Are you wondering what adrenal fatigue is, whether it’s real or what the symptoms of
adrenal fatigue are? That’s what we’re going to discuss today.
Hi I’m Dr Janelle Sinclair, and I’m a biochemist and natural medicine practitioner.
On this YouTube channel we discuss natural strategies for depression and anxiety. So
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Every second person that comes to see me as a client has been diagnosed with adrenal fatigue.
I think it’s an overused term, but saying that I do think that it’s real and it affects
many people. Today I’m going to firstly discuss what the adrenal glands are, give
you a definition of true adrenal fatigue and then discuss the most common symptoms of adrenal
fatigue.
So what are the adrenal glands? They are star-shaped glands, about the size of a walnut and they
sit on top of each kidney. The normal function of the adrenal glands is to respond to and
deal with stress and produce hormones. The main hormones produced by the adrenal glands
include adrenaline, noradrenaline, cortisol, DHEA and aldosterone.
The most well recognised problems with the adrenal glands include addison’s and cushing’s
disease. Addison’s disease is a life-threatening condition in which the adrenal glands have
been damaged leading to very low cortisol and aldosterone production.
In contrast, Cushing’s disease occurs when the adrenal glands make too much cortisol.
Both of these conditions are rare, but are very well recognized by the medical community.
On the other hand, adrenal fatigue, which is very common, is not well recognized by
conventional medicine.
Adrenal fatigue is a collection of signs and symptoms, known as a syndrome, that results
when the adrenal glands function below the necessary level and cortisol production is
reduced. The levels of the hormones aren’t low enough to be classified as addison’s
disease, but they are not ideal for optimal health and wellbeing.
I think adrenal fatigue is an overused term, and most people don’t have true adrenal
fatigue in which they have low cortisol levels. The term adrenal dysfunction is probably more
accurate, and this can describe the case when cortisol levels are generally elevated, cortisol
levels are low and high at the wrong times of the day, or cortisol is being processed
too quickly in the body.
The difficulty is that the symptoms of true adrenal fatigue and adrenal dysfunction are
very similar, and without accurate testing it’s hard to distinguish them. The good
news is that the large majority of treatments used to help adrenal fatigue are also helpful
for adrenal dysfunction. Check out my video on supplements for adrenal fatigue if you
want to know more about that. So let’s move on to discuss symptoms of
adrenal fatigue. One of the major symptoms of adrenal fatigue
as the name implies is fatigue. Fatigue that sleep just doesn’t help; you can sleep all
night but you still feel exhausted when you wake up. You may live with a general sense
of unwellness, “gray” feelings, depression, or lack of get up and go.
Difficulty waking up in the morning and difficulty falling to sleep at night can be other symptoms
of adrenal fatigue. Cortisol’s production varies throughout the day. It suppose to rise
in the morning to wake you up and to give you energy, and then it decreases throughout
the day. In adrenal fatigue, you may find it hard to get out of bed because your cortisol
levels are low in the morning. If you’re someone that relies on multiple alarms to
wake you up, or struggle to wake up before 9am, then think about adrenal fatigue.
In contrast, at the other end of the day you may struggle to go to sleep, you may get a
second wind after 9pm at night and this may be because your cortisol is too high at night.
An inability to deal with stress is another adrenal fatigue symptom. It’s not surprising
since the role of the adrenal glands is to create fight and flight hormones like cortisol,
adrenaline and noradrenaline. If the adrenal glands are fatigued, or not functionally optimally,
our ability to create these fight and flight hormones is decreased, and it can lead to
feelings of overwhelm, irritability and anxiety.
Those that have a history or diagnosis burnout, a ‘nervous breakdown’ or post-traumatic
stress disorder should seriously consider investigating adrenal fatigue.
Because of cortisol’s role in blood pressure, blood sugar control and electrolyte balance
in the body, other common signs and symptoms of adrenal fatigue include low blood pressure,
low blood sugars, salt craving, and constant thirst. Dizziness or lightheadedness, especially
upon standing, can be a sign of low blood pressure and adrenal fatigue too.
For people with adrenal fatigue and low blood pressure, adding a small amount of salt to
their water, say ¼ of a teaspoon per glass, can be very helpful to improve energy levels,
reduce thirst and help with getting to sleep at night. However, don’t try this tip if
you have high blood pressure. If you’d like to know the symptoms of hypoglycemia check
out my video on blood sugar and anxiety. It’s a full video on recognising the symptoms and
managing it through diet and supplementation.
Another tell tale sign of adrenal fatigue is having sore throats all the time. You may
feel like you’re always about to get a cold, but you don’t, and sometimes you may have
swollen glands too.
Premenstrual syndrome or PMS is another symptom of adrenal fatigue. One of the main causes
of PMS is a progesterone deficiency. Progesterone is one of the main female sex hormones. Progesterone
is very similar in structure to the stress hormone cortisol. They are both steroid hormones.
As a female, if you’re low in cortisol it’s also likely that you’ll be low in the progesterone
hormone and suffer from PMS 1-2 weeks before your period is due.
I have a video on progesterone deficiency symptoms and another on the impact that stress
has on our hormone levels, I suggest that you check them both out if your anxiety, mood
or fatigue flares up one week before your period is due.
To learn about supplements to treat adrenal fatigue watch my YouTube video on that here.
Thanks for watching and I’ll see you next time.