “sit there” doing nothing. Incredibly, the fat itself becomes like an endocrine organ that reacts to the stress response, spurring still more abdominal fat to be stored.

3 tips to curb cortisol and adrenal stress weight gain

1. Eat well, and regularly

One powerful way to convince your body on a cellular level that it’s not going to starve to death just because you’re stressed is to eat nutritious food at regular intervals every day. Plan for and eat three balanced meals and two (also balanced) snacks per day. Spread them out across the day to work with your natural circadian rhythm.

Cortisol follows a natural cycle that complements your circadian rhythm. Normally, cortisol is highest in the early morning and declines gradually throughout the day to help you get ready for sleep. Because eating always bumps up cortisol, it’s ideal to eat your largest meal early in the day.

When it comes to snacking, many women are accustomed to loading up on sweets and caffeine because they’re comforting and so easy to access. (Hello, Starbuck’s drive-through!) But this habit often leads to an even greater plunge in energy.

Instead when you need a boost, choose micronutrient-rich foods that support your adrenals, like asparagus, avocado, cabbage, garlic, ginger and lean protein.

Timing meals & snacks to support healthy cortisol levels & energy

2. Balance cortisol with phytotherapy

Using the right plant-based ingredients helps reduce the negative effects of cortisol. Astragulus root, rhodiola, cordyceps and passionflower are highly effective in resolving adrenal imbalances because they adapt to your body’s specific needs.

Along with phytotherapy, consider supplementing with a high-quality multivitamin mineral complex that you can count on to supply basic, everyday nutrients that you can’t live without. As adrenal expert, Shawn Talbott, PhD, confirms, “When it comes to dietary supplementation for stress adaptation and cortisol control, the first line of defense appears in the form of a comprehensive multivitamin/mineral supplement…”

3. Pace yourself to promote healing

If you’re tired, wired and overweight, try these ideas to lower your stress levels and heal your adrenal stress so you can stop the vicious stress/weight-gain cycle:

The post How does stress cause weight gain in women — and how do you deal with it? appeared first on Women's Health Network.