What do we need to know about our adrenals? How can we tell if they’re burnt out, and how can we heal them? Find out as I share some insights from a chapter of my book that’s coming out soon! You can find all the info and links about this episode at https://holisticwellness.ca/episode55. Topics Discussed in this Episode: The adrenal glands and their function What cortisol does in our bodies 11 Signs and symptoms that your adrenals are burnt out The different stages of adrenal fatigue Healing your adrenal glands The benefits of infrared sauna Adaptogenic herbs to support your adrenals Key Takeaways: Your adrenals control your stress response, your weight, your blood sugar, your blood pressure, and your immune system. In fact, they are our primary survival organs. Also, your adrenals can cause you to experience multiple symptoms, which we commonly refer to as adrenal fatigue. Adrenal fatigue actually refers to HPA axis dysfunction. Its symptoms include exhaustion, low thyroid function, weight gain, sleep disturbances, lack of focus and concentration, and sugar, salt, and fat cravings Your adrenals communicate with your brain and vice versa. And when you are exposed to certain triggers such as blood sugar highs and lows, environmental toxins or perceived stress -- poor quality of sleep, blue light pollution, circadian rhythm disruption, gut inflammation -- you can impair this communication between the brain and the adrenals. Hormonal balance is essential to good health and your adrenal glands are really at the center stage in relation to the body’s ability to regulate your hormones. In fact, roughly 70% to 80% of all doctor visits are for stress-related conditions for which doctors have little or no training and nothing to offer than some temporary relief care. 11 Signs and symptoms that your adrenals are burnt out: You have difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or do not feel rested upon waking. You’re craving fat, sugar, and salt. Your memory and your focus are just lacking. You’re experiencing digestive issues. You feel irritable and anxious. You get tired most afternoons, you are craving sugar and salt, and maybe you are even looking for a caffeine fix. You’re gaining weight primarily around your waist. Your hormones are a mess, so maybe you are dealing with PMS or you’re having issues with infertility, maybe even low libido. You find that you’re getting sick more often. Not only that but you’re also having a really hard time recovering from a cold or flu. You get angry quickly and you find yourself being snappy. You have low thyroid function. All kinds of perceived stress begin this really nasty cycle of adrenal fatigue, which now starts to slow down and impair your thyroid, which now also slows down and impairs your gut health, which impacts your immune system. And now, this leads to leaky gut, which can be a trigger for autoimmune disease.   Action Steps: Test your adrenals with a salivary or a urine test to better understand how they’re functioning. The test that you really want to look for is something that looks at your cortisol over a 24-hour range so that you can really see the peaks and dips of your cortisol and how it occurs throughout the day. Support both your adrenals and your thyroid. Heal your adrenal glands: Practice relaxation. Find the meditation that works for you. Look up Yoga Nidra apps or download a meditation app like Headspace. Try infrared sauna therapy. Have a hot bath. Practice sleep hygiene and create healthy boundaries around sleep. Implement herbs and supplements.   Samantha said: “In nature, constant stress is rare. In our human world, however, we are dealing with all kinds of stressors and we are pushing our adrenals into overdrive, and we’re impairing this communication between the adrenals and the brain. This is what’s leading to burnout and exhaustion.” “When it comes to healing your adrenal glands, you need to know that there is just no quick fix. You can’t just pop a pill