Being stressed out and tired all the time seems to be part of our modern lifestyle. We are overloaded at work, we don’t get enough time for our family, friends, and exercise, and above all, we often don’t have the time to get a good night’s rest. All this adds stress to our bodies, resulting in a condition known as adrenal fatigue. To help the situation, we try to bring balance to our lives to protect our overall health. Of the things you do the relax, wind down, and let go of stress, foot reflexology could make a good addition to your toolkit.
Foot reflexology is an ancient practice whereby pressure is applied to certain areas of the feet. The entire experience is usually very relaxing and considered by many a great way to alleviate stress. The bottoms of your feet have over seven thousand nerve endings. Each of these nerve endings corresponds to an organ or system within your body. When you stimulate these nerve endings, you are sending messages throughout your nervous system, opening up energy pathways that might be blocked and causing problems.
Your cortisol production is controlled by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. When your hypothalamus sees a threat, it sends chemical messengers to your pituitary gland, which, in turn, sends chemical messengers to the adrenals to encourage it to produce more cortisol. This automatic reaction by your body is part of your NeuroEndoMetabolic (NEM) Stress Response. During this time, body functions that are not considered essential to addressing the immediate threat are either switched off or downgraded. Once the threat has passed, messengers are sent via the same pathways and cortisol (and other functions) normalizes.
A condition known as adrenal fatigue sets in when the stress does not stop. This is because continued stress results in continued higher cortisol levels. This has a major impact on the body functions that have either stopped or are reduced in the long run. One symptom among many is a difficulty falling asleep and a tendency to wake in the night due to cortisol levels being too high at the wrong times.
Besides the prolonged higher cortisol production affecting already-compromised systems in your body, the adrenal glands themselves are eventually affected. At some stage, they become worn out and are unable to function correctly. Thus your cortisol levels drop. This is usually evident in the later stages of Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome (AFS).
The latter stages of adrenal fatigue may result in you becoming bedridden and unable to function normally. When you are at this stage, healing takes an immensely long time.
By stimulating the pressure points in your feet, foot reflexology has a beneficial impact on your entire body – including the adrenal glands. This it does by changing the sympathetic state (where we are in fight or flight mode) to a parasympathetic state. The latter may help your body conserve energy, decrease your heart rate, improve gastrointestinal function, and support glandular activity.
Relaxation is essential to a good night’s rest as well as proper adrenal (and other bodily) function. What follows is a fifteen-minute foot reflexology exercise you can try in the comfort of your own home.
If you are someone who uses affirmations, now would be a great time for sleep affirmations. Tell yourself how the great night’s sleep you are going to get will leave you feeling refreshed and well-rested the next morning.
This is also a great technique to use on a child who may find it difficult to go to sleep.
Foot reflexology has myriad benefits. These include not only your adrenal health but that of your entire body and its many different systems. And the research done so far tends to agree.
A study conducted in China on foot reflexology found that 75% of those with a history of nervous exhaustion showed an improvement in their symptoms, while an astonishing 40% fully recovered. Furthermore, a 2008 study indicated that foot reflexology increases the blood flow to your kidneys and intestines, which could be of benefit to those with kidney issues. A 2015 study showed that foot reflexology has a positive effect on type-2 diabetes as well as high blood pressure.
Although not much scientific research has been carried out on foot reflexology per se, the fact remains that both those engaged in the discipline, as well as those who receive foot reflexology, attribute a number of improvements in their overall well-being to the practice.
The many benefits associated with foot reflexology include:
Although there are many physical benefits associated with foot reflexology, most people don’t try it because they are seeking to improve their health. In the majority of cases, they are looking for something to relax them or bring them some stress relief. If these are the only two reasons you decide to try out the foot reflexology exercise, you may at least gain the benefit of a good night’s rest. Whatever your reason for trying foot reflexology is, however, you may find that you gain a whole list of other associated health benefits as well without even knowing about them. Exploring pressure points on your feet can help you relieve stress and many of the conditions that stem from it. Any form of relief from a troubled mental or emotional state, in the end, has a beneficial impact on Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome while supporting adrenal health. Less mental and physical stress means less demand on the adrenals, less cortisol production, and a better chance to heal.
© Copyright 2018 Michael Lam, M.D. All Rights Reserved.
While foot reflexology does not claim to cure anything, studies suggest that, as a relaxation exercise, it does soothe you and impart a sense of wellbeing. This, in turn, is a great aid for inducing a good night’s rest. It’s also a wonderful way of connecting with your partner.
