Adrenal Alarm Response (Sleeplessness & Irritability)

In today’s fast paced society, most people are under a siege of constant stressors ranging from long work hours to long commutes, buzzing cell phones and sleep deprivation. While the initial “fight or flight” stress response is key to survival, prolonged chronic stress increases risk of various physical and psychological health conditions. Chronic stress requires the adrenal glands to adapt and try to re-build themselves in order to continue coping with ongoing stress. This process is exhausting and leads to sleeplessness and irritability.

To say that stress can affect proper sleep patterns seems obvious, but new research has found that sleep disturbances are directly related to increased sensitivity to arousal-producing stress hormones such as cortisol. Researchers compared patients with insomnia to those without sleep disturbances and they found that insomniacs with the highest degrees of sleep disturbance secreted the highest amount of cortisol, particularly in the evening and nighttime hours.

Cortisol is excitatory; it arouses us, wakes us up and leaves us primed for action long after the trigger stressor has been subdued. However, when as a result of prolonged stress, cortisol levels get stuck at higher levels and never come down and give the  adrenal gland a chance to recharge for the next stress alarm response. Chronically high cortisol from overloaded adrenals is bad news for a good night's sleep.

What happens when you don't get a good night's sleep? Perhaps you'll be okay if it's just one night but many nights in a week quickly pile up and throw off our delicate Circadian rhythm that is intertwined with our cortisol, serotonin and melatonin levels. Serotonin and melatonin govern our appetite and our mood . If fluctuations in our sleep cycle cause us to overeat (which cortisol is known to do) or eat at erratic times, keeping a level head becomes difficult.

Our mood rises and falls with drastic dips in blood sugar, followed by sugar or fat binges. Poor eating habits, an additional stress on adrenal glands, perpetuate the adrenal alarm response encouraging cortisol levels to stay high. This, of course, gets us right back to that restless, keyed up feeling at bedtime. 

While it may feel like you're caught in a vicious cycle of stress, sleep deprivation, poor nutrition and mood swings, it is possible to break free of the cycle at any of its check points. For example, make a point to eat a nutritious breakfast every morning at the same time and include protein to prevent blood sugar dips later in the day.

If you have a habit of watching the news before bed, create a new routine and opt for a relaxing bath or series of yoga stretches to help your mind and body relax before you turn in. Stress is a fact of life, but it does not have to rule your life. 

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References

Julie Daniluk's Adrenal Connection Book.

Power Breakfast Thwarts Cravings In Times Of Stress

Study after study has linked eating breakfast to higher overall nutrient intake, fewer bouts of emotional eating and cravings later in the day, and sustained weight loss for longer periods of time; yet, 40 percent of people neglect the first meal of the day. You can have a simple bowl of cereal but imagine waking up to a 600-calorie hungry man’s feast that could actually be better for you!

That’s just what 94 obese, inactive women did for a recent study dubbed the Big Breakfast study. Venezuelan researchers put half the women on a very low carb Atkins-style diet (17 grams/day) and compared their weight loss to women of similar girth who tried the new Big Breakfast diet with balanced carb and protein distribution.

On the very low carb diet, the women had a small 290-calorie breakfast containing no more than seven grams of carbs from bread, fruit, cereal and milk. Their typical breakfast would be a cup of milk, one egg, three slices of bacon, and two teaspoons of butter. 

Big Breakfast dieters averaged 610 calories for breakfast and usually had a cup of milk, a turkey sandwich with cheese and mayonnaise, one ounce of chocolate candy (yes, chocolate for breakfast!), and a protein shake. This hefty meal could be eaten in stages so long as it was done by 9 a.m. Lunch and dinner were progressively lighter at 395 and 235 calories, respectively.

This inversed pyramid of energy intake with most of the calories at the start of the day seems to be the secret to sustained energy and weight loss. In a few months, both groups dropped similar amounts of weight but the low carb group gained most of it back. In contrast, the women who enjoyed their lean protein, carbs and candy for breakfast continued to lose weight to the tune of nearly 17 more pounds!

Hunger, which exacerbates stress and mid-day cravings for carbs, which are a sign of emotional stress, were not a problem because of breakfast. Eating a big breakfast also meant more nutrients like fibre, vitamins and minerals because more fruit and wholegrain carbs were allowed.

So, you don’t need any more reasons to eat breakfast but mornings are crazy busy and rushed. Try these quick tips for a grab-and-go big breakfast:

Pack up leftover dinner the night before. There’s nothing wrong with meatloaf in the morning.

Make a blender full of protein shake. You’re good to go for the week with protein power in your coffee cup every morning.

Stock up on pre-sliced meat, cheese and wholegrain bread. Always have these on hand for quick sandwich assembly.

Ever hear of the saying, "Eat like a king for breakfast, a prince for lunch, and a pauper for supper"? Well, follow that rule, and you could be well on your way to a healthy weight and feeling healthy.