Adrenal Fatigue Symptoms - By: altruist

Adrenal Fatigue occurs when your adrenal glands - 2 small glands that sit on top of your kidneys - become overworked and depleted. Your adrenal glands are responsible for handling the stresses of your daily life, whether that be physical stress, emotional stress, or psychological stress.

The function of the adrenal glands is a complicated science. There are a number of important substances secreted by these pyramid-shaped glands which include aldosterone from the adrenal cortex (which affects body hydration), adrenaline from the adrenal medulla (responsible for energy and alertness). However, most diagnosis of adrenal fatigue centres around the more measurable steroid hormones cortisol and DHEA, produced in the adrenal cortex. These hormones should rise in the morning to wake a person and then progressively fall from mid-afternoon to allow unwinding and sleep.

Adrenal fatigue can be debilitating and can lead to serious health problems. People suffering adrenal fatigue usually find that they have trouble being active. Weight training becomes difficult, they tire more easily and find that recovery from the exertion takes a lot longer than usual. Besides just not "feeling well," some suffers of adrenal fatigue also experience mild joint and muscle pains, reduced sex drive, bursts of energy in the evening (but tired the rest of the time), an unexplained craving for salt, as well as other symptoms.

Some of the symptoms of this condition may include:

* Body aches
* Extreme exhaustion despite sufficient hours of sleep
* Nervousness
* An inability to think clearly
* Sleep disturbances
* Digestive problems
* Low immune function
* Lack of stamina
* Sensitivity to hot or cold
* Constantly feeling overwhelmed
* Feelings of depression

Adrenal fatigue is generally only diagnosed when these symptoms cannot be medically explained in any other way, thus it is not a medically accepted diagnosis.

If adrenal fatigue symptoms are weighing you down and keeping you from living the life you want to live, there are a number of herbs and vitamins that can help you overcome fatigue. Some of the vitamins and herbs that may have a positive effect on fatigue are vitamin C, B100 Complex, Magnesium Citrate, Ashwagandha, and Cordyceps to name a few. But vitamins and herbs, if taken in the wrong volumes can also cause their own set of problems. Vitamin B6 has been reported to cause pathological changes in peripheral nerves when abused.

Few people are diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), but a large percent of the population suffers from undiagnosable chronic and extreme fatigue. Because medical work-ups cannot find any specific dysfunction, this does not make the fatigue any less weakening to the individual.

Current investigations have shown that the HPA axis is involved and that the primary defect is a reduced output of cortisol from the adrenal gland. Studies have shown that adrenal gland size is reduced by about half in those diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome showing a functional reason for less cortisol output.

Avoid stimulants when taking any of these treatment measures. Stimulants will put more stress on the glands, making the situation worse rather than better. Stimulants include caffeine, ephedra, guarana, and even prescription stimulants.

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