Adrenal fatigue is a condition in which the adrenal glands produce vital hormones necessary for optimal health. As one of the most important hormones, cortisol is often the main culprit and causes most of the symptoms of adrenal fatigue. In particular, the symptom for which the syndrome is named: fatigue.
o Gains weight and cannot lose it (especially around the midsection)
o Prolonged tiredness: you never feel fully rested. You often wake up feeling like you haven’t slept at all.
o Loss of stamina: You tire easily after an emotionally or physically demanding challenge.
o You feel tired between 9 and 10 pm but you often avoid going to bed and stay up until 1-3 am.
o When you get up too fast, you feel lightheaded or dizzy
or have low blood pressure
or have low blood sugar
o Decreased desire for sex
o You have trouble sleeping (you often feel tired and connected)
o Has trouble getting over a cough or cold (can last for weeks)
o You often get the flu, bronchitis, or other respiratory illnesses.
o Difficulty overcoming the infection.
or anxiety
o Depression
o Craving for sugar
or craving for salt
o Dependence on caffeine or other stimulants to get going in the morning
o Frequent constipation
or brain fog
o Spaciousness
o Poor short-term memory
o Difficulty concentrating
o Increased PMS for women
Adrenal fatigue is not a disease in the traditional sense; it is a syndrome. What this means is that these are clinically recognizable features, signs, or symptoms associated with this condition.
If you feel like you may have adrenal fatigue, contact your doctor and ask for a test. There are a wide variety of tests that can be performed to determine if you have adrenal fatigue, ranging from online self-assessment tests to the ACTH challenge test, which must be performed by a doctor.