Adrenal Fatigue

Some days I wonder what the world would be like if there wasn't stress. Mmmm...just the thought or it makes me smile and eases the tension in my neck and shoulders. I have been under so much stress the past several months, I can't even imagine a day without stress.

I knew I was having trouble with chronic stress, but a visit to the Dr's office confirmed just how bad my stress level is. My doctor diagnosed me with Adrenal Fatigue, which is caused by experiencing an abnormal amount of stress for an extended period of time. The stress can be caused by virtually anything from illness to the death of a loved one. The reason for the stress doesn't matter. What matters is how your body handles the stress.

Unfortunately for me, my body wasn't handling the stress well and the result - a diagnosis of Adrenal Fatigue. You may be wondering just what adrenal fatigue is; I certainly was, so let me share with you what I have discovered.

The symptoms of Adrenal Fatigue include an overall feeling of just not quite being able to 'get it all together;' extreme fatigue, especially when you wake up and in the mid- to- late afternoon; an inability to sleep at night because you feel too 'wired;' an inability to relax or to exercise, and an immune system that seems to be on the blitz, leaving you sick more often and making it hard to get well.

Other symptoms include salt cravings, increased blood sugar under stress, increased PMS, perimenopausal, or menopausal symptoms, depression, lack of energy, an inability to handle stress, muscle weakness, absent mindedness, decreased sex drive, mild constipation and/or diarrhea, in addition to others. If you are experiencing these symptoms, then you, like many other Americans may be experiencing symptoms of Adrenal Fatigue.

So just what is Adrenal Fatigue? It's a condition in which the adrenal glands, two small glands that sit over the kidneys and are responsible for secreting over 50 different hormones—including epinephrine, cortisol, progesterone, DHEA, estrogen, and testosterone, are operating at a sub-optimal level. The onset of Adrenal Fatigue often occurs because of financial pressures, infections, emotional stress, poor eating habits, consumption of sugar and white flour products, unemployment as we all other stressors. After experiencing many of these events over a long period of time, the adrenal glands tend to produce less cortisol, the body’s master stress hormone. Cortisol’s main role in the body is to enable us to handle stress and maintain our immune systems. The adrenal gland’s struggle to meet the high demands of cortisol production eventually leads to Adrenal Fatigue.

There are several things that can be done to ease the effects of Adrenal Fatigue including eating a better diet, regular relaxation, laughter (which increases the parasympathetic supply to the adrenals), as well as some vitamins and supplements.

In the next few days I'm going to do some research to see just what things I need to begin to incorporate into my daily routine to help combat Adrenal Fatigue. In the meantime I plan to take a few deep breaths, do some stretches and say some prayers!