Symptoms said to be due to adrenal fatigue include tiredness, trouble falling asleep at night or waking up in the morning, salt and sugar craving, and needing stimulants like caffeine to get through the day. These symptoms are common and non-specific, meaning they can be found in many diseases.
Adrenal fatigue is thought to occur when the adrenals have been overworked to a degree that they can no longer secrete levels of cortisol that are adequate for optimal function. Potential stressors include environmental and dietary influences, as well as anxiety and emotional stresses.
Symptoms said to be due to adrenal fatigue include tiredness, trouble falling asleep at night or waking up in the morning, salt and sugar craving, and needing stimulants like caffeine to get through the day. These symptoms are common and non-specific, meaning they can be found in many diseases.
Symptoms of an adrenal fatigue crash are similar to those of AFS, such as fatigue, brain fog, mood changes, hypoglycemia, and poor digestion. The difference is that these symptoms come on more intensely during the Crash Phase, and get better after the Recovery Phase.
If not treated, adrenal insufficiency may lead to: Severe belly (abdominal) pain. Extreme weakness. Low blood pressure.
The adrenal fatigue theory suggests that prolonged exposure to stress could drain the adrenals leading to a low cortisol state. The adrenal depletion would cause brain fog, low energy, depressive mood, salt and sweet cravings, lightheadedness, and other vague symptoms.
Most people with adrenal fatigue will recover quite quickly but severe symptoms may take some months to recover, or even longer. The time for recovery will vary enormously from person to person and will also depend on the cause of stress and the severity of symptoms.
Symptoms of AI include fatigue, muscle weakness, decreased appetite, and weight loss. Some people experience lightheadedness, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Other symptoms include: Pain in the muscles and joints.
Blood and urine tests help measure the amount of adrenal hormones, which can detect a functional tumor. A computed tomography (CT or CAT) scan or a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan may be useful in diagnosing an adrenal gland tumor and determining whether it is cancerous.
In its early stages, adrenal insufficiency can be hard to diagnose since symptoms come on slowly. Your health care professional may suspect it after reviewing your medical history and symptoms. The next step is blood testing to see if your cortisol levels are too low and to help find the cause.
Stress and the adrenal glands
Reduced or inappropriate cortisol outputs can lead to physiological changes, and can cause unwanted symptoms such as anxiety, depression, fatigue, indigestion, weight gain, reduced tolerance to stress and irregular sleep cycles.
Recovery from adrenal fatigue can take anywhere from 3 months to 3 years. Each individual has a unique set of symptoms and an individual response to treatment. The recovery process depends upon the stage and severity of the adrenal exhaustion.
Low levels of cortisol can cause weakness, fatigue, and low blood pressure. You may have more symptoms if you have untreated Addison's disease or damaged adrenal glands due to severe stress, such as from a car accident or an infection. These symptoms include sudden dizziness, vomiting, and even loss of consciousness.
If your hormones are imbalanced, then it can start to cause a number of issues. One of these issues is unexpected weight gain. Studies have shown that hormonal imbalance and adrenal fatigue can be to blame for unexplained weight gain.
Dry or Wet Eyes
Studies show that stress, a major factor in the development of adrenal fatigue, could cause dry eyes. This may result from poor sleep quality. But this very issue could also cause an increase in tear secretion.
Let's dive deeper into the four stages of adrenal fatigue. Stage 1 (Alarm/Alert) This is the stage in which our body has an immediate reaction to the oncoming aggressive stressor. The stressor could be a threat or something very simple like a hospital visit/job interview.
Cortisol is normally highest during the day, and slowly decreases through the day, with lowest levels at night before going to sleep. However, when the adrenals are weak, cortisol levels in the morning tend to be low. This results in difficulty waking up, feeling groggy, and having low energy in the mornings.
Hormones tested: cortisol
LetsGetChecked provides a thorough way to test your cortisol levels in the comfort of your own home. The company's at-home cortisol test requires collecting a blood sample using a finger prick.
There's no approved test for adrenal fatigue. Blood tests can't detect a small drop in adrenal production. The suggested treatments for healthy adrenal function are a diet low in sugar, caffeine, and junk food, and “targeted nutritional supplementation” that includes vitamins and minerals: Vitamins B5, B6, and B12.