The health of your adrenals plays a crucial role in how your body manages stress.
These small glands, located above your kidneys, produce hormones like cortisol, adrenaline, and norepinephrine, which help regulate your response to stress, metabolism, and immune system function.
Unfortunately, with stress piling up through every day life and demands, many people experience adrenal fatigue, leading to burnout and health issues.
And for those who are living a plant-based lifestyle, sometimes may not be getting enough nutrients to this this are so supporting your adrenal health through vegan supplements and holistic practices like movement and breathwork can offer a whirl wind of benefits.
Key Takeaways
What Are Adrenals and Why Are They Important?
The adrenal glands are part of the endocrine system and are responsible for producing hormones that regulate essential functions like your immune response, stress levels, and energy.
When you are under constant stress—whether physical, emotional, or impacted by your environment, your adrenal glands can become overworked, leading to imbalances that may cause adrenal fatigue.
Adrenal fatigue occurs when the glands can't keep up with the constant demand for hormones, especially the stress hormone of cortisol. When your adrenals are fatigued, you'll feel tired, experience brain fog, and find it challenging to manage stress.
Symptoms of Adrenal Fatigue
For vegans or anyone on the plant-based journey, it is essential to be mindful of how your body reacts on normal days when you are feeling good, and also how it responds to stress when you are not having a good day. Recognizing symptoms of your good versus not so good days is a key component to taking charge of your health.
How to Support Adrenal Health on a Plant Based Diet
There are easy ways that you can fill any nutritional gaps and provide targeted support for adrenal function through a holistic approach of adding in supplements to your routine, especially when you begin to recognize any of the symptoms of adrenal fatigue.
Supplements For Adrenal Health
- 1Ashwagandha: This adaptogenic herb has been widely studied for its ability to modulate cortisol levels and help your body adapt to stress. A study published in the Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine found that ashwagandha significantly improved the symptoms of chronic stress and adrenal fatigue in participants by 30% within 60 days of those compared to a placebo group.
- 2Rhodiola Rosea: Another powerful adaptogen, known for boosting energy levels and enhancing mental clarity, which can become compromised and a symptom of adrenal fatigue. A clinical study demonstrated that Rhodiola reduced fatigue and improved mental performance in participants experiencing stress-related burnout within eight weeks.
- 3Vitamin C: Your adrenal glands use a lot of Vitamin C, especially during times of stress, so maintaining adequate levels is super important for your overall health. Research has found that Vitamin C supplementation improves adrenal function and cortisol response, helping the body manage stress better.
- 4Magnesium: This mineral helps regulate cortisol and plays a role in energy production, muscle relaxation, and sleep quality. Studies have shown that magnesium supplementation can improve sleep and lower cortisol levels in people suffering from stress within six weeks of taking the supplement.
- 5B-Vitamins: Specifically, B5 (pantothenic acid) and B6 are vital for energy production and hormone regulation. These vitamins are depleted during chronic stress, making supplementation necessary for those with adrenal fatigue.
Kundalini Yoga and Breathwork for Adrenal Fatigue
Incorporating physical movement like Kundalini Yoga can change your life just for trying, even if you don't get through the whole set.
Kundalini Yoga includes breathwork (pranayama), specific postures, and meditative techniques designed to balance the endocrine system and support your overall health and well-being. Treating your body as a whole system.
One Kundalini yoga set particularly is beneficial for adrenal health is the "Stress Set for the Adrenals and Kidneys" . This Kriya focuses on strengthening the kidneys and adrenals so you can get down the nitty gritty of root causes and allow healthy release for your body to recover quickly.
Here are a few key exercises from the set that are my favorite, but naturally you would want to do the full set to allow your body to reset giving it your best. Then, once you get the hang of it, you can allow yourself to modify to what resonates most with your body.
My Personal Experience and Guide to Combat Adrenal Fatigue
When I realized I was dealing with adrenal fatigue experiencing persistent exhaustion, difficulty managing stress, and constant brain fog - I knew I needed a well rounded approach to restore my energy and balance. As someone who follows a plant-based lifestyle, I sought out solutions that aligned with my values and morals of what I knew and what resonated the most to incorporate into my routine and body.
So one thing I realized while being under stress was that I was lacking on taking my vitamins and supplements, but I was doing okay with food and nutrition.
First and foremost, I made sure that I was taking adequate amounts of my Performance Lab Women’s Multi.
Performance Lab Multi-Vitamins are packed with essential B vitamins like B5 and B6 to help throughout the day. This helps naturally with adrenal hormone production.
I also wanted to incorporate magnesium and vitamin C. So, I decided to change out my normal Walgreen and Wal-Mart branded vitamins using a more quality option through Performance Lab Magnesium and Performance Lab Vitamin C.
After a few days, I felt like my body was activating with the new added nutrients, but I felt like it was time to do something more.
So, I talked with my Kundalini mentor and she recommended me the Stress Set for the Adrenals and Kidneys. This way, I would be effectively managing my stress levels with extra supplementation, but also the movement of the all-healing remedy of my own breath and body movement to get the subconscious fears and haunting thoughts out of my system.
After one day, I started to feel a noticeable improvement in how I was handling stressful situations. After 3 days, I found myself waking up with more vitality and the ability to focus better throughout the day.
This felt right, and this felt natural for my healing.
The kriya felt invigorating, the vitamin C helped protect my adrenal glands from oxidative stress and the magnesium was key to helping my body relax after practice. The combo improved my sleep quality, allowing my adrenals to recover more efficiently overnight, and I woke up feeling more rested and less aggravated about what to expect throug
Frequently Asked Questions
The adrenal glands are small glands located above your kidneys that produce essential hormones like cortisol, adrenaline, and norepinephrine to help regulate stress, metabolism, and immune function.
Adrenal fatigue occurs when your adrenal glands become overworked due to constant, prolonged or chronic stress. When this happens your adrenals can't keep up with the demand for hormones like cortisol and can lead to symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, and difficulty managing or handling every day encounters.
If you're following a plant-based lifestyle, it's important to ensure you're getting enough nutrients to support adrenal health.
Adaptogens like ashwagandha and Rhodiola Rosea, vitamin C and magnesium, have been shown to help regulate cortisol levels, boost energy, and support adrenal health, especially during times of stress.
Kundalini Yoga incorporates physical movement effective breathwork designed to balance the endocrine system, including the adrenal glands. Practices like the “Stress Set for the Adrenals and Kidneys” can help relieve stress, improve energy, and support adrenal recovery naturally and quickly.
FINAL THOUGHTS
As you can see, supporting adrenal health requires a multifaceted approach that includes targeted supplements, regular physical movement, and breathwork.
But being completely honest, knowing your body on good days and recognizing when it is not having a good day, is most key so you can determine what is going on within your health and effectively make the best choices to recovery quickly.
Comment below your adrenal fatigue journey and best tips for practice that you found helpful to recover.