Hunting around on the web today, I came across a great comparison of the different symptoms for the different adrenal imbalances. Its a very helpful chart that you can find here.
Symptoms of Cushing’s syndrome (high cortisol):
- Profound fatigue
- Weak muscles
- High blood pressure
- High blood sugar
- Increased thirst
- Frequent urination
- Irritability, anxiety, or depression
- A rounded face
- Fatty hump at back of neck/between the shoulders
- Upper body obesity
- Skin fragility and thinness, including easy bruising and stretch marks
- Increased hair in “unwanted” places
- Irregular periods
Adrenaline dominance/cortisol dominance:
- Persistent anxiety
- Always on the go (“high-adrenaline” lifestyle)
- Difficulty winding down to get to sleep
- Difficulty staying asleep
- Feeling “tired but wired”
- Abdominal weight gain
- Worsening PMS symptoms (irritability, anxiety)
- Panic attacks
- Easily fly off the handle
- “If you want anything done right, do it yourself!”
- “I can never do enough!”
Normal!
- Wake refreshed from sleep
- Maintain energy levels throughout the day
- Pleasant tiredness toward evening, looking forward to turning in after a full day
- Ability to reframe, adapt and respond with flexibility to life stressors (and opportunities)
- Clear thinking, with steady productivity
- Good immunity to “what’s going around”
- Healthy libido
- Minimal to nil cravings for salt, sugar, and caffeine
- Positive attitudes and beliefs
Adrenal Fatigue
- Difficulty getting out of bed in the morning
- Nonrefreshing sleep
- Ongoing fatigue not relieved by sleep
- Weariness, lack of energy, lethargy
- Lightheadedness
- Increased cravings for salt
- Low libido
- Inability to handle everyday stress
- Feeling overwhelmed
- Longer recovery times from illness, injury, or trauma
- Mild depression
- Easily startled
- Mental fogginess/fuzzy thinking
- Struggling to get through the day
- Frequent infections
- Start to feel better after an evening meal
Addison’s disease (low cortisol, aka adrenal insufficiency)
- Chronic worsening fatigue
- Weak muscles
- Loss of appetite
- Weight loss
- Abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea
- Low blood pressure that drops further upon standing from a prone or seated position
- Cravings for salt
- Patches of dark skin, especially on scars, skin folds, elbows, knees, and knuckles