"There were moments I physically couldn’t get off the couch." How adrenal fatigue changed my outlook on life.

Image supplied.

I’ve always been the type of person to pack my life with ‘stuff’. Lots of study, a thriving business career, a long term relationship, social outings during the week and on weekends, gym every morning at 5am plus yoga on the weekend, volunteering for charity and family time.

It wasn’t until I started getting sick – a lot – that I realised maybe packing so much into my life wasn’t helping my health. This year I’ve had the flu seven times. Seven.

When I saw my doctors, they couldn’t tell me why I kept getting sick other than that my immune system didn’t seem to be working (no kidding!) and that I should rest and wait for it to get better.

I thought taking a few days off the gym and having a free weekend was rest enough, but I just kept getting sick.

I decided to visit a naturopath just to get another point of view. I couldn’t understand why after nine hours of sleep, I was still waking up exhausted. I was nodding off at work every day and putting it down to not drinking coffee – surely everyone else felt like this every day?

"Adrenal fatigue" is a term used by holistic practitioners to describe the state of body and mind a person experiences when their adrenal glands run on empty. This apparently often happens following periods of intense stress, and if left undetected or unmanaged, can lead to chronic fatigue, which sees a person severely debilitated for months (even years) at a time.

While it is a medical condition, most people have not heard of it as it's vastly under diagnosed.

Turns out I’d had adrenal fatigue for quite some time – I was just ignoring the symptoms. So what causes adrenal fatigue?

“High levels of stress over a long period of time wear out the adrenal glands. Our adrenal glands are located in the kidneys and are responsible for secreting our stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol. We can function under high stress environments just fine for a while, but if the stress is ongoing with no periods of rest for the body to get back to a balanced state, then the adrenal glands can give up. This is when the more severe symptoms of adrenal fatigue start,” explains Hayley Stockbridge, Sydney-based naturopath.

My body has been running on pure adrenaline for years. I’ve always struggled with anxiety, but given I was only having panic attacks every now and then, I figured it was easy enough to deal with. Then my Dad got sick, and breakdowns became a monthly occurrence. Before I knew it I was having a panic attack a week – but refusing to do anything about it because I thought I had it under control. (Post continues after gallery.)

How wrong I was.

Without healthy, functioning adrenal glands, your body can’t respond to stress. If these glands are empty, it can wreak havoc on your energy levels (the fatigue cannot simply be fixed by sleep) and can cause a myriad of other health issues including lowered immune function.

I knew that if I wanted to seriously get better, I needed to do exactly what the professionals were advising, whether I liked it or not – and I didn’t like most of it.

I was told to rest. No social outings, no date nights, and plenty of bed time. Even if I wasn’t sleeping, I was require to just lie in bed.

I was told to stop the intense fitness regime I was putting myself through – so I quit the gym (which was a massive deal), and only did light walking and occasional yoga. I needed to steer clear of  anything that would cause a peak in my blood sugar levels.

It got worse before it started to get better. There were moments I couldn’t physically get off the couch because of pure exhaustion. I started feeling depressed and not myself. I cried every day for months – at home, at work, on the bus. I was so physically exhausted and sick of feeling sick.

It was especially tough as fatigue isn’t something that manifests on your body. Other than bags under your eyes, it’s hard for people to understand just how unwell you are. You’re not in hospital, so it can’t be that bad right? It’s a lonely feeling.

That being said, my fatigue has taught me so much. How to be kind to myself. How a seemingly ‘full’ life isn’t necessarily a healthy one. How rest should always be a priority – it doesn’t make you lazy and you shouldn’t feel guilty about it.

The best thing about adrenal fatigue is it is completely avoidable if you listen to your body.

“It is difficult to avoid the triggers that make us stressed and make us feel exhausted. However here are a few simple steps you can take to improve your body’s resilience to stress,” says Hayley.

“Be sure to get enough sleep. It’s the first thing we miss out on when we are under stress. Start each day with some early morning exercise. It can be as simple as a 20 minute walk outside in the morning sunshine. Eat regularly to keep blood sugar levels stable, which is essential for good energy, concentration and focus. And consider meditation. The benefits lie in the control of the breath and the direct effect this has on your nervous system.”

Am I better? Not yet. Am I getting there? Absolutely. It is so exciting to wake up in the morning some days and not feel tired. No longer do I have to nap at work to make it to the end of the day. I have started to introduce more social outings into my life and I haven’t been sick in two months!

The biggest lesson adrenal fatigue has taught me is that you don’t need pack your life with ‘stuff’ to live a full life. And if you feel anxious, speak to a professional – don’t let it build up. Above all, be kind to yourself. You deserve to be healthy and happy.

Have you ever felt so exhausted you couldn't get out of bed?