Surviving COVID-19 & Adrenal Fatigue
March 12th 2020, I was seeing the inevitable lock down looming for New York City, as my F.O.M.O took me on escapades all around the city. I was desperately trying to get all the fun in because, who knew how long would we be in quarantine?
I awoke on that day, with every malaise one should not have all at once: a fever, a migraine, nausea, an itchy throat & loose stools. It felt like a truck had run me over. I still managed to make it to work, in hopes that I would feel better (which is part of the problem, I will explore later), which I did not. I cancelled my evening plans as I knew something was wrong and I wanted to isolate myself in case it was COVID-19. Once I finally made it home, I was knocked out for a solid four days! I only came to for fluid intake and fluid release.
That following Monday, Governor Cuomo was announcing the statewide shutdown, and I was feeling slightly better but looking a good eight years younger. Rested and hydrated. This was clue number one, my whole lifestyle was off. It would take me a few weeks to start making a link between CV-19, adrenal fatigue and the issues in our (and specifically my) modern urban lifestyle.
The Modern Urban life style:
Work, commute, socialize, errands, maintaining a home, family and friends in no specific order can be quite exhausting. This is a snapshot of our lives to varying degrees. Add ten points for each child you have. How does one manage life successfully without burning out?
A burnout sounds extreme and like an overused term although, I have observed that most of my fellow New Yorkers suffer from and just power through. The proper medical term for a burnout is “Adrenal Fatigue”. I am making the bold claim that adrenal fatigue is the underlying cause of many of our mental health and physical ailments: anxiety, feeling chronically lethargic, depression, appetite loss, insomnia, premature aging etc…
What are the adrenals and what do they do?
Adrenal glands (located above the kidneys) produce the hormones like adrenaline, regulates our metabolism, our immune system, our response to stress and pretty much every other functions in the body needs the adrenals to function adequately.
Signs of over worked adrenals due to life style are: feelings of depression, blood pressure issues, mood irritability, skin issues, weight gain or loss and sudden diseases that impact daily quality of life. Long term stress and a poor lifestyle (bad diet, lack of sleep, over activity), will eventually fry the adrenals and we feel “burnt out”.
It can take three months to a year of no activity (no work / no studies) to fully recuperate depending how acute the condition is. Most of us cannot afford to halt our lives for long stretches at a time. This brings us to…
The link between Long COVID and the Adrenals?
I theorize that given the role of the adrenal glands in supporting our immune system, the seven to fourteen days of fighting against the virus puts a lot of strain on the adrenals that may have already been overworking from daily stressors and other factors. In other words, catching COVID (symptomatic) is the tipping point.
I know I was burnt out. I kept losing weight, I was lethargic, and super moody. All of this from years of freelancing, relocating, financial stress and just not knowing how to slow down and say no. Changes, even the good ones can add stress and overwhelm to the adrenals. Remember, it produces all of the hormones that allow us to function optimally. The human body is a super computer it needs system upgrades, restarts and refreshes, otherwise, a total crash ensues.
It took me several months to feel “normal” which means rested, and not needing a nap as soon as I wake up. It was for a couple of months constant brain fog and unfocused energy. Sleep troubles, and the lack of motivation. Everything felt like a chore. I was also shedding like a dog from the stress. It is still surprising to me that I still have hair as I have already thin hair.
What to do if I have long COVID or feel burnt out?
Audit your lifestyle:
- Am I getting enough sleep?
- Am I eating right?
- Have I had to handle stress for a sustained long period of time?
- Has there been a lot of changes in short sequences of time?
- Do I feel unmotivated even for things that I like doing?
- Am I very irritable?
Chances are, you’ve answered yes to so some or all of these. I say, get a check-up. Have your doctor run a test on your adrenals and for any nutritional deficiencies.
For some reason, we do not consider poor functioning adrenals and vitamin deficiencies when a chronic and mysterious disease (Hashimoto’s & Addison’s disease) shows up. Instead, medication like an anti- depressants are often prescribed. Many deficits in your diet like low b12 and other essential vitamins and minerals will result in feeling chronically fatigued and eventually it will simile depression.
I now monitor my energy levels and have made changes to my lifestyle to get out of the burn out cycle because hustling to no end is not the flex.
Tell me? Have you experienced a burn out and or long COVID? Please share your thoughts and experiences.
I have added some resources:
- Dr. Berg is a self avowed fatigue expert and touches on the adrenals https://youtu.be/tt6cQ2AslVM
- www.Adrenal.com
