Ashwagandha for Adrenal Fatigue - All You Need to Know

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Ever notice how your energy and emotions yo-yo through the day?

One minute you’re up, focused and super-productive, and the next, you can barely keep your eyes open. To make it all worse, buzzing, anxious thoughts swarm your head like some low-grade wasp infestation. All you really want to do is curl into the fetal position in a dark closet until all the demands and stresses melt away.

Hello, darkness, my old friend.

Well, you’re not alone. You may be experiencing the same exhaustion, overwhelm, and anxiety as millions of Americans with adrenal fatigue.

If this is you every day, imagine what it would be like if you could take one thing — yes, just one — to help you feel instantly calmer and more energized.

That “magic pill” is actually not magical, and it’s not a pill. It’s a naturally-occurring root known as ashwagandha.

In this article, you’ll learn why using ashwagandha for adrenal fatigue is an evidence-based way to help heal this ailment in your life. Along with lifestyle changes, you can use this powerful adaptogen to reach your most energized self.

What is Adrenal Fatigue?

No doubt about it:

Adrenal crises are becoming more common in Americans.

Some estimates say that up to 80% of people are currently experiencing adrenal fatigue symptoms. Others say that adrenal crises are higher because of the commonality of the symptoms.

So what is adrenal fatigue?

It’s the eventual result of years of accumulated chronic stress, which causes overtaxed adrenal glands.

These two small, triangular-shaped glands sit atop the kidneys and are involved in several related body functions, including:

• Reproduction and libido
• Fertility (specifically related to female hormone imbalances)
• Energy regulation
• Stress response
• Gut and digestive health
• Cognition, mental acuity, and mood (primarily associated with the regulation of neurotransmitters)
• Sleep patterns

Trouble sleeping is a common adrenal fatigue symptom. Try our Namastay in Bed formula for a natural way to get back to healthier, high-quality sleep.

That’s a significant number of essential bodily functions.

Look:

We need stress.

Our fight-or-flight system is crucial to our survival and our decision-making — even in the modern world. Adrenal glands and the hormones they control help you tap into your body’s natural chemicals and harness these in ever-changing environments.

Sounds beneficial, right?

And it is. The issues start to happen when cortisol, the primary hormone related to stress and released by the adrenal glands, accumulates in the body because we’re always stressed out.

See, once you get away from that lion or avert the danger, your body should set back into a calmer state of alert relaxation. With adrenal crises, that doesn’t happen. Instead of physical issues, we keep the stress response going through mental anxiety and overworking. Our minds go into overdrive. We obsess over a problem in our heads.

Hey, we’ve all been there.

These mental, emotional stressors become chronic and they tap the adrenals over and over again for a hit of adrenaline and cortisol.

When you experience adrenal fatigue, you could experience a score of connected symptoms such as:

• Poor stress response
• Brain “fog”
• Hair loss
• Cravings for salty and sweet foods
• Decreased ability to remain awake during the day — coupled with increased energy levels in the evening
• Fatigue, especially when you wake up, with frequent “crashes” or exhaustion through the day

Consuming alcohol might make your adrenal symptoms worse. Read more about the connection between alcohol and adrenal fatigue here!

A great, caffeine-free way to get your body back on track and avoid those mid-afternoon slumps is to use our Pick Me Up blend of energy-focused herbs and supplements.

Ashwagandha for Adrenal Fatigue — How It Can Help

Stress reliever, energizer, inflammation fighter, and autoimmune healer.

Yes, the secret powers of ashwagandha, also known as Withania Somnifera, knows no bounds. We use this 3000-year old Ayurvedic herb for all sorts of pains, stresses, and physical and mental ailments.

Including adrenal fatigue.

But more on that later.

Ashwagandha works as well as it does, with zero side effects, because it’s an adaptogen. Adaptogens are called “herbal pharmaceuticals,” because they have measurable medicinal properties and trackable chemical effects that help the body at a molecular level.

Adaptogenic herbs boost energy, increase mental alertness, calm the nervous system, reduce inflammation, and balance the body. But the way they do this is through modulating stress levels in the body.

Fact: Stress affects all these areas.

The stimulating and soothing properties of adaptogens counteract the effects of stress on several systems in our body, including the nervous, endocrine, immune, and digestive. That’s why so many people rely on ashwagandha for adrenal fatigue as an excellent start to healing its symptoms.

Ashwagandha for adrenal fatigue is an adaptogen that is backed by science. Research is still emerging about different adaptogenic herbs, such as organic Maca or Rhodiola. However, using ashwagandha for adrenal fatigue symptoms already has significant scientific evidence to support its healing claims.

These smaller studies show us that taking ashwagandha for adrenal fatigue can help you:

• Overcome stress
• Feel more relaxed
• Experiencing less tension
• Naturally decrease levels of inflammation
• Heal related autoimmune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes

And even though it’s not directly related to taking ashwagandha for adrenal fatigue, this powerful adaptogen can also be a significant COVID-19 preventive or therapeutic drug.

You can pretty much call ashwagandha the super-adaptogen.

How to Cure Adrenal Fatigue

To heal from adrenal fatigue, you’ll need to implement several lifestyle changes that help avoid and ease your stress levels.

Here are the 6 best steps you can follow to start curing adrenal fatigue:

Tip #1: Take Ashwagandha

As we’ve mentioned, Ashwagandha is an adaptogenic herb for adrenal fatigue that’s incredibly beneficial for boosting your thyroid function, stabilizing your mood, and easing stress levels.

A continuous intake of the herb not only helps you combat the symptoms of adrenal fatigue, but also improves your concentration, reduces blood pressure, and helps overcome depression.

How to Use

The simplest form to use the herb is by taking it as a supplement.

We’d recommend our Organic Ashwagandha capsules for a completely non-GMO, plant-based product, full of highly bioavailable nutrients. Each capsule is mixed with organic black pepper, which enhances the compounds of Ashwagandha and ensures maximum absorption within the body.

You can take it from one up to three times a day, depending on the severity of your issue and needs.

Tip #2: Start With Sleep Hygiene

Sleep “hygiene” is not just about getting your sleep cycles back on track. It’s about addressing and improving your overall behavior and sleeping habits, mainly because the link between adrenal fatigue and insomnia is a persistent issue.

If you’re taking ashwagandha for adrenal fatigue, between 250 and 600 mg dosage will help you feel more relaxed, which in turn, allows you to fall asleep faster.

Plan to cultivate a consistent evening routine that triggers signals in your brain, telling it that it’s time to wind down. These habits can look like:

• Darkening your room using blackout curtains
• Setting relaxing background music or sounds
• Using a sleep mask to block out light
• Shutting down all electronic devices two hours before bedtime
• Get daylight exposure and use orange lights in the evening

Tip #3: Eliminate Added Sugars and Increase Protein Intake

Refined sugars are the primary culprit in many issues, including cancers, oxidative stress, and autoimmune diseases. It’s also a significant reason why adrenal fatigue causes weight gain or makes it harder to lose weight.

Once you eliminate added sugars from processed foods, you should increase your protein intake. A practical, long-term way to do this is to commit to an adrenal fatigue diet or simply start with adrenal fatigue snacks.

• Whole grains like wild rice, buckwheat
• Nuts, seeds, and legumes
• Green, leafy veggies
• Low sugar fruits like apples
• Fatty fishes like salmon

Tip #4: Prioritize Meditation

Meditation has significant positive total-body benefits, but studies show that it's significantly linked to lower levels of cortisol.

The mindful relaxation, along with the focus on deep breathing, can help calm the nervous system. Over time, consistent meditation can help balance dopamine, serotonin, epinephrine, and norepinephrine in the brain. These neurotransmitters are the keys to mood, sleep, cognition, and memory.

There are plenty of ways to get started with a meditation practice.

• Some can be as simple as sitting for five minutes at a time and focusing on the breath.
• If you prefer a “walking” meditation, get out in nature and focus on your breathing. The key is to pay attention to internal processes.
• You can also rely on Headspace and Calm's apps to divert anxious thoughts and enter a meditative state.

You can use essential oils while meditating to help you relax. We've curated a list of the best essential oils for adrenal fatigue!

Tip #5: Get Your Supplements Right

Supplementing with energy supplements has become a popular way to naturally boost your energy and ensure that your body is balanced while doing so. We also use supplements to provide additional vitamins and minerals that our body lacks.

For example, low levels of iron and magnesium are linked to fatigue and interrupted sleep. So adding these supplements through food or through capsules can help your body get back on track.

Besides taking ashwagandha for adrenal fatigue, other energy supplements you might consider are:

• Rhodiola Rosea
• Ginseng
• Bacopa Monnieri
• B-vitamins

Tip #6: Set Limits On Commitments

Remember that adrenal fatigue recovery is a total body endeavor. In other words, you need to approach it as a process from all sides — including behavioral changes.

Now, after taking ashwagandha for adrenal fatigue, these tips will help you improve your sleep, relaxation levels, and bodily functions. But you also need to give yourself the space to implement these new routines and leave behind responsibilities that drain your energy.

This means setting boundaries on social engagements.

For example, you may have to consider forgoing weekly pub nights with your friends because you’ve decided to be in bed by 10 p.m. every night. Or you may have to cut back on your work tasks so that you can focus on getting a smaller amount of responsibilities done better.

The point is to be both less physically busy and mentally overloaded.

Conclusion

When it comes to adrenal fatigue, the faster you act, the better your chances of completely curing this issue in your life. However, like anything else, you need to have a well-researched plan and act consistently to make those positive changes felt.

Onward!

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