If you’re someone who experiences periods of fatigue, sleep problems, nausea, nervousness, body aches, digestive problems, etc you could be suffering from adrenal fatigue. These symptoms are all apparent in a variety of different conditions, so if problems persist, contact your doctor.
Your adrenal glands produce a variety of hormones that are essential to daily life. The medical term “adrenal insufficiency” refers to Addison’s Disease, which is an inadequate production of one of more of these hormones as a result of an underlying disease. In addition to the symptoms listed above, some others include: unintentional weight loss, hair loss, dizziness, and low blood pressure. Another indicator is cravings for salty snacks. This condition can be diagnosed through blood tests and stimulation tests. Adrenal insufficiency and adrenal fatigue are very similar, but not the same. Unlike adrenal insufficiency, adrenal fatigue is not acknowledged by medical professionals as a real condition.
Adrenal Fatigue Vs Adrenal Insufficiency
Adrenal fatigue is different from adrenal insufficiency because of the cause. Adrenal fatigue is stress induced and adrenal insufficiency is an impairment of the glands due to trauma leading to a reduced amount of cortisol being produced.
The main cause of adrenal fatigue is said to be chronic stress, which can also cause other conditions, like Lupus. It is amazing and terrifying how distress can mess up the homeostasis within the body. There hasn’t been a sufficient amount of research done to prove this, but the regular fight-or-flight response being aroused is said to result in the adrenal glands lagging behind in hormone production of the “feel good” hormones.
Since it isn’t considered a real diagnosis, treatment is unclear, but living a healthy lifestyle will help boost the immune system and keep homeostasis within the body. Eat a diet rich in protein, healthy fats and complex carbohydrates. Some of the symptoms of adrenal fatigue involve mood swings, fatigue, difficulty sleeping etc, and all are affected by the fuel you consume; eating a healthy diet and consuming good food throughout the day will help to lessen these negative side effects.
Get enough sleep!
Drink at least 96oz of water per day!
Exercise! But don’t overtrain. Overtraining can cause adrenal fatigue as well since it is a form of stress on the body. Too much of a good thing can have negative effects.