What Is Adrenal Gland Fatigue?

by Editor 2:52 AM

Fatigue is the most complained about symptom in doctor’s offices in America, and hormones and the adrenal gland are related in many ways. Some background information on what is adrenal gland fatigue?

Your adrenal glands weigh less than a grape, are a little bigger than a walnut, are pyramid-shaped and lay rest on top of your kidneys. Yet, they control the massive piece of machinery you call your body.

The adrenal gland’s primary function includes releasing hormones such as cortisol (stress hormone), adrenaline, noradrenaline, and sex hormones. These hormones control your body.

The adrenals are responsible for whether you feel energized or fatigued, among other things.

What causes problems with the adrenals and hormones, and does that cause Adrenal gland fatigue?

Primarily stress, of course meaning the excess of stress. Stress is categorized as electromagnetic (laptops, phones, ect..), dietary (excess dieting/excess sugar/refined foods, crappy water), physical (constant injuries, over-exercising), chemical (toxins in the water, food, air) , emotional (bad relationship, ect…) and the list goes on.

The constant release of adrenaline/noradrenaline/cortisol tires the adrenals out and results in the fatigue so many people complain about.

There’s even the kind of stress that people stress about! Wait what? Yeah, people stress about their stress. It’s a formula for disaster. But as always, there is a solution.

Signs of issues with adrenal hormones:

Difficulty getting up in the morning
Increasing Fat storage around the abdomen
Difficulty going to sleep at night
Feelings of fatigue and lethargy
Cravings for salt and salty foods
Decreased physical, mental, sexual performance and clarity
Getting light headed when standing quickly
Reduced immune function
Depression
Dampened memory

Based on these signs, everyone has it! I mean how many different sicknesses, diseases and/or events can cause any number of these symptoms?

Which is exactly why there is a split of groups when it comes to solving the adrenal gland fatigue problem.

There are people who believe adrenal fatigue does not exist at all because it is not present in medical literature. In other words, most doctors do not recognize it as a real condition nor were they ever taught about it.
There are the people who believe that it is the 21st century disease and that the majority (or very many) of modern people have it.
And there are the people who say that it exists, but not very many people have it, but instead have hormonal problems that can be fixed.

Note: I would have to agree with the third point. And so does Dr. Bryan Walsh (hormone and and adrenal expert), who is taking a stand against many hormonal/adrenal opinions and saying that many people’s problems are due to hormonal imbalances, which can be fixed.

The three sides split just leaves people confused. I’d go as far as to say that most people who search fatigue and come across issues with hormones and adrenals don’t even understand what’s going on!

Why? Because it’s a constant back and forth between the groups I mentioned above.

What needs to happen? Very simple. The bickering needs to stop, because people come to websites like mine to become informed, and that should be my only goal, to inform.

First, do not say, I have “X” ailment. I don’t see how labeling yourself with something like that will help anything. When you make a statement like that with such power and belief, you are perpetuating it within your cells.

“My adrenals are strong and healthy” would do much better. Do not say you’re tired, worn out, ect… That just drags you down, and remember, it all starts in the mind.

Next, focus on eliminating stupid stress. What is stupid stress? Those little pesky things that do not matter at all although you tend to stress a ridiculous amount over. Eliminate it. You do this by thinking. You do this by being positive.

THINK DEEPER. Will it really matter in a few minutes, an hour, a day, a year? Some people let a bad driver get to them and ruin their entire day.

That’s what I call stupid stress. I’d say over 50 percent of stress is stupid stress that is hurting the health of people around the world.

Next, focus on channeling negative energy in a positive manner, and dealing with your larger more stressful events with strategic solutions. Start laughing more, watch a funny movie or show, go out with friends and family. Enjoy yourself.

Take a nap. SLEEP! Workout intelligently(Some of you might not have the energy to do an intense workout, and that might not be the best idea with the symptoms of adrenal fatigue, so go for a walk!). Read my marathon cardio post on why you shouldn’t be doing long-distance cardio.

Do a diet check. Make sure you are getting plenty of vitamins like D, and anti-oxidants including vitamin C, and that you are up to par on all your minerals like magnesium, zinc, iodine, and potassium. Seriously. Extreme dieting isn’t a good choice here.

Also, make sure your diet includes all three macro nutrients, protein, fat and carbohydrate. Many practitioners believe the concept of re-feeding once in a while (eating more than you’re “supposed” to) can be rejuvenating to the body.

Drink pure water, and plenty of it. Consider adding *Celtic* sea salt into your hydration habits. The minerals delivered through celtic sea salt help with hormonal regulation and energy. Two birds with one stone!

Avoid excess stimulants. Listen, even I like coffee and I drink it consistently. And I know how good of a rush it can be to use a stimulant, but there comes a point where it’s just too much. You know that point.

Don’t reach it. A lot of the time controlling your use of stimulants will lead to more energy as you won’t be going through any highs/lows. And I am not saying you need to drop all coffee or anything like that.

Some practitioners would, and I don’t see anything wrong with that recommendation, it’s probably better that way. But I am stubborn. I am all about finding a solution while still maintaining or even improving quality of life!

Going back to stress, losing a job is stressful, and so is getting in a car accident. But you’re not dead. Do you realize that? This goes back to the cliche statement, “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” But it’s true.

We can go through some pretty horrific events in our life, or at-least they appear that way, but it didn’t kill you. So what are we really stressing about? The best thing to do is channel the negative energy into something positive, so instead of moping around, you improve your conditions.

Summary of discussion on adrenal gland fatigue:

Relax.
Do what you love (job, work, play, etc…)
Promote positive thoughts, feelings, and thus actions
Laugh! A lot!
Laugh! A lot! (not a mistake)
Exercise intelligently, not too much/too little, focus on intensity instead of time
“Work in” (Paul Chek), this includes type of exercises that restore energy such as Tai Chi, walking, etc…
Avoid dietary stress(eat organic, incorporate recovery eating, drink clean water)
Ensure you get plenty of Vitamins and Minerals (do a diet check), use Sea Salt for more minerals
Minimize emotional stress (avoid negative people, energy drainers)
Minimize chemical stress (chemicals in water, food, personal care products, cleaning supplies)
Minimize excess caffeine and stimulants (some coffee is ok, going overboard isn’t going to do any good)
Avoid refined sugar (sweets, sodas, etc..)
Reduce electromagnetic stress (computers, television, cell-phone, etc…)
Increase exposure to the sun, without chemical-doused sun-screen (go bare or buy organic)
Sleep! In bed by 1opm as often as possible (not necessarily the weekends), not awake until 6am, adrenal repair is roughly 11pm-1am
Listen t0 CDs and Tapes that promote well-being
don’t take life too seriously, seriously
RELAX! HAVE FUN! ENJOY FRIENDS AND FAMILY! ENJOY LIFE! LAUGH!