Forward Movement Magazine Winter Issue 1 2015/2016 | Page 37

Here are some quick tips to help your adrenals breathe a bit easier 1 Lay off the caffeine and stimulants 2 Make yourself get to bed earlier 3 Make time for meditation, prayer and yoga 4 It may not be them (or you), but maybe it is his, her or YOUR adrenals! Our adrenals are small glands that sit on top of the kidneys. These small but incredibly important triangular shaped organs produce and secrete various hormones (cortisol, sex hormones, epinephrine, etc.), which act as “chemical messengers” to help the body run effectively and efficiently. These glands work interactively with the brain (hypothalamus and pituitary), to keep your internal systems balanced and regulated! This is where we get the term HPA-Axis from—or your “Stress Control Center” in layman’s terms.   Maybe it’s time to reprioritize priorities So what’s the big deal? Well, it is a HUGE deal and people tend to underestimate the role that these glands play in our quality of life! It is quite complicated, but for sake of keeping it simple and understandable--it is absolutely vital to keep our adrenal glands from getting too terribly stressed out in order to maintain homeostasis (stable and running optimally). Your adrenals are fine with acute stress and were designed for short bouts of “fight or flight” situations. Unfortunately, in today’s busy society, acute stress often morphs into chronic stress, which the adrenals are not a fan of and often have a very difficult