Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome; What Causes it? What are the signs and symptoms?

It is February and the Winter Blues seem to be at a peak. Caffeine doesn’t even seem to be working anymore; no matter how many cups of coffee you may consume throughout the day, the dark and heavy funk of low energy is ever present. Does this sound familiar? This constant feeling of exhaustion could be Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome.

Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome can happen when the adrenal glands have become overworked, are out of balance and are not functioning properly.

The adrenal glands secrete many hormones, including one of the most commonly known stress hormones known as cortisol; which is used in the regulation of blood pressure, the way the body responds to stress, the body’s inflammatory response, and the body’s metabolism of glucose.

Potential stressors could be dietary and environmental such as toxicity in the environment. It could also include emotional stressors such as anxiety, trauma, grief, and auto-immune conditions.

Symptoms can include; fatigue and energy crashes, mood dysregulation, compromised stress response, brain fog, dependency on caffeine and simulants, low functioning immune system, sleep irregularities, weight gain, depression, poor circulation, and decreased libido.

Adrenal fatigue is not the same as Addison’s Disease however, it can be considered to be closely related with many of the same symptoms. Addison’s Disease also has insufficient cortisol production affecting the adrenal glands however, it is due to a specific pathology. So it is important to get tested for Addison’s Disease. Adrenal fatigue is considered to be caused by overuse of an otherwise healthy adrenal system.