Yoga for HPA Axis Dysfunction (Adrenal Fatigue)

Are you tired for no reason? Easily overwhelmed? Hard to drag yourself out of bed in the morning? Crave salty snacks? Are you gaining weight around your middle? PMS?

If you’re chronically stressed and experiencing some of these symptoms, you may suffer from HPA Axis Dysfunction. But don’t worry; there are simple things you can do to help heal your adrenals.

The adrenals are almond-shaped, walnut-sized glands that sit just above your kidneys and secrete the essential hormones cortisol and Aldosterone. The hormone Cortisol is involved in regulating metabolism and controlling blood sugar. It is an anti-inflammatory, while Aldosterone regulates your body’s salt/water balance. In addition to secreting these essential hormones, your adrenals also secrete hormones such as adrenaline and noradrenaline in response to stress.

Your adrenal glands deal well with short bursts of stress. In today’s world, most of your stress is chronic, coming from your emotional response to external situations that you often can’t control or change. For example, in prehistoric times, when there was a threat to our survival, like a predator chasing us, our adrenals would secrete adrenaline and noradrenaline to prepare us to fight, flee, or freeze in the face of life-threatening danger. This response would last only a few minutes, followed by a short recovery period. Unfortunately, your body can’t tell the difference between the stress of fearing for your life and the stress you experience every day, such as work, family issues, financial strain, or merely sitting in traffic. In response to this chronic stress, your adrenals continually pump out stress hormones. In time, your adrenals become fatigued, and you may feel exhausted, rundown, easily overwhelmed, and unusually irritable.

Stress management is an essential key to restoring your adrenals. It also helps to manage the negative emotions and thoughts that arise from stress. Developing a mindfulness practice, such as yoga, can be a great solution.

Befriend your body and give yoga a try. Flowing postures, intentional breathing, body awareness, and meditation shift your body from “fight, flight, or freeze” to the “rest and digest” mode.