Originally Posted by
Dreww10
Been a little over a week since my OP and still no sign of improvement. I've deliberately slowed down and ridden only on flats to keep my intensity in-check. My HR for a given pace (about 16 mph) is elevated around 10-12 bpm, and seems to experience a greater increase over normal as I up the effort (ie holding 20 mph might be more along the lines of 20 bpm high). I've ridden at this pace for two hours this week without any fatigue, but there's no sense of being able to go harder or go uphill without running into fatigue and bonking.
Looking back, I can certainly recall ignoring some fatigue I had on the bike in the weeks leading into this episode that perhaps I shouldn't have. And beyond the elevated, rather than suppressed HR, the symptoms do adhere to adrenal fatigue to some degree: tiredness despite good sleep, restless sleep at times, more awake and alert at night, perhaps tinge of lower back discomfort around the adrenals, albeit far less than I've experienced in the past when under stress.
Might it be in my interest to dry adding a little sodium to my diet, or consuming electrolytes (Gatorade) even in the absence of exercise to see if there's any effect? I'd seen it mentioned that sugary sports drinks are no-no with adrenal fatigue, thus the inquiry.
With adrenal fatigue one experiences much reduced HR, not elevated. I.e., not that, definitely. When I'm really cooked, I can't raise a HR over 105 no matter what I do. You are not cooked. My guess is a dietary deficiency, I would say carbs. "Sugary sports drinks" are good for you. 20 bananas a day isn't entirely stupid. Do a dietary analysis, look for say, 20% fat, 25% protein, the rest carbs. Or, carbs the size of your fist, protein the size of your palm, the other half of the plate vegetables. That's real simple. No worries about electrolytes if half your plate is vegetables.