What is adrenalin and why do you need it?
Adrenalin is a hormone and a neurotransmitter, which is produced by the adrenal glands. So, these adrenal glands are little glands that sit just above your kidneys. Adrenalin is released into the bloodstream in response to stress or danger, as it triggers the flight or fight response.
Now, this is very good for you in some ways, because it can save your life. For example, if you're walking down the street, you're not quite focusing, you step onto the road and a car is coming, it peeps its horn, and in that instant, your body responds so quickly. It jumps, you jump back, and you're okay. So, in that sense, the flight or fight mechanism is there, and it could have saved your life.
But if you get stuck in flight or fight, which happens a lot as the hormones are changing, it goes on and on with no respite. This uses up a huge amount of energy, and you can end up absolutely drained in a very short space of time.
One thing before I go further into this topic...
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Now, let's get back to the topic…
What causes adrenalin surges to increase?
While adrenalin serves an important role in helping the body respond to acute stress and danger, excessive adrenalin surges can have negative effects on health and well-being. So, it is important to know what can contribute to excessive adrenalin surges.
Here are several factors that can cause adrenalin surges to increase:
Hormonal changes: We know that hormonal changes affect your body's ability to regulate the production of adrenalin and other stress hormones. So basically, it just goes all over the place. Your nervous system sees danger when there isn't any. It can be simple things just like thinking, "Oh, I can't find my car keys,” or, “Oh, I've forgotten to take something out of the freezer." So, the minute you go, “Oh”, your body thinks there's danger and adrenalin kicks in.
When this goes on and on, as I mentioned before, it can really affect your mental and physical well-being. We know too that it can increase your sensitivity, so you end up becoming much more fearful, much more anxious.
Increased sensitivity to stress: I’ve described this type of situation before, when suddenly you find that you get palpitations or your nervous system just goes into overdrive when you're driving. Or when you are shopping, and suddenly you feel totally overwhelmed. So again, this is due to this adrenalin surge going on.
Caffeine: We know that caffeine can cause this too, especially if you have coffee first thing in the morning before you eat or drink anything else. That is going to stimulate your central nervous system, which is going to increase alertness, which is great, especially if you're tired. But that response can also trigger this adrenalin surge. So, in this situation, you're basically starting off your day already stuck in flight or fight.
Poor sleep: We know that sleep can heighten stress and anxiety, so the more frequently you have a bad night’s sleep, the more your nervous system is totally revved up.
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Symptoms that can be triggered or made worse by adrenalin surges
This revving up of adrenalin can trigger perimenopause and menopause symptoms, and it can also make the ones that you have worse.
The main symptoms triggered in this way would be hot flushes and night sweats. It can also trigger palpitations. As I mentioned before, if you get stuck in flight or fight all the time, you're going to feel very fatigued. It can affect your sleep. You're going to get things like panic attacks and anxiety attacks. It can cause headaches. And some people find they feel nauseous with it as well.
The other interesting thing is, if you get this going on long-term, it can also be a contributory factor to that weight around the middle. If your body is in panic mode all of the time, your body needs a lot of energy for this response. Your body will basically put a store of fat around the middle to help with energy. So, just bear in mind that if you feel that you're getting that spare tyre, you need to address this particular situation as well.
What can help reduce increased adrenalin surges?
There's no sudden, quick fix, because a lot of it is to do with lifestyle and stress management; so, you need to look at this as more of a long-term project. The things you can do that are really helpful to kind of switch off or turn down your flight or fight response include:
Deep breathing: The simplest thing to do to help is deep breathing. Do the rhythmic breathing sequences, like four in, hold for one, four out, hold for one. There are loads of different breathing techniques that you can find on YouTube, so it's worth having a look.
When you start using these techniques, you may find that you automatically go into deep breathing patterns, and it can be such a fabulous tool, especially when you're out and about.
Relaxation techniques: You can look at things like regular meditation and mindfulness to help you relax. Learning how to do progressive muscle relaxation can also be helpful, because if you're tensed up, that's going to be more likely to trigger adrenalin because your body thinks you're tensing for a fight. Yoga is also great. That's another one that can be really helpful.
Stress management: Practice stress-reducing techniques such as journalling. Some people find that it's really good just for getting rid of the kind of stress and anxiety. Walking in nature is another good stress management tool. We know that walking in nature can have a really swift effect, calming the nervous system down. So, if you're near parks, or woods, or anything where there's a lovely bit of nature, even a 10 or 15-minute walk a day can be really, really helpful. Look at things that are going to engage your mind in happy things, like trying a new hobby, things that you really enjoy. Socialising with friends and family is another thing that can really help in this situation.
Helpful Herbs: You can try herbs. There's a whole range of herbs that can be really good. The herb Passionflower is known to aid relaxation. We have that in our Passiflora Complex Spray, which is great for carrying around with you, whenever you need it.
You can also look at herbs such as Lemon balm, Valerian, and Avena sativa.
Magnesium: And don't forget magnesium. It's so important for supporting nerve function. Go for quite a good high-strength magnesium supplement, maybe 200 milligrams twice a day.
Stay hydrated: Remember to drink plenty of water daily too, because dehydration has a huge impact on your nervous system, which can be another contributory factor to this whole scenario.
Regular exercise: You want to burn off the adrenalin if you can. If you've got the energy, high-intensity interval training, 10 minutes a day, can be very helpful. Brisk walking and swimming too. I know so many people tell me how beneficial cold-water swimming is for helping their nervous system. You can look at cycling as well. Anything that's going to give your heart and breathing a little bit of a workout can be helpful for this.
I hope you found this one helpful. What I've noticed over the years is that adrenalin seems to be playing a bigger and bigger part in a whole range of menopause symptoms, so it's worth trying to get some of these strategies ingrained into your daily lifestyle, just to prevent this from getting worse.
If any of you have had issues with this, what did you find that was really helpful? You know, I love reading your stories and your helpful tips. And these are always passed on.
Supporting yourself through perimenopause and menopause
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Until next time, take care.
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