Being tired sucks.

 

You know, when your bone tired and have absolutely no idea why. You sleep well, you eat ok-ish but still find yourself tired.com.

 

It gets a bit boring and very annoying and whilst this can be due to many many, a very common reason is that your adrenal glands are slight dysfunctional.

 

I talked more in-depth about adrenal dysfunction, most commonly known as adrenal fatigue, in this post so give that a read if you want to find out more.

 

But adrenal dysfunction is something I see often with my one2one clients and is something that I myself am still recovering from and dealing with. It is basically when the hormone cortisol, produced by your adrenal glands, gets imbalanced and different stages are involved. Stage one is being tired but wired whilst stage 4 can mean your are burnt out completely and sometimes stuck in bed. So basically no fun at all.

 

When it comes to cortisol we should have higher levels in the morning and then it steadily lowers as the day goes on. When the adrenals are dysfunctional you may not be producing any cortisol in the morning only at night, or in my case, cortisol levels are just high all the time (I don’t think running your own business does wonders for you cortisol…). Cortisol is a much-needed hormone but in the right balance only, too much or too little can cause problems.

*Please note that you should always consult your doctor if you suspect adrenal issues as there are more serious conditions such as Addison’s disease or Cushing disease which are major disorders of the adrenal glands and needs quick medical attention. 

 

So today we get super practical and look and how on earth do you know if your adrenals are not super happy? In this video/post I walk you through a super basic DIY home test that you can do to give you a rough idea or if you have any adrenal dysfunction going on. This is NOT a 100% scientifically accurate test and you should always consult your doctor if you worries about energy levels, but if can be a helpful indicator to know if further testing is a good idea. (I get clients to complete a saliva panel to confirm if there is an imbalance in their cortisol/DHEA levels.)

 

Note – unfortunately your average GP in the UK will not discuss adrenal dysfunction with you (if you mention adrenal fatigue they will think you have been googling too much) unless they suspect more severe diseases like Addison or Cushing’s disease. If you suspect you have this you need to work with a more holistic or functional medicine practitioner. Click here to find out more about one Dr’s research into adrenal fatigue over the years. 

 

 

Click above to watch or scroll down to read!

 

This test is a basic DIY test that you can do at home but this isn’t a 100% scientifically accurate. Your results will not mean you have a diagnosis of adrenal fatigue. This test is just something free and simple that you can do to help  guide you and find out what on earth is going on! If your results are positive then it may mean you want to go and get a more in-depth saliva test to check out your cortisol rhythm in the day.

 

Normally if you are working with a holistic practitioner, nutritional therapist, health coach or functional medicine doctor they will be able to point you in a direction to a correct adrenal test on what you need to do.

 

 

 

How to do the test

To complete the test you will need some sort of torch (I just use my iphone light) and a mirror.

 

1. Go to a dark room or just cover your eyes for a while, make sure your eyes have adjusted to the darkness that takes a minute or two.
2. Stand in front of the mirror and try to find the pupil in your eyes and shine the torch from the side of your face (at a right angle to your eye NOT in front of your eyes as this will damage them!)
3. Watch your pupil, as soon as you shine light on your pupil it should contract and get really small and stay small because you are shining a bunch of light on it.

 

But often if there’s an adrenal issue going on, your pupil might shrink and then expand again or might shrink and pulse slightly.

 

Adrenal fatigue is indicated by your pupil doing anything other than contracting and staying contracted. Any pulsing or any dilation of the pupil while light is shining on it is not a good sign. If this is the case you can get some further testing and a treatment plan with someone you trust with ideally a functional medicine and holistic approach.

 

So come and give it a go, I love doing these free DIY things. Please remember it is not 100% scientifically accurate but can help give you an idea of whether investing money in further private lab testing or health coaching is worthwhile.

 

From my UK knowledge, GPs don’t have these tests available, as they will only check for more serious adrenal issues like Addison’s disease. Adrenal fatigue is something you normally need to get tested privately.

 

Think you might have adrenal Fatigue and want some support?

 

I am planning on running a group coaching, low cost, program to help people recover from adrenal dysfunction in 2017 so enter your details below to join the waiting list or if you’re interested in that.

 

 

Otherwise, happy testing!