Having children interrupt your sleep may not be the cause of your daytime drowsiness. You may be one of the 80% of women in the U.S. reported to have adrenal gland fatigue. If you have never heard of the adrenal gland or are not sure of how this is important to you, read on because knowledge is power. You deserve to have a full night's sleep and you deserve to have peace of mind throughout your day.
More than half of American women (60%) say they only get a good night's sleep a few nights per week or less and 67% say they frequently experience a sleep problem.
43% say that daytime sleepiness interferes with their daily activities. National Sleep Foundation (NSF).
Women who spend less than 7 hours in bed at night are more likely to doze off during the day, report symptoms of depression, drive drowsy and use coping mechanisms just to make it through their day. Source: National Sleep Foundation (NSF), Sleep In America Poll 2007.
If you find yourself in a continuous cycle of being sleepy during the day and but too wide awake to sleep at night, the cause of your restlessness may be overworked adrenal glands. And if so, the remedy is quite manageable.
Symptoms of Adrenal Gland Fatigue
- lack of energy (find it hard to get up in the morning)
- salt cravings
- increased blood sugar (hypoglycemia) under stress
- increased symptoms of PMS
- mild depression
- decreased ability to handle stress
- muscle weakness
- absent mindedness
- decreased sex drive
- mild constipation alternating with diarrhea
What are the Adrenal Glands and Why Do They Get Fatigued?
These two, tiny, triangular-shaped glands sit on top of each kidney. They are essential to hormone regulation especially dealing with stress including adrenaline, corticosteroids and androgens. The adrenal glands provide a burst of adrenaline in response to a "fight or flight" situation. Moms survive off a continuous adrenaline rush as they "Go Go Go" all day long striving to meet their overwhelming amount of daily responsibilities.
The adrenal gland's burst of adrenaline is supposed to be a temporary response to an immediate perceived threat. However, most moms are reacting daily to many stresses and even if you are feeling great and loving your day, your body's resources may be gradually becoming depleted. If overworked, the adrenal glands will begin to lose their ability to function.
Once this happens, it will cause an imbalance in the other hormone centers of the body causing many of the symptoms that are listed above. Adrenal health is related to digestion because the rush of adrenaline slows down the digestive system, in order to conserve needed to deal with the stress-causing situation.
If you answered yes to any number of the symptoms above, consider doing more research and talking to your health care practitioner about the topic. Adrenal glands can be restored and replenished with a diet rich in fruits and vegetables and with therapies such as massage and acupuncture.
So many new mothers hear from friends that "You should get your sleep now because when the baby arrives you will not get any sleep again for years." In a way this is true. But this comment might mask some underlying issues. Some restlessness is normal but on-going insomnia in combination with other significant symptoms may be a sign that there is more going on.
If the symptoms listed here describe you, what step can you take today to become more knowledgeable about recovering your adrenal gland and reclaiming your energy?
What are three things you can do this week to put yourself back on track?
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