Healing severe adrenal fatigue with young, busy kids at home

[Lazurii]

How can one heal adrenal fatigue with young, busy kids at home?  It seems impossible.  The number one thing for adrenal fatigue is more sleep:  go to bed early, sleep in late, and take naps.  Okay, who's going to watch my kids?  Who's going to pick my eldest up from school?  Who's going to get him to school in the first place?  It's just not feasible.

The next thing is to de-stress life.  Right, I'm going to be able to lessen the stress in my life when the youngest has hit her Terrible Threes and everything is a power struggle of epic proportions.  Or when my kids fight almost non-stop.  Or when they bug me over and over again because they're bored.  Or I do let them do some fun activity and then I have to clean up after it.

My husband works nights an can't help during the days he sleeping.  On his days off he's fixing stuff around the house, which is great.  In order for our household to work, though, I need to pull my weight, and I just can't.  I'm exhausted.  I feel like a Victorian age woman that has hysteria or nerves or whatever.  I can't handle loud noises, I can't handle the kids exploring life in a normal way, and I can't handle homemaking duties.  I can't handle my life and I just don't know what to do about it.

Does anyone have any tips?  I'm feeling at a loss and my kids are getting the brunt of it.

[Melissa Binkley]

Adrenal fatigue can be debilitating and detrimental and if not properly cared for can lead to many other hormonal issues.  I have found with my clients that many times there is a connection to their digestion and the adrenal fatigue.  There are supplements and other things that you can do to slowly try to heal your body.  I have given several teleclasses on the subject and would love to share them with you.  You can email me at [e-mail] if you want the information

[Ethelpea]

I feel your pain.  I have 5 soon to be 6 children and deal with Epstein Barr flareups periodically.  (Speculation that adrenal fatigue is caused by EBV, or can be).  All my children are 11 and under.  I do not nap nor do I get any more than 6 (broken) hours of sleep per night. Ever.

I take a lot of supplements.  High dose vitamin C (this is absolutely crucial), flax, coconut and olive oil, vitamin d, magnesium, a liposomal vitamin B, and liver supplements just to name a few.  I steer clear of gluten and dairy and take it easy on the sugar.

Than I just try to survive.  I know it seems hard but having a somewhat organized and clean house helps tremendously.  So when the inspiration hits, I will hit the house in whirlwind fashion.

I think there is a huge adrenal fatigue thread on mothering.  Maybe do a search.  There has to be some good tips in there for you.

[yippiehippie]

Thank you! I feel the exact same way. I don't have much advice, but you are not alone.

I even go to bed by 8:30 but still get woken all night to nurse and always wake during the night, sometimes able to go back to sleep, sometimes not. I'm up by 5 every morning. Naps are reserved for some weekends. Without rest I'm not sure how one can de-stress either. DH is the same, working on the house/yard when he has a moment. I try to plan, esp for meals, but come dinner time just the thought of cooking is often completely overwhelming

We're poor and have to make everything from scratch, make do with what we have, etc. so much of my job has been to save money. It's so hard to do that now!

I'm currently taking the advice of Matt Stone at 180degreehealth and trying to eat lots of comfort food, figure it's worth a shot and a helluva lot better than trying to be sugar free or gluten free - that's stressful IMO to have to keep up a "perfect" diet. I've also been trying to be outdoors, in the sun a lot, gardening and close to nature (though it's 90 in phoenix today so might be easier for me!)

[Lazurii]

Thanks for the support, ladies. 

I talked (sobbed) things over with The Hubby the other day.  On his days off (Th, F, S) he's going to get the kids going in the morning and let me sleep in.  I've gotten more lax with my kids watching movies, so letting them watch a movie in the afternoon while I nap or rest has been working.

On the subject of resting, does resting help or does it have to be sleeping?

[Lazurii]

Update-ish:

So, the last two or three days I've been sleeping more.  I sleep in, I take naps, hoorah.  But now I seem more tired than ever!  Yesterday I napped from 2pm-5pm and i still went to bed at 10:30pm.  I slept in until 9:30am! 

Why am I feeling sleepier?  I feel like I could sleep all day.

[yippiehippie]

Good for you, Lazurii! I think you're body's just finally getting the sleep it needs so you're craving more. From my research it's good to sleep that much w/af, you're resting them to get better. I'd keep it up as long as you feel you need it for sure. I've noticed the opposite for myself, my insomnia has been bad and my littlest has been teething and nursing constantly and I'm now barely sleeping (woke up for the day at 12:15 the other day!!), but not feeling anymore tired than before, but MUCH more emotional and cranky and overall sad:( My DH goes to work by 5am so sleeping in is not an option for me, but I sure would if I could, glad you can take advantage:)

I think sleep's the most important, but rest is about as good.

[grisandole]

Just chiming in because I am feeling at a loss, too. OP, I am just like you in that I finally got a lot of sleep and just feel more tired, I want to cry. I have had problems sleeping for the past two years or so, and I thought it was my job at the time (had to wake up at 4am and as a night person, it was awful), but I've been in a new job for over a year and changing hours didn't help. For me, I know that I need to eat better in addition to the supplements; I wasn't like this when I was eating more whole foods and good fats; since working ft and commuting, while I still am gluten free, I eat way more packaged and crap food. It's a vicious cycle because I feel too tired to shop and cook, and money is  a huge issue which is draining too.

I don't have answers, just want to give you some support and hugs.

[Asiago]

Originally Posted by Lazurii 

Update-ish:

So, the last two or three days I've been sleeping more.  I sleep in, I take naps, hoorah.  But now I seem more tired than ever!  Yesterday I napped from 2pm-5pm and i still went to bed at 10:30pm.  I slept in until 9:30am! 

Why am I feeling sleepier?  I feel like I could sleep all day.

[Asiago]

The subject of adrenal and thyroid imbalance is something I am all too familiar with, if not passionate about. Perhaps off topic but worth mentioning, a quick anecdote.....I recently began taking Floradix (iron supplement) and no longer feel so tired as I have these last two months or so. I had felt great in lactational ammenorhea for so long then 10 months after return of menses began to note signs of anemia. Long story short, After starting Floradix (after hearing about it on MDC) I feel and look much better. My gums are no longer pale. The circles under my eyes have lessened, I am running after my toddler again, so on. Throughout history women's bodies were typically either pregnant or in lactational ammenorhea, so in today's modern society, with menstruation for years on end, I really think that anemia is likely more common than not.
Back to the subject at hand......adrenals, which incidentally have a lot to do with menstruation, fertility, and lactation.

I didn't mean to muddy the waters if anyone found this post put of place.

[Lazurii]

Originally Posted by Asiago 


I didn't mean to muddy the waters if anyone found this post put of place.

Not out of place at all.  Thank you for your insight.

Question:  I've heard in passing that if a mother with adrenal fatigue gets pregnant then her body will ravage the fetus' body for adrenal hormones, causing the baby to be born with adrenal fatigue.  Is that true?

[grisandole]

Thank you for reminding me about Floradix!! I took it years ago and it really helped, will buy some asap :)
 

[Lazurii]

Oh, I forgot to add, I've never had any issues with anemia.  Whenever I donate blood the Red Cross is amazed at how iron-filled my blood is.

[provocativa]

yes, the baby's adrenal glands support the mother's, usually in the 3rd trimester.  my second was born with adrenal issues i fear.  when i take all the supplements mentioned above, i feel great.  i spent about a year going to bed at 9, and that helped too.  i also take 1 tsp ground citrus peel a day.  citrus peel was in the adrenal fatique formula my accupuncturist prescribed years ago.  it still helps.  oh, and the magnesium has to be mag citrate or mag glycinate, or else it's worthless.
 

[Lazurii]

Originally Posted by provocativa 

yes, the baby's adrenal glands support the mother's, usually in the 3rd trimester.  my second was born with adrenal issues i fear.  when i take all the supplements mentioned above, i feel great.  i spent about a year going to bed at 9, and that helped too.  i also take 1 tsp ground citrus peel a day.  citrus peel was in the adrenal fatique formula my accupuncturist prescribed years ago.  it still helps.  oh, and the magnesium has to be mag citrate or mag glycinate, or else it's worthless.
 

Good info.  Is there anything I can do to help my kids?  It sometime seems their patience is brittle, if that makes sense.  My son especially doesn't seem to have a lot of "rebound".  My kiddos are 5 and 3.

[yippiehippie]

I'm afraid my kids also have been effected. Actually I think my health issues began w/my mother so that has made me more involved in recovering. I can't do to my kids what my mother did to me and I won't raise them the same as I was. But I also see signs in my boys:( Hoping as I improve they will too, but just don't know if I'm even improving! I'm taking a cortisol test today to see where I'm at. I'd also like some advice on what to help them with. 

I hear LOTS of vit. c is good, which I hadn't been doing. My iron is always great, so no worries there.

[Asiago]

Originally Posted by Lazurii 

Not out of place at all.  Thank you for your insight.

Question:  I've heard in passing that if a mother with adrenal fatigue gets pregnant then her body will ravage the fetus' body for adrenal hormones, causing the baby to be born with adrenal fatigue.  Is that true?

Thank Lazurii. I must confess my adrenal and thryoid quest for  knowledge originated when I had a very sick dog, She was  immunocompromised and after much research and asking my vet for some specific testing, she was found to have excessive estrogen, due to the wrong layer of her adrenal gland responding to ACTH (adrenal glands also produce estrogen, in males and females). . This estrogen disabled her body's ability to convert her thyroid hormones, and also deregulated her immune system. After supplementation of cortisol hormone (hydrocortisone) and thyroid hormone, she lead a long life and mainly infection free, until she was elderly. Then it was more difficult to maintain her adrenal and thryoid balance. Through that journey though I discovered Dr. Alfred Plechner's work and Dr. William Mck. Jefferies work. I was concerned for my own 'human family' and we also had our adrenal and thyroid function tested. Thankfully it was normal. So I really am not able to answer your question, however, from reading Dr. Jefferies book, Safe Uses of Cortisol, in which he discusses the various uses of cortisol replacement, and so much in reference to the reproductive process, I learned that proper adrenal function is neccesary for the entire process. Many of his patients needed cortisol replacement for healthy pregnancies, and I learned the same is true to animals, through Dr. Plechner's work.

Edited by Asiago - 3/25/13 at 3:56pm

[autumnsummers]

Such an important topic for moms and so far there are many important suggestions on ways to address this common situation. I'll chime in with a few herbal ideas. There are herbs called adaptogens that help the body  function better when under long-term stress. These types of herbs can be very helpful in situations like this. Also herbs that support the adrenals directly, like Licorice, and help nourish the nervous system, like Oat tea or extract are good. While there are many options, one is a formula from Herb Pharm called Adrenal Support Tonic that contains Eleuthero – one of the adaptogenic herbs and Licorice and Oats as well as a few other supportive herbs.  One thing to remember is that it can take a month or sometimes a few  months to really notice a shift when taking the more restorative herbs and  supplements. So  be patient and also see if you can find a supportive practitioner. 

All the best,

Autumn

[kittywitty]

Are those ok while breastfeeding a toddler?

[autumnsummers]

Yes, these herbs are safe to take while breastfeeding.