Could You Have Adrenal Fatigue? Signs and Symptoms You Should Know
This post may contain affiliate links from which I will earn a commission. Learn more in our disclosure.
If you are:
– tired
– stressed
– wanting a whole healthy life
this post is for you.
And for those you love.
What's all the Hubbub about Adrenals and Adrenal Fatigue
Adrenal fatigue is epidemic. And the adrenals are affected by so much and affect so much, you really can't afford not to pay attention to these glands and how they are functioning.
Adrenal fatigue is a stress condition where the adrenal glands become fatigued, tired, exhausted, and in the later stages of progression, the adrenals can even become dysfunctional.
Adrenal fatigue is a rising phenomena and yet it’s not something that medical doctors frequently detect or test for.
Trust me, I know I’ve had it myself and had to research far and wide for information. In the end this was great because I managed to overcome it, and I also wrote a book about it and have gone on to help other people overcome it too.
Adrenal fatigue is a condition that has far reaching effects when it comes to our health.
It’s not just feeling tired. but all the other things that start to become compromised as a result of high cortisol (our stress hormone).
Another thing to be aware of is that if you have thyroid issues, your adrenals have usually become compromised first. So in order to effectively address thyroid problems you have to heal the adrenals as well.
And if you’re a woman entering peri-menopause or going through menopause right now, the health of your adrenals has everything to do with the severity of your symptoms because the adrenals take over hormone production from the ovaries.
If the adrenals are shot, your adrenal fatigue symptoms will be worse.
So let’s get to know a thing or two about the adrenals to get an understanding about just how important it is to get a hold of our stress and our health.
What Are the Adrenals?
The adrenals are two small glands that sit slightly above and adjacent to the kidneys. They are part of the endocrine system and produce around 50 different hormones.
Yes, these two little glands are very busy!
The hormones in our body are chemical messengers that are secreted by the various glands of the endocrine system. We do also produce hormones from places other than our endocrine glands but these are the main hormone producers.
Hormones are activated by altered conditions in the body. Hormones have many roles but essentially they are there to maintain balance in the body so that your body keeps functioning the way it should.
Amongst other hormones the adrenals produce cortisol, progesterone, testosterone, adrenaline, norepinephrine, aldosterone, pestrogen, dopamine, DHEA, and sex hormone precursors. The adrenals are our central energy centers and are involved in many important bodily functions including blood sugar regulation, brain alertness, stress adaptation, sex hormones and sex drive, and helping to moderate the body’s mineral balance.
Cortisol is the predominant hormone that is activated under stress and what often happens at first is it becomes hyperactive and it can also become erratic. In the later stages, people can find themselves with low cortisol and completely dysfunctional hormones.
So it’s best if we catch things early by understanding the symptoms of adrenal fatigue–that way you can start doing something about it.
Adrenal Fatigue Symptoms
Some adrenal fatigue symptoms are:
- tiredness in the morning and the need for caffeine and stimulants to get you going
- slump in the afternoon between 2-4pm and the need for stimulants to keep you going
- a second wind around 6pm and more energy at night
- being tired and exhausted all the time
- feeling tired yet wired
- feeling like you have to push through all the time
- difficulty getting to sleep, waking frequently, or poor sleep
- dizzy spells when you stand from a sitting position
- poor memory or inability to concentrate
- strong cravings for sugar, refined carbohydrates, and stimulants
- craving salty foods
- feeling wrecked by the end of the day
- anxiety
- feeling generally rundown or overwhelmed
Additional Adrenal Fatigue Symptoms
- Fatigue
- Allergies
- Insomnia
- Blood sugar lows
- Panic attacks
- Memory problems
- Aches and pains
- Depression
- PMT, menopause and fertility problems
- Digestive issues
- Headaches
- Sensitivity to cold
- Addictions to sweet or salty foods
As you can see adrenal fatigue can have varying effects on the body, mind and soul!
It sounds daunting, but there’s A LOT we can do to minimize the stressors in our life and I’ll be sharing a post about that very soon.
Additionally, you can read here for Adrenal Fatigue Diet helps.
In the meantime, I hope you’ve found this information helpful and that you share it with others to help them on their health journey as well.
Please note – neither Jedha nor Adrienne are doctors. Please consult with your physician before making any changes to your diet or exercise or supplement regimen.
Have you or do you suffer with adrenal fatigue?
Please feel free to leave your comments below.
About the Author
Jedha Dening is the Nutritionist and Health Coach behind Good Food Eating. She’s also a Mom, passionate writer, and lover of good food that’s also good for your waistline. With over 10 years of experience in health and wellness, Jedha is passionate about taking care of people’s nutrition and health so they can feel fantastic everyday. When she’s not cooking, researching or writing about nutrition, she can usually be found in the great outdoors gardening, bushwalking, or kayaking.
I was recently diagnosed with adrenal hyperplasia which is a birth defect. I pretty much check with Mayo clinic or the Cleveland clinic’s websites for
health issues. This is what the Mayo clinic’s website says about “adrenal fatigue” – https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/addisons-disease/expert-answers/adrenal-fatigue/faq-20057906
If you are experiencing the above symptoms, you should visit an endocrinologist. I was diagnosed after a follow-up CT scan after having Covid and ended up in the hospital with blood clots in my lungs. Hope you feel better soon.
Yes, there are differing thoughts on adrenal fatigue. Overall I’m doing quite well and yes anyone with those symptoms should get checked. Take care!
Glad you are doing better! Hope you have a Merry Christmas!
Thank you! You can read a bit more about it here – more info to come. Let’s stay in touch. wholenewmom.com/about-me/
Merry Christmas to you as well!
Hi there – Did you happen to delete your comments on YouTube? I saw another notification, but hopped over, and they’re gone!
Yes. I thought the conversation was done, although sometimes YouTube algorithm has deleted my so-called “spammy” comments before. smile! I’m sorry, is there something else you wanted to say? I have your cookie recipe in my “Freedom Diet” playlist.
Weird!! I can see the comments in notifications but they aren’t under the video any longer. I guess you could try posting one of them again and see if it works……. Your comments were for sure not spammy!
hi guys , let he state by saying I don’t have a thyroid and have been on meds for about 15 yrs. a lot time I get tired around 2 on some days other day no change , every morning I get up and work out , few hundred sit ups and do a different body part every day ,some days I have to push to get started. then there are days I don’t get started at all , I take my levothyroxin between 11:30 PM and 3 AM this way no conflicts with food blood test always came back 2.5-3.9 but last time came back 5.1 don’t no why I’ve been doing the same thing for years , doc said we will keep a check on it next docs. visit Oct. I don’t think I will wait that long maybe in 4 wks don’t like feeling this way
Try finding a functional medicine practitioner perhaps.
thanks
I’m a guy and I seem to feel like this to always tired and cold.I’m just wondering does this diet work for guys to?
My understanding is adrenal issues are applicable to both sexes but hormonal issues would be different a relates to the sex hormones. But this isn’t medical advice.
I have been going to the doctor for three months trying to figure out what’s wrong with me. He finally looked at me as if I was just trying to get attention and in an exasperated voice said, “What do you really think is wrong with you?”. I said, “I don’t know! That’s why I’m here, to find out from you.”
I read your blog and see clearly that this is what has been wrong with me for a few years now. It has just recently gotten worse, which is why I’ve been going to the doctor for help.
Thank you so much for explaining adrenal fatigue in words that this Mom can understand and hopefully fix without a doctor’s care. I’m still shocked that I mentioned my adrenal gland possibly not functioning well to two different doctors, and both of them acted like it was irrelevant information. I feel better now just realizing that I do know what is wrong with me, and I can do something to hopefully improve my condition. God bless you.
Bless you as well and I hope you find some answers!
So I’m 29. I have two children, my youngest three. I had two c sections, & after my last I had a tubal. I feel like I’m constantly tired I have to talk myself into getting up out of bed or off the couch because I’m so tired all of the time. (IM 29! ) I feel like I should not feel this way, I use to sleep well, I don’t sleep through the night I constantly toss and turn. I have zero sex drive I’ve tried antidepressants and feel they just make it worse. I have mood swings, when I’m laying or sitting down and I get up I get extremely dizzy and a sharp pain in my head. I also get fainty with low blood sugar issues (not diabetic) I had blood work done and they said everything looked fine. I still feel like something is going on. Any suggestions?
This sounds like classic endocrine and thyroid and adrenal issues. Are you able to hire someone to work with you? My doctor said everything looked great. But it wasn’t.
I can’t medically advise, of course, but I personally eliminated problematic foods (sugars, high refined carbs, inflammatory foods like dairy, egg, gluten, soy, and corn, and then I did a bunch of tests to see what I needed to improve. There are things you can do without a professional’s help like improving gut health and taking a natural detox supplement and maybe cleanses and adaptogens. This post might help: https://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/what-are-adaptogens/
Let me know what you think and I hope you can get better. There are some more thyroid and adrenal posts on my site as well.
Hello! I had to have an adrenalectomy on the left side & now I have another tumor on the right. Any suggestions? I have diabetes, squamous cell carcinoma, temporal arteritis. & total exhaustion … Thanks!!!
Hello Bryce, I am sorry that you have all of these things. I cannot medically advise. Have you worked w/ a medical practitioner and/or natural holistic practitioner? The whole body is connected so any progress in one area should help others.
As a therapist and a person who believes she is suffering from this as well as clearly diagnosed underactive thyroid this is useful, although there are a lot of sites and posts about this now. The thing is what to do about it. Not just moan about how awful it is and put up with it! I am going to try ashwagandha and see how that goes, having read that it has helped a lot of people with thyroid and’/or adrenal problems. Feel free to write to me at rychhmo at aol dot com if you wish to get intouch.
It does help some – not me. And it’s a nightshade so be careful. Have you been tested for hashimoto’s?
Hi my son is 13 and he is been loosing his hair since he was 10. I took him to doctor they did all the blood work done and every thing came out negative. He had his appendicitis on August of 2012 and from october 2012 he started loosing hair i took him to 2 different dermatologist and both of them are saying he is fine but he is not he is loosing tons of hair and i can see his scalp..i am so worried about it. Do you think does it has to do anything with Adrenal issue? Thank you
Have you had him tested for Celiac disease (can’t eat gluten).
Everyone with adrenal fatigue should also rule out if they are the one in six that have trouble processing B9, if so they should get checked for the MTHFR gene…. Go to MTHFR.net for more info. Also rule out a thyroid issue; for more info, go to Wilsons temperature sydrome websites; basically you can have normal Thyroid labs but still be hypothyroid. From the school nurse!
Thank you!