Stress got you BURNED OUT?
It is looking like we are on the back end of 2 years of constant, unrelenting, daily reminding stress. There has been a varying degree of stress added to each and everyone’s life over this time and now I am seeing the drastic changes in people body composition, hormone levels and overall health in every regard.
This article is going to address some of these changes and offer some simple solutions to begin to recover. It is without saying, stress is the number one killer. Stress has now been amplified and peoples’ stress reserve is empty. This does not bode well for recovering. Life may be getting back to normal, but the adrenals aren’t as resilient.
Full Burnout. What is it?
When I talk about full burnout, I am speaking in terms of the adrenal gland, and more specifically how the hormone cortisol is working. The morning cortisol should be tested via blood first thing in the morning (8-9AM), fasted with no caffeine (to set a baseline for testing). The normal or optimal values are listed below:
Total Cortisol: 180 ng/mL - probable deficiency = 0-130
Free Cortisol: 20 ng/mL - probable deficiency = 0-13
Note: Many US labs use ug/dL in which 1 ug/dL = 10 ng/dL. Optimal values would be Total Cortisol of 18 and Free Cortisol being 2.0.
I have been consistently seeing levels of Total Cortisol ranging from 50-90 and have seen Free Cortisol as low as 2-4. As you compare to the ideal above, this is very low.
Low cortisol by itself isn’t the only factor. DHEA sulfate is a marker that has been touted as one of the best anti-aging markers you can run via blood testing. This is because is a great marker of overall adrenal health. When it is low, it indicates your body is not keeping up with hormone and adrenal function. This has consistently been very low as well, and when both DHEAs and Total Cortisol are low, it indicates you need to make some drastic changes.
Cortisol is used for many things and is maximally important for maintaining a healthy immune system, lean body composition, mental health stability and emotional control, etc. It is one of the many life forces in the body. When it is low, it can feel very confusing to the body. One of the main symptoms of low cortisol is emotional reactivity. The inability to ‘control’ your emotions during a stressful time or event. This could be bursting into tears when the situation didn’t warrant that response or feeling like you are running on adrenaline 24/7. It could also be the inability to handle any additional stress added to the day. (For example: a toddler spilling his milk and this ruining the rest of the day. This is a minor inconvenience and not a day ruining situation.) Emotions should feel calm and soothing most of the time. If you are feeling like you are riding a rollercoaster everyday, odds are you have low cortisol.
High adrenaline is the result of low cortisol.
One of the very interesting things cortisol does is calm you down. It helps calm the brain which in turn keeps adrenaline lower and allows for clear thoughts and actions. High adrenaline is the result of low cortisol. This is the typical feeling of ‘high cortisol or high stress’. This ‘high stress’ state is almost impossible to fix when the adrenals are burned and your body is making <50% of the morning cortisol is needs. Below is the basic starting point to begin to help heal the adrenals and gain your control back.
Adrenal Plan:
Run labs and run all Body Comp Analytics numbers. We need to get a baseline of where you are at before starting any plan.
Create a 60 days plan. This can vary a bit depending on your labs and BCA numbers, but the plan below is a great starting point.
Track progress with BCA numbers every 4 weeks or so and labs every 60 days. Once we see consistent progress in the replenishing and healing of the adrenals we move the lab testing to every 3-4 months.
Supplement Plan: Adrenal Rebuild (1st 60 days)
Licorice Plus - 3 upon waking in the morning
E Complex 1:1 - 3 per day - taken with meals
Cortico B5/B6 - 1-2 per day - taken with meals
Ultra Potent C 1000 - 3-5 per day - taken in the evening
Omegagenics Neuro 1000 - 5 per day - taken with food
The full 60 day bundle can be purchased here: Metagenics Store
This plan above looks to cover many of the different facets of adrenal health and cortisol metabolism. The Neuro 1000 adds in some high DHA omega 3s, which I have found really help calm the brain down.
Diet and Coffee Plan:
Proper hydration and water intake upon waking. Many people benefit from adding some Celtic Sea Salt and Lemon/Lime to their first glass every morning.
No Coffee until after you eat breakfast. See the Farmer’s Breakfast for suggestions on a brain and cortisol happy breakfast.
Avoid inflammation and autoimmune triggering foods: Gluten, Dairy, Soy, Sweeteners, Preservatives and anything you know bothers you.
Do not eat before bed. This can vary a bit depending on how you eat, but at least 3 hours before bed.
Hydrate with a gallon of water per day. Clean, filtered water is best. Seltzer does NOT hydrate.
Sleep Plan:
Please see my extensive section on this topic. The Sleep Endeavor
If anyone reading this feels like this could be you, please don’t wait and see if things get better. This is an issue that last years and sometimes decades. Many people have been so burned out they don’t know what it is like to be normal. It is simple testing, and when identified a pretty easy plan to fix.
In health,
Kurt