• What is Adrenal Fatigue?
• How Adrenal Gland Function Affects Your Everyday Life
• What Causes Adrenal Fatigue?

Also see Treatments for Adrenal Fatigue.

What Is Adrenal Fatigue?

The term adrenal fatigue was first named by Dr. James Wilson in 1998. However it is not new. Adrenal fatigue is a syndrome with many names. For example it has been known as non-Addison’s hypoadrenia, neurasthenia, adrenal neurasthenia, chronic fatigue syndrome, adrenal apathy, adrenal disorder, or sub-clinical hypoadrenia. Clinically it is officially known as hypoadrenia.

Adrenal fatigue is characterized by tiredness, aches, difficulty sleeping, nervousness and problems with the digestive system. A range of symptoms can be attributed to adrenal fatigue, making it a syndrome rather than a disease. It is a name given to a group of fairly nonspecific symptoms.

These symptoms are attributed to a problem with the adrenal glands. Stress causes the adrenal glands to produce certain hormones namely cortisol. If stress persists over an extended period, the adrenal glands may be unable to continue producing hormones at the same rate. This means that the hormones which are needed by your body are not supplied, and you experience the symptoms of adrenal fatigue. Adrenal fatigue can be induced by any kind of stress, whether it is physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual.

The primarily symptom adrenal fatigue sufferers experience is fatigue. This fatigue is not a normal tiredness that goes away after time off work, a vacation, or a good nights sleep. In fact people who have adrenal fatigue usually feel exhausted just about all the time which begins to interview with daily responsibilities. They may rely on stimulants such as coffee and cola in order to get through the day. In the most severe cases, people may only be able to get up for several hours before needing to return to bed.

Adrenal fatigue may also be a contributing factor in a range of other conditions, such as allergies and obesity.

While doctors usually test the adrenals using blood tests, these tests are notoriously inaccurate in detecting the levels of adrenal hormones (including cortisol, adrenaline, estrogen and testosterone). Blood tests are simply not yet sensitive enough to detect the small decreases in adrenal function that are causing this condition.

Addison’s disease (the polar extreme of hypoadrenia) shares some of the symptoms of adrenal fatigue, such as fatigue and aches in the body. Addison’s disease can also cause weight loss, lightheadedness, loss of hair on the body and a lowered blood pressure. It is caused by an adrenal insufficiency, that is an insufficient production of a hormone or hormones by the adrenal gland. Blood tests and other medical checks can be used to confirm a diagnosis of Addison’s disease. The decline in function of the adrenal glands that causes Addison’s disease is much greater than that of adrenal fatigue.

How Adrenal Gland Function Affects Your Everyday Life

The adrenal glands are part of the endocrine system, which is responsible for producing hormones. Hormones are chemical signals that control many of the body’s functions. Hormones are produced in glands, but they are then released into the bloodstream, which transports them around the body, allowing them to have far-reaching effects on many different tissues.

Each of us has a pair of adrenal glands that are located just on top of the kidneys. Their main function is to produce the hormones that manage our response to stress. The adrenal glands produce catecholamines and corticosteroids. The major products of the adrenal glands are the hormones adrenaline (also known as epinephrine) and cortisol.

When adrenaline is produced and released into the body, it causes an increase in the heart rate to speed up blood flow, dilation of the air passages to increase air intake, and contraction of the blood vessels to reduce blood flow to the less important areas of the body, such as the digestive system.

Cortisol increases the amount of sugar, specifically glucose, in the blood and reduces the function of the immune system. The responses caused by these two hormones are designed to help us react to a stressful or dangerous situation by preparing us for a fight or to run away (known as the fight or flight response). They increase the function of the necessary systems, while simultaneously reducing the function of systems that are not needed in an emergency.

Adrenaline and cortisol also have more subtle effects on the body, when they are produced at lower levels. They play a part in homeostasis, for example. This is the maintenance of a steady state in the body. The levels of oxygen and glucose in the blood, the heart rate, and many other factors are controlled to keep them at the optimum levels. Adrenaline and cortisol are two of the hormones that play a part in homeostatic control. Adrenaline can help to increase the heart rate if it starts to slow down, and cortisol can ensure that the amount of glucose in the blood does not fall too low.

The adrenal glands produce hormones that play a role in both the short-term response to stress and in the everyday maintenance of the body. They also produce some estrogen and androgens, which are involved in the development of secondary sexual characteristics. It is the homeostatic effects of adrenal gland hormones that are important for the day to day functioning of the body, however, as homeostasis is a constant process that is always working to maintain optimum conditions in the body.

What Causes Adrenal Fatigue?

Adrenal fatigue is caused by insufficient adrenal gland activity. The adrenal glands are important producers of hormones that can have wide-ranging and significant effects on the body. When they are not produced at high enough levels, it can cause you to feel exhausted, to have aches in your body, and to be unable to rejuvenate yourself through sleep. Click here for a full list of adrenal fatigue symptoms can be found here.

The hormones that are produced by the adrenal glands are important for a number of bodily functions, including the control of heart rate, production and storage of energy, muscle function, and the immune system to name a few.

The function of the adrenal glands can be affected by stress as well as illness, age, and lifestyle. Some adrenal fatigue sufferers are simply born with low adrenal function. The adrenal glands are responsible for producing the hormones that produce the fight or flight response in times of stress. When we feel worried or anxious, or when we are scared, we produce hormones that keep the body alert and ready to respond quickly to danger. If the cause of the stress does not go away, however, and we continue to feel emotionally or physically stressed, then the adrenal glands will try to keep producing these hormones. However, this means that they will be overworked, and eventually they will not be able to keep up with their normal functions. When the adrenal glands begin to under-perform, it can have serious consequences for the body, even if the gland’s function is only slightly reduced. A very intense period of stress can be just as harmful as a longer period of less intense stress.

The primary hormone produced by the adrenal glands is cortisol. This is an important hormone that regulates the responses of the body to stress. These responses include the levels of glucose in the blood, the metabolism of proteins, carbohydrates and fats that maintain glucose levels, the immune system, blood pressure, contraction of the heart and the blood vessels, and the activity of the central nervous system. Cortisol levels in the body increase in response to stress, but they should then normally decrease when the stress is over. If this does not happen (as in the case of adrenal fatigue syndrome, then it can have significant consequences on the body.

The adverse effects of a prolonged period of stress, or an intensely stressful episode, can be caused by two things. First, the persistence of elevated cortisol levels over a long time can produce undesirable effects on the body. Secondly, the adrenal glands can become fatigued, and unable to produce hormones such as cortisol at normal levels. The body is then unable to maintain itself in its proper state, or to respond correctly to stress.

Find out which Adrenal Fatigue Treatments can help you recover. Click here