What is Adrenal Fatigue?

Adrenal fatigue plagues millions of people around the world each year – an estimated 80% of people experience adrenal fatigue and the physical symptoms of stress at some point throughout their lives (Wilson, 2001). Despite this fact, “it remains one of the most under-diagnosed illnesses in the US,” according to Dr. James Wilson, author of Adrenal Fatigue.

Adrenal fatigue (otherwise known as hypoadrenia) occurs when adrenal gland function (vital to living a healthy & happy life) is deficient. Normally the adrenal gland secretes precise, balanced, and important amounts of steroid hormones (including cortisol, epinephrine, & norepinephrine) from its medulla or cortex. However, when these secretions & functions become disturbed (affected by chronic stressors of all types – physical, environmental, mental, emotional), this lower adrenal activity can have negative effects on the body.

Located in our lower backs, behind the ribcage & sitting directly on top of the kidneys, the adrenals are a vital part of our endocrine systems. Their function is to produce our stress response (commonly known as ‘fight or flight’), produce cortisol, produce backup sex hormones, and produce DHEA & aldosterone.

Common Signs & Symptoms

As the adrenals’ function becomes more and more impaired, adrenal fatigue can negatively affect every organ and system of the body – macronutrient metabolism, fluid and electrolyte balance, heart & cardiovascular system, sex drive. Common symptoms & signs of adrenal fatigue include:

Allergies (beginning or worsening)
Fatigue
Waking up at night
Inability to get out of bed in the morning
Salt cravings
Hypoglycemia
Inability to handle stress
Decreased sex drive
Increased time to recover from sicknesses or injuries
Light-headedness when standing up quickly
Mild depression
Increased PMS
Difficulty concentrating
Memory loss
Feeling really energized later in the day (generally after dinner time)

This condition can be compounded by several different elements & should be limited or addressed in situations where adrenal fatigue is present:

Stimulants such as coffee & other caffeinated drinks like soda pop
High refined carbohydrate diets
Lack of important cofactors such as Vitamin C & B complex
Unchecked allergies or infections
Insomnia

Who is at Risk for Adrenal Fatigue?

Anyone can be at risk for adrenal fatigue. However, whether a person has adrenal fatigue or not is dependent on many factors, especially including how well or not they deal with stress. As a result, those who have long-standing or serious illnesses, diseases, allergies, poor nutrition, emotional issues, or exposure to toxic environments are likely sufferers of adrenal fatigue.

The Role of Stress

Medical researcher, Hans Selye, defines stress as “the nonspecific response of the body to any demand, whether it is caused by, or results in, pleasant or unpleasant conditions.” Given the demands of our daily lives, the term “stress” normally carries a negative connotation, though that doesn’t always have to be the case. Stress is really just the body’s way of responding to the demands of our lives from a variety of sources, in order to bring us back to our normal state, homeostasis. However, when we constantly live in a state of stress & ask our bodies to constantly adapt, our ability to do so begins to decline, possibly resulting in serious health issues including adrenal fatigue.

General Holistic Approach for Recovering from Adrenal Fatigue

According to James Wilson, ND, DC, PhD, there are some general rules & guidelines to follow to help someone recover from adrenal fatigue. Those include:

Go to sleep before 10pm
Sleep until 9am when possible
Eliminate things that drain you of energy & stress
Notice at least one small, everyday thing you are grateful for each day
Take a dietary supplement regularly (whole foods, high quality recommended)
Move your body & breathe deeply (perhaps yoga)
Eat the foods your body needs
Avoid stimulants
Never skip breakfast
Learn which foods make you feel bad
Have a glass of water in the morning with ½-1 tsp of high quality salt dissolved in it
Salt your food
No naked carbs
Eat lots of colored vegetables
Laugh several times per day

References:

Murray, M. (2005). The Encyclopedia of Healing Food. New York: Atria Books.
Selye, H. (1982). The Nature of Stress. International Center for Nutritional Research. Retrieved from http://www.icnr.com
Wilson, J. (2001). Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome. Petaluma, CA: Smart Publications.