There are times when cutting through the volume of information and advice on dealing with adrenal malfunction can feel like a full-time job. Sometimes, all you really want is for someone to provide you with the essential facts you need to know to aid in your diagnosis and get you started on your path to recovery. In other words, you just want some quick tips to give you the overview you need until you have time to research your condition in greater detail.

Yes, it’s a busy world. The good news for you, though, is that we’ve assembled the basic information you need to know about dealing with adrenal malfunction in this short collection of ten quick tips!

1. At the first sign of fatigue, make a commitment to get an accurate diagnosis.

This can involve a number of different testing methodologies, including the Adrenal Stress index, blood adrenal hormone tests, and examinations of the GI to ensure that the problem is not somewhere in your digestive system. Finally, make sure to get allergy testing to rule out the possibility that various allergens might be the source of your body’s state of rebellion.

2. Start keeping a journal that tracks your daily energy levels.

To get the most benefit from this process, record not only how you feel at different points of the day, but when and what you eat as well. This can help you later as you try to determine whether you are suffering from any form of cortisol dysregulation – a condition that often indicates adrenal malfunction of some sort.

3. Make changes now.

You don’t necessarily have to wait for a test to confirm a diagnosis of adrenal dysregulation to start making lifestyle changes to improve your energy levels and overall health. The best time to adopt those changes is as soon as you recognize the need for them.

4. Work on improving your diet.

Try to remove all processed foods, as well as sugars and caffeine stimulants. In addition, reduce your carbohydrate intake as much as possible. You may not need to adopt a totally ketogenic (carb-free) approach to food, but even a moderate reduction in carbs will pay dividends in helping to regulate your blood sugar levels. That will, in turn, help you avoid those energy peaks and valleys throughout the day.

5. Start to exercise regularly.

Exercise helps to improve every area of bodily health, and can assist in normalizing everything from your sleep-wake cycle to metabolic activity. Incorporate resistance training to develop more lean muscle and strength, as well as cardiovascular exercise to improve your overall fitness level.

6. Emphasize sleep.

Your body needs seven or eight hours of restful sleep each night to maintain its natural rhythms. Pick a set bedtime and try to adhere to it as strictly as possible. Also, be sure to remove electronics from your bedroom to eliminate the screen light that can disrupt melatonin production. You’ll be amazed at what a difference that can make in your ability to get the rest you need.

7. Work to reduce stress factors in your life.

This may require changing how you react to events and people around you, or avoiding known stress triggers whenever possible, but it is something that should be done. Even if you’re still relatively healthy, you should try to manage stress better to avoid future complications.

8. Focus on your brain’s health as well.

That means eating right and supplementing the most important organ in your body with herbs, vitamins, and minerals that can help it to operate at peak efficiency. Remember, if your brain is not healthy enough to react properly to stress, it will be far too easy for it to get caught in an endless cycle of overreacting to every minor stressor. That leads to an exaggerated stress response, excessive cortisol levels, and adrenal malfunction.

9. Relax.

Experiment with the various relaxation and brain-soothing technologies and techniques out in the marketplace today. Neurofeedback, meditational techniques, massage, and other exciting new therapies can help you to learn to relax and assist your brain in relearning how to deal with stress.

10. Choose the natural over the unnatural.

While it might be tempting to reinforce low hormonal levels with hormone supplements, avoid it. That option can actually make matters worse, as your adrenals will atrophy as a result of the artificial influx of replacement hormones. Instead, focus on these natural remedies, and detoxification strategies to cleanse your body of toxins and other harmful substances.

Of course, each of these tips only serves to scratch the surface of the various issues involved. You could literally spend a lifetime studying the intricacies of adrenal malfunction and how it affects your fatigued body. However, if you can apply these basic tips in your life and make the changes you need to make now, you can start to enjoy improved energy levels even as your adrenals receive the help they need to begin the long journey back to recovery.