Adrenal and Immune Question

[Guest guest]

Hi all, I probably should post this to the adrenal board, but to be

honest, that board overwhelms and distracts me. (because there's so

much info, it's hard to get through it all and then i end up at the

end of the day not doing my work!)

Anyway, thought I'd ask this group since my problems are adrenal, E

and T. Most of my life, i've gotten the basic colds, and 2 really bad

flus (one as a teen and on in my mid 20's. i'm 39 now). I dont' take

the flu shot and probably never will. Anyway, since I started on this

insomnia, tired/wired thing in 2005, where it peaked in Oct 2006 and

peaked again in April 2007 (because i was desperatly trying to find a

doc who wouldn't throw sleeping pills and thyroid meds at me), I

noticed something very unusual. When i started on the " low " sleep in

2005 (roughly 5 hours/night) and it spiraled down to 1-3 hours per

night in 2006 and 2007, the oddest thing happened. Other than feeling

like total crap from not sleeping and feeling tired but wired ... i

NEVER got one cold or ONE flu. NOTHING. zip. How can this possibly

be? How can someone live a life for so long sleep deprived, for 6-7

months of getting 1-3 hours sleep/night and not even get one sniffle?

I'll admit, i'm an anti-oxidant nut, and take them religiously, but

really, I've always been aware of the connection between sleep and

the body's ability to improve immunity. Shouldn't I have been getting

tons of flus and colds? or at least a few? I work for myself so that

cuts down exposure, but my husband travels and has even been sick

once or twice with a bad flu, i grocery shop 3-4 times/week (tons of

germs on those carts you know) and I go to a stinky yoga studio 5

days/week, use the public bathrooms, etc. In the studio, there's

always SOMEONE coughing or sneezing. Ok, i'm a handwasher too, but

still, you'd think i'd have gotten sick from the lack of sleep and

lowered immunity. This entire 2 years i've been spiraling down with

adrenal fatigue, not one flu or cold. Not even a sniffle.

is there a connection between adrenal fatigue and NOT getting sick?

possibly from too much cortisol in the body? Can anyone educate me on

this? Its very curious.

[Guest guest]

I don’t know about insomnia, but I do know about over work. Younger, I

caught every cold and flu that went around, sometime more than one flu per

year, then post flu bronchitis for many years. For a period of 6 years I

worked 13 - 16 hours a day with two small kids and no sleep. Longest nights

sleep would be 6 hours. Some nights no sleep. Didn’t get sick, ever unless I

took a break from work.

Couldn’t keep up this schedule forever, so when I left the job and started

sleeping again, I developed severe allergies, and crashed big time. Took

years to get over it.

Students often go through this, wired for school, then sick as soon as there

is a break. Your nervous system can get stuck in a ‘fight and flight’ state.

There are dietary and nutritional ways to strengthen the ‘rest and digest’

side of your nervous system. That is the lens I personally am using now.

Don’t know exactly what the hormonal implications are, but what helped me

was changing jobs, settling for good enough, not perfect. Not

sweating the small stuff. Yoga, meditation, perspective.

Also my ND is treating me for adrenal fatigue using glandulars.

Karima

is there a connection between adrenal fatigue and NOT getting sick? possibly

from too much cortisol in the body? Can anyone educate me on this? Its very

curious.

[Guest guest]

I do think there is a connection. When you are sleep deprived, and/or stressed

for other

reasons, the body will produce excess cortisol (for as long as it can anyway).

So, yes, it is

possible to have immunosuppression during that period, and therefore not get as

many

illnesses. There is a fine balance for a healthy immune system. If it is

suppressed, you can

actually feel better- for awhile. But ultimately, it will crash and your body

will either move

into autoimmune stage, or possibly even develop cancer. I know many people who

" never

get sick " , who also don't take care of themselves. I have found these people

have

suppressed immune systems that invariably break down. I also know many people

who

take wonderful care of themselves, yet get sick often. In the truly healthy,

immune

responsive person, they would experience some illnesses, but not constantly.

It's a

delicate balance. Same with our hormone systems. When in balance, hormones keep

the

immune system balanced, meaning occasional illnesses. When out of balance, the

immune

system also falters. Why all this " imbalance " occurs in the first place is a

combination of

events. Genetics, environmental toxins, poor diet, stress, illnesses, etc all

contribute to

this balance. So, while going with less sleep helped you temporarily stay

" healthier " , over

time, it will eventually make your health worse.

Robin

>

> Hi all, I probably should post this to the adrenal board, but to be

> honest, that board overwhelms and distracts me. (because there's so

> much info, it's hard to get through it all and then i end up at the

> end of the day not doing my work!)

>

> Anyway, thought I'd ask this group since my problems are adrenal, E

> and T. Most of my life, i've gotten the basic colds, and 2 really bad

> flus (one as a teen and on in my mid 20's. i'm 39 now). I dont' take

> the flu shot and probably never will. Anyway, since I started on this

> insomnia, tired/wired thing in 2005, where it peaked in Oct 2006 and

> peaked again in April 2007 (because i was desperatly trying to find a

> doc who wouldn't throw sleeping pills and thyroid meds at me), I

> noticed something very unusual. When i started on the " low " sleep in

> 2005 (roughly 5 hours/night) and it spiraled down to 1-3 hours per

> night in 2006 and 2007, the oddest thing happened. Other than feeling

> like total crap from not sleeping and feeling tired but wired ... i

> NEVER got one cold or ONE flu. NOTHING. zip. How can this possibly

> be? How can someone live a life for so long sleep deprived, for 6-7

> months of getting 1-3 hours sleep/night and not even get one sniffle?

> I'll admit, i'm an anti-oxidant nut, and take them religiously, but

> really, I've always been aware of the connection between sleep and

> the body's ability to improve immunity. Shouldn't I have been getting

> tons of flus and colds? or at least a few? I work for myself so that

> cuts down exposure, but my husband travels and has even been sick

> once or twice with a bad flu, i grocery shop 3-4 times/week (tons of

> germs on those carts you know) and I go to a stinky yoga studio 5

> days/week, use the public bathrooms, etc. In the studio, there's

> always SOMEONE coughing or sneezing. Ok, i'm a handwasher too, but

> still, you'd think i'd have gotten sick from the lack of sleep and

> lowered immunity. This entire 2 years i've been spiraling down with

> adrenal fatigue, not one flu or cold. Not even a sniffle.

>

> is there a connection between adrenal fatigue and NOT getting sick?

> possibly from too much cortisol in the body? Can anyone educate me on

> this? Its very curious.

>

>

>