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Are you feeling super tired, lethargic, low, and wondering why?
It could be one of a few things. You could be suffering from any of the following: food intolerance, leaky gut, stress, low cortisol, cortisol dysregulation, or hormone imbalances.
Leaky Gut (and Dysbiosis)
You may have a food intolerance or 'leaky gut', which is when allergens leak through the intestinal wall and into your bloodstream, triggering inflammation that makes you feel pretty crappy. Not to be confused with true allergies. Increased intestinal permeability needs to be dealt with as it affects your microbiome balance *negatively* and puts you at risk for disease. Nutrients like glutamine, zinc, quercetin, gelatin and collagen help heal the gut lining. While herbs such as green tea and turmeric support closing tight junctions and reducing inflammation.
You might note other symptoms such as:
Fatigue and brain fog
Migraines
Bloating
Abdominal pain/cramping
Nausea
Gas/diarrhea/constipation
Cortisol Dysregulation
You may be stressed out a lot, and you might even be dealing with low cortisol or cortisol dysregulation. Cortisol is the hormone your body releases when it's under stress, and it can cause some serious mental changes if you're not careful. The response of cortisol helps to regulate sleep, appetite, and mood so we're not here to demonise this useful hormone.
Cortisol dysregulation occurs when the body does not properly control the release of cortisol. The feedback loop is broken, which could be a result of the adrenals ignoring signals, or the receptors becoming desensitised. This can lead to negative effects on health, including poor sleep quality (!!), changes in weight and appetite, and mood disorders such as depression and anxiety. Please know that you don't have to be at the level of depression or anxiety to have altered mood. Low cortisol (often after chronic high stress) presents as:
Anxiety
Irritability and over-stimulated
Inability to handle stress
Fatigue and
A feeling of being overwhelmed
However, high cortisol can also look like mood swings, exhaustion and a low sex drive. Whichever you feel, we are able to sort it out. Testing just helps the process move a little faster. The image below shows the range for cortisol and the patient with low cortisol output. Some would note this as adrenal fatigue.
Hormone Imbalance
Lastly (but certainly not least!) it could be something to do with your hormones. If you've been feeling a little off lately, it could be due to the levels of certain essential hormones in your body. Hormones like estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone are responsible for many of our bodily functions—from appetite control to sexual response—and when they get off balance, they can cause a slew of unpleasant symptoms. We also must consider your thyroid function too. The thyroid often slows or stops the production of essential hormones, which can cause weight gain, dry skin, hair loss, fatigue, constipation, and cold sensitivity in hypothyroid. You're cold, constipated, and tired. You feel like you're living in a fog. You can't remember a time when you felt good. Hypothyroidism is more common in women than men, especially as they get older.
But no matter why you feel tired all the time, know that we're here for you! We care about YOU—and we want to help you make things better! The most important thing to take away is that you are feeling like crap for a reason. It's not in your head and it's not because you didn't get enough sleep (though this might be possible too). If you related to any of the above, I urge you not to live with it, but do something about i and book an appointment.
To here more about this topic - watch my live I recently did with Jessica Cox from JCN.