Top Adrenal Health Support Tips

The adrenal glands play a crucial role in maintaining good health. This article will discuss how stress affects adrenals and top ways to improve adrenal health naturally.

This article has been medically reviewed by Dr. Charles Penick, MD 

Adrenal Glands Defined

The adrenal glands are small glands located on the top of the kidneys, making different hormones in the body needed that keep it healthy. These hormones help regulate blood pressure, the immune system and metabolism. Adrenals also balance the hormones cortisol, aldosterone, estrogen, and testosterone.

Stress and the Adrenal Glands

Stress is the body’s natural “fight or flight” response to situations that are believed to pose a threat, either real or imagined. Feelings of prolonged or constant stress is called chronic stress. This type of stress is harmful and could weaken the body, making it susceptible to various health issues, including adrenal fatigue or adrenal insufficiency.

Common symptoms of adrenal fatigue include the following:

• Low blood pressure
• Lightheadedness
• Body aches
• Carbohydrate or salt cravings
• Decreased ability to handle stress
• Memory lapses
• Reduced sex drive
• Allergies
• Moodiness or depression
• Lack of energy in the morning or afternoon

While adrenal insufficiency and other adrenal gland disorders can be diagnosed via blood tests, the term “adrenal fatigue” is not an accepted medical diagnosis. Instead, it is often used by doctors and other healthcare professionals to describe a condition caused by exposure to stressful situations.

To alleviate feelings of adrenal fatigue, many focus on making positive lifestyle changes. This could help a person manage stress more effectively and allow the body to restore hormones to normal, healthy levels.

Healthy Adrenal Support Tips

Chronic stress causes the adrenals to produce excessive amounts of cortisol, norepinephrine, and adrenaline (epinephrine). Over time this could lead to adrenal fatigue. Keeping stress levels in check is a key component in keeping the adrenals healthy.

Here are some of the top ways to improve adrenal health:

Get Adequate Sleep.

The average person needs 7-9 hours of sleep per night. Cortisol keeps the body alert (and awake) during times of stress, which can impact sleep quality. Reducing cortisol levels could help relax the body, allowing it to get the sleep it needs.

Tryptophan, serotonin, and melatonin have relaxing effects and may counter the effects of cortisol. Eating some of the following foods before bed could help the body relax and improve sleep quality:

Other tips for a restful sleep include going to bed at the same time every night and keeping distractions to a minimum before bedtime. These distractions include light from electronic devices and loud sounds.

Eat a Healthy Diet

Diet plays an important role in adrenal health. Stress can cause some people to eat “comfort foods” to feel better. Unfortunately, many of these foods are highly processed, high in sugar, fat, sodium, GMOs, artificial colors and artificial ingredients. These unhealthy foods can raise cortisol levels and increase the risk of high blood pressure, obesity, cardiovascular disease and other health issues.

In addition to consuming the foods listed previously, the following are good for adrenal health:

• Grass-fed collagen or bone broth
• Fruit (2-4 servings per day)
• Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, etc.)
• Healthy fats (coconut oil, olive oil)
• Liquids (water, chamomile tea)

Low-Intensity Exercise

Even though exercise can temporarily raise adrenaline and cortisol levels, it can also help lower stress levels and regulate the body’s hormones. In addition, studies indicate regular exercise could help the body respond to stress more effectively. [1]

Low-intensity exercises are considered best for lowering cortisol levels. Popular low-intensity exercises include the following:

• Yoga
• Tai-chi
• Walking
• Cycling
• Swimming

For best results, aim for 10 to 30 minutes of low-intensity exercise 3-6 times per week. Allowing for plenty of rest between workout sessions allows cortisol levels to normalize, which gives the overworked adrenal glands a chance to heal.

Connect With Others (Social Support)

Social support is defined as “support accessible to an individual through social ties to other individuals, groups, and the larger community.” Low social support has been linked to heightened stress reactivity, including elevated heart rate, increased blood pressure, and exaggerated cardiovascular responses to stressors in laboratory studies. In addition, chronic stress and lack of social support are associated with increased morbidity and mortality in a host of medical illnesses. [2]

Connecting with others (including pets) can help the body to relax.  This may decrease cortisol levels and ease adrenal fatigue.

Spend Time Outdoors

When compared to indoor activities, outdoor activities in a natural environment were shown to cause more significant feelings of positive engagement and revitalization. Also known as “green activities,” they helped to improve self-esteem and ease feelings of tension, anger, and depression among test subjects. [3]

Researchers also noted the positive effects of exercising in green environments: individuals who walked outdoors in green environments saw their post-exercise blood pressure return to baseline quicker than those who exercised indoors or in urban settings. [3]

Adrenal Support Supplements

In addition to the tips listed above, there are many natural supplements available that promote adrenal health. Here are some of the top adrenal supplements from Revelation Health:

Systemic Formulas: #31 - Ga - ADRENAL

Ga-Adrenal helps to balance minerals, maintain pH balance, balance the immune response and help manage the body’s response to stress. It also contains vitamin B5, which is required for serotonin production and supporting adrenal function.

DesBio - Adrenal Synergy - 60 caps

Adrenal Synergy is designed to support the adrenal gland and the HPA axis. (The HPA axis is the part of the brain that sends messages from the brain to the adrenals, pituitary gland and other organs). Adrenal Synergy accomplishes this with botanicals, essential nutrients, and glandulars.

Key ingredients in Adrenal Synergy include the following:

• Vitamin C
• Zinc
• Folate
• Pantothenic Acid
• Asian Ginseng Aerial Parts
• Suprarenal Adrenal
• Vitamin B6

DesBio - Adrenal Support - 1oz tincture

DesBio - Adrenal Support provides temporary relief of symptoms related to hypoadrenalism. Also known as Addison's disease, hypoadrenalism is a condition where the adrenal gland function is impaired. Symptoms of hypoadrenalism include anxiety, forgetfulness, fatigue, and nervous exhaustion. Recommended dosage is 1-10 drops under the tongue 3 times per day, or as directed by a physician.

Summary

The adrenal glands play a pivotal role in regulating various hormones in the body. Chronic stress can cause the adrenal glands to become overworked, leading to hormone imbalances. Even though adrenal fatigue is not recognized as a health condition, the tips mentioned above may help alleviate stress levels, improve the health of the adrenal glands and regulate the body’s hormones.

Medical Disclaimer: This article is based upon the opinions of Revelation Health. The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Revelation Health and associates. This article has been medically reviewed by Dr. Charles Penick, MD for accuracy of the information provided, but Revelation Health encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional.

References

[1] Emma Childs, Harriet de Wit. Regular Exercise Is Associated With Emotional Resilience To Acute Stress In Healthy Adults.   Front Physiol. 2014; 5: 161. Published online 2014 May 1. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2014.00161. PMCID: PMC4013452. {PMID: 24822048}. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4013452/

[2] Fatih Ozbay, MD,corresponding author Douglas C. Johnson, PhD, Eleni Dimoulas (et al). Social Support and Resilience to Stress.  Psychiatry (Edgmont). 2007 May; 4(5): 35–40. Published online 2007 May. PMCID: PMC2921311 [PMID: 20806028}. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2921311/

[3] Valerie F Gladwell,corresponding author1 Daniel K Brown,1 Carly Wood (et al). The Great Outdoors: How A Green Exercise Environment Can Benefit All.  Extrem Physiol Med. 2013; 2: 3. Published online 2013 Jan 3. doi: 10.1186/2046-7648-2-3. PMCID: PMC3710158 [PMID: 23849478]. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3710158/