anyone know about the adrenal gland and our body clock?..i've got a real problem.The time of day that my adrenal gland produces and releases cortisol is out of whack.

 

Basically the time when my adrenal gland shuts off releasing cortisol is 3pm and 3 am.The time when it is producing maximum cortisol is 9pm and 9 am.

 

So at night time my body wants to wind down i am having adrenal rushes and cant sleep until 3 am.

 

Maybe sheryl can help here.I need to see a specialist that knows about the role of the endocrine system,anyone got some good advice would be appreciated.

Despite what many (quack) websites will claim,  "adrenal fatigue" and the like  are not real diseases/diagnoses.

 

There is likely  nothing wrong with your adrenal gland and you will certainly not find a Thai physician willing to treat you as if there were.

What you may have, is what is termed circadian rhythm  sleep disorder.  Management of this is largely through simple self-help measures plus maybe melatonin and possibly bright light therapy.

 

Key tips:

 

 - Avoid caffeine; taper off it if you currently drink coffee or tea or energy drinks. People with this problem often get into a vicious cycle in which they are tired in then morning so take a lot of caffeine to function, then have trouble falling asleep and on it goes.

- Maximize your exposure to sunlight in the daytime i.e. spend as much time out in natural light as you can (doesn't mean no sunscreen)

- Minimize exposure to artificial lights late at night, especially computer screens, mobile phone screens, TV. Avoid all of these for several; hours before you plan to go to bed, they confuse the brain's sense of day and night.

-Melatonin supplement may be helpful, dosage and best schedule is pretty individual

-keep your bedroom as dark as possible, use eyeshades if you need to

-ear plugs if noises at night are a bother

- avoid processed sugars especially in the evening/at night -- this most definitley includes alcohol.. Foods high in tryptophan on the other hand may help.

- other supplements that some people find helpful in the evening are valerian, tryptophan, chamomile tea.

 

 

The other aspect to managing circadian rhythm problems is to consider accepting it to at least some degree if your various obligations in life allow for,  or find a happy medium. Some people are just naturally nite owls (I am). If your body clock's natural preference for sleep times isn't feasible to accomodate, look for the best compromise rather than trying to force yourself into a completely unnatural pattern.

 

thanks sheryl,i have accessed several web pages about circadian rhythm which have been very helpful.

How have you tested your cortisol levels?  Have you been to a hospital or have a testing kit? Or are you just guessing and believing the web sites?

 

 

On 11/10/2016 at 9:28 AM, samuibeachcomber said:

thanks sheryl,i have accessed several web pages about circadian rhythm which have been very helpful.

I've been listening to sleep with me podcast on YouTube. I recommend. 

May be the op has depression/anxiety brought on by believing he has a sleep disorder? Go to the quack and get some antidepressants and Lorazepam and you'll be fine  

If you are retired you can just adjust your life around your sleep pattern. When I did night shift I lived every day the same hours, even if days off. 

I tried medication to sleep once, but while I was "asleep", the drugs stopped me resting properly so always tired.