For some time now, adrenal fatigue has become quite popular among the growing population. At first, just very few had any idea what this condition is all about. But now we can say that a larger number is now aware of what adrenal fatigue is all about. So what is adrenal fatigue? This is a condition that stems from chronic stress. The stress could come from just about any source. It could be physical, and even emotional. And just like what the name implies it simply means that the adrenals are stressed out and fatigued. People have come up with different ways to treat this condition. And one which we will be talking about today is the effect of amino acids for adrenal fatigue.
The truth is that this isn’t proven to be a true medical doctor. So if you go to the hospital your doctor would most likely not tell you that you have adrenal fatigue. Instead, they would try to look for the main cause of adrenal fatigue. Once they find that out they would choose a treatment option for you. The symptoms that come with this condition are cravings, and troubling sleeping at night and waking in the morning. And the truth is that these symptoms are quite general. They could happen to anyone with any other condition. This can be found in people that have quite a busy and hectic schedule. That’s why getting to know that you have adrenal fatigue might not be as easy as it seems. Anyway, let’s find out more about this condition as we go on.
Understanding Adrenal Fatigue
The adrenal glands are one of the glands in the body. There are two adrenal glands in the body. Each of the adrenal glands is just above each kidney. And they are quite important in the body for releasing certain hormones. One of the most important hormones that they release is cortisol. Cortisol happens to be one of the primary hormones of the adrenals. And their role is in regulating energy.
Cortisol is known to be the stress hormone of the body. There is a rise in the production of this hormone in the morning. And throughout the day the level of the hormone tends to drop. So a drop of the hormone very late at night would cause you to sleep.
One other thing that this hormone does is that it helps regulate blood pressure as well as blood glucose level. This happens during the response of the body to stress.
What Causes Adrenal Fatigue?
So what exactly is the cause of adrenal fatigue? This happens when the amount of cortisol in the body stays very high even when they should be low. And the cause of this is chronic stress. As mentioned earlier, cortisol is a stress hormone. So this means that when there is chronic stress the levels of this hormone are greatly increased. In the end, this results in the tiring out of the adrenal glands. And that’s because they keep producing the hormone cortisol even when they shouldn’t.
It has been found out that this isn’t more of a problem with the adrenals but instead a problem with the brain. This means that the brain is meant to send signals to the adrenals to regulate the amount of cortisol. But when the brain doesn’t send the signal the adrenals wouldn’t be able to regulate this hormone.
There are quite a lot of symptoms that come with adrenal fatigue. Some of them are low blood pressure, brain fog, blood sugar levels, moodiness, headaches especially in the afternoon, weaker and thinner nails, difficulty, losing weight.
Adrenal fatigue must be treated. If it’s not treated, then it could lead to a crisis. And this is a severe condition that could come with very serious signs and symptoms.
Amino Acids for Adrenal Fatigue
Some amino acids help with dealing with adrenal fatigue. The best time to take amino acids is 30 minutes before eating or 2 hours after eating. The reason for this is to reduce the competition that would occur between amino acids gotten from the meal and the amino acid consumed for treating adrenal fatigue.
Let’s take a brief look at some of the amino acids you can opt for and how they work.
- L-Taurine: L-Taurine happens to be an amino acid that helps out with cell stability. You wouldn’t be wrong to say it’s neuroprotective. It is known to have some anti-oxidant properties. Also, it has been shown to help improve the production of GABA. All in all, L-Taurine is very important for improving mood, sleep, and calmness.
- 5-HTTP: This is the precursor to the serotonin which happens to be a neurotransmitter. The good thing is that it easily crosses the blood-brain barrier and is well absorbed in the small intestine. The neurotransmitter serotonin has a lot of function with regards to mood, sleep as well as cravings. An adequate amount of serotonin in the body would make you relaxed and calm. At the same time, you can be sure of improved energy as well as mood.
- L-Theanine: We have right here a very interesting amino acid. This helps to regulate the HPA axis. With that, there is improved relaxation as well as better sleep quality.
- GABA: This is one inhibitory neurotransmitter. It helps by neutralizing the effect of glutamate in the brain. Thus calming the brain and improving the person’s mood and energy. GABA is particularly great for people that have insomnia. Normally, this can’t cross the blood-brain barrier but with adrenal fatigue, it would be able to cross the blood-brain barrier a lot better.
As for the dosage of the amino acids for adrenal fatigue you can ask your doctor about it. Make sure you take it as prescribed. Once taken as prescribed you can be sure that you would see changes as regards symptoms that come with adrenal fatigue.