Adrenal Fatigue

One thing that is commonly associated with adrenal fatigue is prolonged stress.  But, before we talk a little more about that, let’s talk about the adrenal glands.  They are 2 small glands that sit on top of your kidneys.  The main function of the adrenals is to secrete cortisol, a stimulant to your body.

What Else Do the Adrenal Glands Do?

I like to think of three main things to remember about the adrenals.  First, they help regulate blood sugar.  So think energy, or in the case of adrenal problems, lack of energy.  Next, they help regulate hormones.  In fact, the adrenals help coordinate production of DHEA, a precursor to testosterone and estrogen.  Last, they regulate your sleep cycle.  If you have trouble staying asleep or getting asleep, it can be adrenal dysfunction.

3 Stages of Adrenal Fatigue

Take a look at the picture and you will notice there are 3 stages of adrenal dysfunction before you get to adrenal failure.  Where you see the giant “hill” indicates your body trying to fix itself by releasing more cortisol into your body.  As your body undergoes more stress, the adrenals can’t keep up and eventually get burned out.  In order to test the adrenals, you have to have testing that is done multiple times during the day.  If you get a one time cortisol reading via blood work, it doesn’t really give you the whole picture of how they are functioning.  You need to see cortisol readings in the morning, afternoon, dinner, and right before bed.  This tells you how the adrenal glands are adapting and reacting.  The next step is to ask yourself what stage are you in?  If you would like help in restoring your adrenal glands, let us know by emailing info@healthsolutionsplus.org