Adrenal Fatigue - Signs and Symptoms

A person may be experiencing adrenal fatigue if they regularly notice one or more of the following:

• Feeling tired for no reason
• Having trouble getting up in the morning, even after going to bed at a reasonable hour
• Feeling rundown or overwhelmed and unable to cope with stress
• Having difficulty bouncing back from stress or illness
• Craving salty and sweet snacks
• Feeling more awake, alert and energetic after 6PM than the rest of the day¹
• Low stamina, slow to recover from exercise, slow to recover from injury
• Difficulty concentrating
• Poor digestion
• Tendency to gain weight with difficulty losing it
• Low immune function
• Food or environmental allergies
• Premenstrual syndrome or difficulties that develop during menopause

• Consistent low blood pressure and/or light-headedness

• Extreme sensitivity to cold

• Lowered libido³
  

• Waking up in the middle of the night for no reason and the inability to go back to sleep.

Some other sign and symptoms include:

• Increased effort to perform daily tasks
• Dry and thin skin
• Hypoglycaemia
• Low body temperature
• Nervousness
• Palpitation
• Unexplained hair loss
• Alternating constipation and diarrhoea
• Dyspepsia²
• Loss of body hair

None of the signs and symptoms alone indicates adrenal fatigue, but when taken as part of a detailed assessment can point to it.

  As adrenal fatigue worsens, a person may experience frequent respiratory infections, allergies, rhinitis, asthma, and frequent sinus problems and colds. Adrenal fatigue is often mis-diagnosed as fibromyalgia, chronic and fatigue syndrome. The development of adrenal fatigue often leads to adult onset diabetes, auto-immune disorders and drug-dependence.⁵


References

 1.       What is Adrenal Fatigue (n.d.). Retrieved on 14th December, 2012 from http://www.adrenalfatigue.org/what-is-adrenal-fatigue
2.       Comprehensive Adrenal Fatigue article. Lam, M. (n.d.) Retrieved on 14th December, 2012 from http://www.drlam.com/articles/adrenal_fatigue.asp
3.       Adrenal Fatigue/Adrenal Exhaustion. Shomon, M (Dec 2003). Retrieved on 14th December, 2012 from http://thyroid.about.com/cs/endocrinology/a/adrenalfatigue.htm
4.       Cortisol and DHEA: The Major Hormone Balance. McEvoy, M. (Jun 2011). Retrieved on 14th December, 2012 from http://metabolichealing.com/key-integrated-functions-of-your-body/hormone-and-endocrine/cortisol-and-dhea-the-major-hormone-balance/
5.       Adrenal Fatigue. Klein, D. (n.d.) Retrieved on 14th December, 2012 from http://www.suffernomore.com/Pain/AdrenalFatigue.htm