Fatigue

Adrenal Fatigue Treatment, Symptoms and Stages of Adrenal Fatigue

Your adrenal hormone glands help you deal with stress. Symptoms of adrenal fatigue may include fatigue, unstable blood sugar levels, decreased libido, body aches, depression, digestive problems, sleeping difficulties, blood pressure changes, irritability, loss of appetite, menstrual irregularities, nervousness, weight gain, and feeling cold. Keep reading for the full story…

 

Symptoms of Adrenal Fatigue

Your adrenal hormone glands help you deal with stress. So, what happens when your adrenal glands stop working well?

Symptoms may include fatigue, unstable blood sugar levels, decreased libido, body aches, depression, digestive problems, sleeping difficulties, blood pressure changes, heart palpitations, hyperventilation, irritability, loss of appetite, menstrual irregularities, nervousness, weight gain and feeling cold.

 

Adrenal Fatigue Tests

My preferred test is a saliva cortisol panel with samples taken over a 12 hour period.
Thyroid function and iron studies will generally be checked as well because they are also significant causes of fatigue.

‍Have a look at the Saliva Cortisol Results here below. This patient wakes up feeling anxious. You can see that the cortisol level surges in the first thirty minutes, consistent with what she anticipates in the day ahead.

adrenal fatigue treatment and cortisol

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Why is she stressed?

There are lots of possibilities. Relevant questions on seeing results like this will cover stresses with work, relationships, the quality of sleep, infections and gut health.

 

What Do Your Adrenal Glands Do?

Your adrenal glands are the size of a walnut and sit on top of each of your kidneys where they make and secrete steroid hormones such as cortisol, estrogen, DHEA and testosterone that are essential for life, health and energy. They influence the function of every tissue, organ and gland in your body to keep you going during times of stress.

 

The Fight or Flight Response

Your adrenal glands function to help you fight off danger or run away and escape – the fight or flight response.

In a more primitive hunter gatherer society that would mean being able to run away quickly, fight or pursue an enemy or food, endure long periods of physical challenge and deprivation, and store up physical reserves when they are available. One way or another, the stress was over in a short amount of time.

Challenges of Modern Day Life

Modern society is different in that stresses tend to be chronic and last a long time. It may be that you are battling a difficult boss, air pollution, family arguments, financial problems, poor quality sleep, infections or food allergies or sensitivities.

Stages of Adrenal fatigue

Stage 1: Alarm Reaction

During this initial stage of stress, your body responds to stress by making more cortisol and DHEA hormones. Fatigue is generally quite mild and usually occurs in the morning upon awakening or in mid afternoon. People often turn to coffee, caffeinated sodas, energy shots, chocolate, or sugary, high-carbohydrate foods to help give them a “lift”.

Stage 2: Resistance Response

When the body is under constant or severe stress, cortisol levels continue to rise and DHEA levels start to gradually decrease. Fatigue tends to be worse by the end of each day and your body needs more rest than usual to recover.
The thyroid gland is often affected at this stage. Infections become recurrent. More stimulants may be used to enhance energy and elevate mood.

Stage 3: Adrenal Exhaustion

If the stress isn’t reduced, adrenal function will be further weakened. Chronic fatigue is common, exercise tolerance is reduced, and fibromyalgia may appear. Brain fog, insomnia and depression are common. This stage is sometimes referred to as “adrenal burnout.”

Stage 4: Adrenal Failure

The adrenal glands are no longer able to respond to stress. The result is Addison’s disease, otherwise known as adrenal insufficiency. This condition can be fatal and medical specialist treatment is needed. Symptoms may include severe pain in the abdomen, legs, or lower back; diarrhea and vomiting; dehydration; low blood pressure; and loss of consciousness.

Natural Adrenal Fatigue Treatment

Healthy Diet

When it comes to treating adrenal fatigue, examples of foods to avoid include caffeine, sugar, sweeteners, processed foods and excess carbohydrates.  Ideally, enjoy plenty of colourful, plant-based fruits and vegetables, and free-range lean proteins such as chicken or turkey.

Supplements and Herbs

Herbal medicine and nutritional supplements may improve adrenal gland function and energy.

  • Herbs such as ashwagandha, rhodiola and schisandra.
  • Fish oil
  • Magnesium
  • B-Complex vitamins.
  • Vitamin C

Quality Sleep

One of the first steps in adrenal fatigue treatment is getting good quality sleep. It’s essential so that you can wake up feeling refreshed and energised to deal with the challenges of each day.

Stress Management

Ideally the underlying causes of your stress are addressed.
This is discussed in my blog and YouTube video “Do You Feel Out of Control”.

 

What This Means To You
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Stress can be due to lots of causes. A lot of my patients with adrenal fatigue symptoms describe challenges with finances, work, relationships, poor sleep quality, pain, infections and digestive problems. Iron deficiency has also resulted in feelings of exhaustion.

Treating stress has been a large part of my practice for many years and you are welcome to book an appointment to discuss your concerns.

Related: Why your health problems may have started in the digestive system

If you’re struggling with the cold weather that has recently arrived, your circulation may be to blame! This means that your body’s ability to move blood around your body, giving oxygen and nutrients to the cells and removing waste products is reduced. Poor circulation can therefore be the cause of numbness, muscle cramps and tingling. So what can you do about it?

If you’re struggling with the cold weather that has recently arrived, your circulation may be to blame!

If you find that you step outside and can’t feel your hands or feet, this is likely due to poor circulation. This means that your body’s ability to move blood around your body, giving oxygen and nutrients to the cells and removing waste products is reduced. Poor circulation can therefore be the cause of numbness, muscle cramps and tingling.

So what can you do about it?

Fortunately, there are several ways you can boost your blood circulation.

Here are our top 3 tips!

Exercise

This is probably the most obvious solution because exercise helps you to move, pumping blood around your body and improving blood flow overall. This applies both to intense exercise such as running or working out at the gym as well as stretching.

Get a massage Similar to the way that exercise works, massages can be a great way to improve your blood flow. The difference here is that the effect is focused on creating movement in a certain area. Massages focus on loosening tight, tense and inflamed areas so that the muscles relax and blood can flow more easily.

Diet A healthy diet is very important. Try to avoid eating lots of foods which are rich in sugar, salt or trans-fats as these can thicken or clog the walls of the arteries and heart. At the same time, there are many great natural foods which help blood flow and boost circulation. Try adding chillies, ginger or turmeric to your food and you’ll no doubt start to notice your hands and feet stay nice and toasty, even when you’re out in the freezing cold!

In the same way that food is important, you also need to make sure you stay hydrated. Since the human body is made up to such a large extent by water, drinking water helps to keep blood flowing smoothly, keep your organs working properly and increasing oxygen levels in your blood.

Are you feeling tired, run down, suffering brain fog, bloating or putting on weight?

Let’s face it, the demands of modern life can leave many people feeling that they just don’t have enough energy to keep up. Fatigue makes everything we do seem more difficult and can rob you of enjoyment, enthusiasm and quality of life.

What is Fatigue?

We all know what it is like to sleep poorly one night and struggle to function well the following day. All of us feel this way on occasions. However, if you are feeling flat and tired more often than not, then this is a problem that can negatively impact all aspects of your life. Fatigue describes the physical and/ or mental state of being tired – literally lacking energy. Although physical and mental fatigue are different, it is not uncommon to experience a combination of the two.

Fatigue affects every cell in the body and contributes to many common symptoms including mood disturbance, brain fog, muscle aches and pains and reduced stamina and endurance.

Fatigue is the most common, unexplained complaint presenting to general practitioners, with a prevalence of up to 25%. Studies also show that up to half of these patients who present with fatigue will find that all their conventional blood test results are normal. Lack of an easy diagnosis plus the invisible nature of fatigue means that people are often left suffering in silence, finding it difficult getting effective treatment.

Why Am I So Tired? – Some Underlying Causes of Fatigue.

Stress

Stress is a daily reality for most people. Work deadlines, family and social responsibilities can leave you feeling drained. Stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol are important for the “fight or flight” stress response, but excessive production can leave you feeling exhausted.

Poor sleep

Consistent good quality sleep is essential. Lack of sleep is associated with reduced concentration, memory and work performance, as well as anxiety and depression.

Dehydration

Dehydration is a common cause of fatigue, but is often overlooked. Even a 1.5% dip below your body’s normal water volume can cause fatigue and difficulty concentrating. Studies show that many people are in fact more than 2% dehydrated. Dehydration impairs body temperature regulation, delivery of nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and impairs your mental and physical performance. Read more about the 7 warning signs of dehydration.

Blood Sugar Imbalance

Infrequent meals, diets high in sugar and processed foods result in your cells becoming “resistant” to insulin. A key sign of this is hypoglycaemia with an energy slump in the mid -afternoon, typically between 3 and 4 pm.

Hormone Imbalance

Healthy hormone balance is essential for energy production. Men may have low testosterone. Young women often have irregular cycles and symptoms such as PMS (premenstrual syndrome) and menopausal women may suffer hot flushes and night sweats as a result of declining oestrogen levels. Pituitary, thyroid and adrenal gland imbalance may also be present.

Impaired Immunity

Poor immune function increases the risk of infections which in turn cause inflammation and worse fatigue.

Mood Disturbance

A well- functioning brain and nervous system is fundamental to feeling energetic and motivated. Many people experience anxiety and /or depression as a result of lacking energy.

Oxidative stress

Mitochondria can be thought of as energy producing batteries inside each cell. However, toxicity and poor diet or lifestyle habits create free radicals that damage the structure of mitochondria and limit their ability to produce energy. As such mitochondrial abnormalities are central to people experiencing fatigue and must be corrected.

Inflammation

Inflammation can be an invisible, but very active process impacting all body systems. Poor diet, being overweight, having a “hidden” infection  such as chronic glandular fever, mycoplasma or Lyme-like disease, allergies, toxic metals, food intolerances and digestive problems are often relevant.

Nutritional Deficiencies

Like any high performance machine, your body needs the right fuel to run at its best. Healthy nutritional choices provide a balanced intake of macronutrients that are essential to maintain optimal energy levels.

Recent surveys have revealed that an incredible 93% of adult Australians do not consume the recommended five serves of vegetables per day, and only 50% eat the recommended two serves of fruit.  Magnesium deficiency is widespread and affects one in three Australians.  Zinc levels are significantly lower in chronic fatigue syndrome patients compared to healthy controls and low zinc levels correlate with illness severity.

Treatment Considerations

A detailed medical history and appropriate pathology testing can help you to uncover the underlying causes of your fatigue.

It is important to address your symptoms as well as the underlying causes of your fatigue

Nutritional supplements are also important. They include B vitamins, magnesium, Coenzyme Q10, omega-3 essential fatty acids, iron, selenium, vitamin D, acetyl L-Carnitine, vitamin C and zinc.

Herbal medicines such as Rhodiola, Ginseng and Withania are often helpful in managing stress and improving brain function, mitochondrial health, stamina, energy and hormonal balance.

Sleep quality needs to be optimised, emotional stresses addressed and it is essential to make sure that you are not exposed to mould, rising damp or other toxins at home or work.  (Unfortunately fifty per cent of Australian homes, especially old homes, are affected by water damage. Some water damage is hidden in walls, but bathrooms in particular are common sources of mould toxins).

A graded exercise program improves stress management, circulation and hormone balance. However it is important not to overdo exercise as it can then worsen fatigue. In general I advise that you do fifty per cent of what you can think you can do. Needing extra naps or having a pulse rate that stays fast after physical activity has finished are clues that you may have overdone it.