Adrenal fatigue: what it is and 17 all-natural ways to fix it fast

One – Beginning of Alarm

This is a normal state of heightened reactivity. In response to a stressor, from something simple like taking an exam to something serious like an automobile accident, your adrenal glands will release cortisol and other hormones so you can deal with the immediate situation. Most Stage One activity subsides once the hazard has passed and normal cortisol levels return.

Two – Alarm Continues

The stressor doesn’t quickly go away and your body must remain in an elevated state to meet the challenge. Stress-related hormones may increase while sex and sleep hormones drop. You might feel wired but tired. If this stage goes on long enough, adrenal fatigue can set in.

Three – Resistance

The endocrine system—including the adrenals—continues to produce excess stress hormones and fewer sex and sleep hormones. You can still function normally but you feel symptoms of exhaustion. Lethargy and an impaired immune response lend themselves to catching every bug that’s going around. As a matter of fact, you may find yourself unable to get rid of a simple yeast infection. This phase can last months or even years.

Four – Burn-out

None of us is superhuman. If we don’t take good care of ourselves, eventually even day-to-day living can become a chore and your systems begin to shut down. Stress hormone levels finally drop in stage four and low cortisol levels aren’t enough to get you going. Anxiety, depression, weight loss or gain, irritability, and apathy can result. If you get to this stage, it will take conscious effort (and patience) to support your adrenals and restore balance. It’s at this point that adrenal fatigue moves into adrenal insufficiency. Click NEXT for home remedies to treat adrenal fatigue..

Adrenal Insufficiency

After the crash, when the adrenal glands aren’t producing proper levels of hormones, the condition is referred to as “insufficiency”. Fatigue isn’t the only cause of adrenal insufficiency; it can occur due to other lifestyle factors (e.g., diet or toxin exposure), disease, or autoimmune reactions.

The primary causes of adrenal insufficiency are:

Chronic emotional stress

• Addison’s disease
• Poor diet – the vitamin B complex is essential for proper adrenal function, acting as catalysts for enzymatic processes throughout the body (4)
• Disease – diabetes, asthma, inflammatory-related conditions, autoimmune disorders, and any chronic illness (and their treatments!) can put undue stress on adrenal glands
• Lack of sleep
• Toxicity caused by environmental pollutants
• Emotional or physical trauma
• Adrenal gland disorders – genetics, chronic infections, larger endocrine system imbalance, tumors, and some pharmaceuticals affect how our adrenals function

If you feel your adrenal gland function is impaired, look through these simple ways to support them.

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