Recurring nightmares can be exhausting and a source of anxiety for anyone. They can cause anxiety about sleep, if the person avoids falling asleep for fear of having nightmares. Fortunately, if the cause of the nightmares is adrenal fatigue, the patient can do a few things to avoid having terrifying dreams.
The adrenal glands release cortisol, which also controls and activates other hormone-secreting organs. When the adrenal glands become fatigued, adrenal fatigue causes a number of hormonal problems. Because the pancreas releases insulin in accordance with the demands of cortisol, the body begins to experience fluctuations in blood sugar.
The brain uses sugar for energy and requires an optimal level of sugar in the blood to function properly. When the pancreas releases a large amount of insulin, this causes hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). Your whole body reacts to this low blood sugar: your heart races, blood pressure drops, and your brain doesn’t work properly. During waking hours, these symptoms are easy to recognize in the form of a rapid heart rate, feeling faint, and foggy processes. However, when these symptoms occur when the person is asleep, the person cannot recognize the symptoms.
When hypoglycemia occurs while a person is asleep, the brain often reacts with strange and terrifying dreams. You can determine if your nightmares were caused by hypoglycemia by waking up feeling weak, tired, and with a headache. Often times, you will also feel very hungry immediately after waking up from nightmares. This is your body’s way of trying to convey a need for fuel (food).
To relieve nightmares caused by hypoglycemia related to adrenal fatigue, you can take some precautions before going to bed.
Remember that your body is experiencing hypoglycemia because your blood sugar is low. Remember also that people with adrenal fatigue have dietary restrictions that they must adhere to. For these reasons, you should have a bedtime snack that you eat no more than an hour before bedtime. Combine a small amount of natural sugar – like a piece of fruit – with some protein and saturated fat. (Note that there are certain fruits that people with adrenal fatigue should avoid.)
Eating a snack before bed will keep your blood sugar at safer levels and help you avoid the nightmares that your fatigued adrenal glands have been causing you.