Both too high and too low night time cortisol levels can cause sleep disturbances. A saliva cortisol test done at night and compared with daytime levels and with the test standards for those times will help determine if this is a problem.
If cortisol is the culprit, your cortisol levels will be significantly higher or lower than normal for those times. If night time cortisol levels are too low, exercising in the evening, before going to bed, may improve sleep because exercise tends to raise cortisol levels.
If night time cortisol levels are too high, doing one of the relaxation or meditation exercises in the “Relaxation” section of the book, before going to bed, may calm your adrenals and lower cortisol levels.
The specific yoga posture called the alternate leg pull can be quite helpful in getting to sleep or returning to sleep. This is a basic yoga posture that almost any yoga book or video will describe but an instructor is preferable because there is some subtlety to doing this posture.
There can be several reasons for sleeplessness with Adrenal Fatigue. Waking between 1:00 and 3:00 AM, may indicate that your liver is lacking the glycogen reserves needed by your adrenals to keep blood glucose levels high enough during the night. Blood sugar is normally low during the early morning hours but if adrenal function is low, blood glucose levels may sometimes fall so low that hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) symptoms disrupt sleep during the night.
This is often the case when there are also panic or anxiety attacks, nightmares, or sleep is fitful between 1:00 and 4:00 AM.
To help counteract this have one or two bites of a snack that contains protein, unrefined carbohydrate, and high quality fat before going to bed, such as half a slice of whole grain toast with peanut butter or a slice of cheese on a whole grain cracker. Lack of sleep can be a significant body burden that, in itself, contributes to Adrenal Fatigue.
In fact it ranks with diet and regular exercise as an essential component of a healthy life. People on alternating shifts with less than three weeks between shift changes are continually hammering their adrenal glands and almost always suffer from some degree of Adrenal Fatigue.
Everytime the wake/sleep cycle is altered, it takes several days to weeks for the body and cortisol levels to adjust. Chronic lack of sleep is now regarded as a health hazard and has been associated with several health conditions. These include decreased immunity with increased susceptibility to infections, impaired glucose tolerance, decreased morning cortisol levels that when low cause cravings for carbohydrates even though enough calories have been consumed.
Lack of sleep can also increase circulating estrogen levels, upsetting the hormonal balance. This is in addition to the decreased alertness and concentration that most people experience when missing an inordinate amount of sleep.
Lack of sleep can slow healing and prolong the period of recovery. The bottom line is that it is necessary to sleep an average of eight hours per day. Some people need even more in the beginning phases of recovery from Adrenal Fatigue. Getting your hormones balanced and supporting your endocrine glandular system with proper nutrition and exercise is a MUST. Call us for personalized assistance.
