Your adrenal glands are tiny in comparison to your other organs yet they have enormous responsibilities in your body-- and powerful influences on your play and your golf fitness.
When adrenals are functioning at their peak, these small glands help you feel energized all the way through those long multi-day events, yet relaxed when it is time to make that crucial winning putt.
And when they are not functioning so well, the game gets a lot tougher and your golf fitness is reduced.
Signs of Adrenal Fatigue
There are little things to watch for with adrenals fatigue. One of the first things you might notice is that you tire more easily, your workouts may not be as good and you tire more on the course. And you may also start feeling considerably more impatient, irritable or angry during your rounds.
Further along and you may begin to feel lightheaded when standing after placing your ball or after squatting to read a putt.
Your overall ability to handle the stress of competition will diminish. Moreover, your muscles may feel weaker, your thirst excessive and your allergies & susceptibility to colds more severe. Some will even come to experience irregular heart beats. All bad for your golf fitness.
Here is an extended list of symptoms described by Dr. James Wilson in his book. Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome
Morning fatigue -- Its difficult to wake up
Afternoon "low" (feelings of sleepiness or clouded thinking) from 2 to 4 p.m.
Surge of energy at 6 p.m.
Very Sleepy from 9 to 10 p.m. then a "Second wind" at 11 p.m. that may lasts until about 1 a.m., keeping you from falling asleep quickly
Cravings for foods high in salt and fat
Increased PMS or menopausal symptoms
Mild depression
Lack of energy
Decreased ability to handle stress
Muscular weakness
Increased allergies
Lightheadedness when getting up from a sitting or laying down position
Decreased sex drive
Frequent sighing
Inability to handle foods high in potassium or carbohydrates unless combined with fats and protein
Test for Adrenal Fatigue
If you experience some of these symptoms but want to know definitively if you need adrenal support, try a simple at-home saliva test that is available without a doctor's order.
Causes
Golf's demands--including travel--can slowly drain the balancing power of the adrenal glands. Even the healthiest adrenals can become fatigued under chronic, unrelenting stress that can accompany competitive golf. Just ask any pro who has struggled to get, or stay on tour!
But the major causes of adrenal fatigue are usually found in your daily routines, including your diet, your use of caffeine, nicotine and medications, your unresolved personal or family conflict, and your habits of getting irregular or insufficient sleep.
Substance abuse, chronic pain, and illness can also take a toll on these tiny but powerful glands.
Solutions
Only you have the power to truly lessen the burden on your adrenals. And the good news is that it doesn't take much effort to start making a real difference.
Small choices you make with regard to beverages, food and sleep can provide a big healing boost to these tiny but important glands and your golf fitness levels.
Here are some tips.
Hydration & Nutrition
When thirsty reach more often for plain water . Drinks with sugar, caffeine or alcohol are not adrenal friendly. To learn more take a quick look at the article Nutrition and Hydration for Golf.
Quality foods or supplements with E, C and the B vitamins can all be helpful in supporting the adrenals.
Electrolytes that include magnesium, calcium and important trace minerals like zinc, manganese, selenium, and iodine provide calming effects in the body.
These minerals can also energize and help relieve the stress that comes with, and causes, adrenal fatigue.
Eating Patterns
Eating 5-6 healthy and nutritionally balanced meals and snacks throughout the day will help restore your adrenals. If you can time these healthy meals and snacks with your natural cortisol cycles, even better. Not only will you be helping to restore your poor, tired adrenals but you will also
better sustain your energy & focus throughout those long competitive days
have more restful and rejuvenating sleep at night
(diagram adapted from Wilson, J. 2001, Adrenal Fatigue the 21st century stress syndrome, 266, Smart Publications, Petaluma, Ca.)
Sleep
Most healthy adults, according to the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) require 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night. Adolescents are said to need a bit more -- around 8.5 to 9.5 hours.
Getting to bed by 10 pm is ideal - the hours between 11 and 1 are thought to be extremely important in rejuvenation.
If your schedule makes it hard to get this much sleep at night, the next best thing is to find a few minutes for a short mid-afternoon nap.
The NSF says there are real benefits to snoozing a bit during the day. Just 20-30 minutes of napping can help to improve mood, alertness, and performance, not to mention the long term benefits it has on your adrenals and overall health.
If you need more convincing consider a study conducted by NASA that found when sleep deprived military pilots and astronauts took 40-minute naps, their performance improved 34 percent. If you are sleep deprived, think of what a nap might do for your golf.
Deep Breathing
Learning techniques for managing stress can also do wonders for your adrenals. And deep breathing is the one of fastest and easiest ways to do this.
Deep breathing also gives you the most effective way to manage your tension during those tough competitive rounds. Done effectively, deep breathing will trigger your parasympathetic nervous system, creating what some call the natural "relaxation response".
Try to find a few minutes each day to practice deep breathing. Soon you will be able to use it re-group and relax in the most stressful situations.
Here are some simple steps...
Find a quiet place where you sit or lie comfortably for a few minutes without being disturbed.
Start by exhaling (this will allow you to inhale fully when you empty your lungs completely.)
Breathe in slowly and deeply through your nose, smoothly expanding your abdomen while you inhale to a count to four or five.
Breathe out slowly and smoothly through your nose, again counting to four or five.
At the bottom of your breath, pause for one or two counts, then inhale slowly again to the count of four or five.
Close your eyes and repeat several times.
The majority of competitive golfers experience adrenal fatigue at some time. Now you don't have to be one of them!
