30 Symptoms of Adrenal Fatigue

Edit: There are now over 50 symptoms of Adrenal Fatigue that you can have for free. There is also a free report for what you can do to help heal the issue. Click on the Adrenal Fatigue book to the left and get your symptoms today.

Do you feel tired all the time? Maybe you get plenty of sleep and just don’t feel rested. Or maybe you have trouble sleeping. Low energy? Difficulty thinking or focusing? These are all symptoms of adrenal fatigue. This article explores the adrenals and the causes of adrenal fatigue. Included is a simplified explanation of how diet affects the adrenals and some suggestions for what you can do to restore them, and you to health.

The 30 symptoms include, but are not limited to:
1. Excessive fatigue and exhaustion, chronic fatigue
2. Non-refreshing sleep
3. Sleep disturbance, insomnia
4. Feeling overwhelmed or unable to cope
5. Craving salty and/or sweet foods
6. Sensitivity to light
7. Low stamina and slow to recover from exercise
8. Slow to recover from injury or illness
9. Difficulty concentrating, brain fog
10. Poor digestion
11. Irritable bowel syndrome, IBS
12. Low immune function
13. Premenstrual syndrome
14. Menopause symptoms
15. Low blood pressure
16. Sensitivity to cold
17. Fearfulness
18. Allergies,
19. Frequent influenza
20. Arthritis
21. Anxiety
22. Irritability
23. Depression
24. Reduced memory
25. Low libido, sexual drive or interest
26. Lack of lust for life and/or food
27. Excess hunger
28. Low appetite
29. Panic/anxiety attacks
30. Irritability, impatience, quick to anger.
If quick to anger, the person will often tend to back down quickly if confronted.

Many of these symptoms have other causes, so just because you have one or more symptom doesn’t necessarily mean that you have adrenal fatigue. On the other hand, adrenal fatigue is so prevalent that if you have even one of these symptoms, it is likely that your are at least a bit run down.

Almost every client I have ever seen has come to me because of one or more of these symptoms. Stress is a major contributor to adrenal fatigue. We live in a busy world that offers little relief from stresses of life. Toxicity contributes to adrenal fatigue as well. But by far, adrenal fatigue is caused by a diet high in sugar and processed foods. And, the same dietary factors that contribute to adrenal fatigue are at the root of most of our major health issues today. Most major diseases start with the same factors as adrenal fatigue, and adrenal fatigue can lead to many serious conditions.

What are the adrenals?
The adrenals are two walnut sized glands that sit on top of the kidneys. They produce three different classes of hormones at the rate of about a quart (liter) a day. One class is stress hormones like adrenalin and cortisol also called hydrocortisone. Another class of adrenal hormones affect mineral metabolism especially the sodium/potassium balance. And, they produce sex hormones and their precursors. These hormones are some of the ones that make us feel good. They give us energy and a lust for life — and sex.

A simple test for adrenal fatigue
There are many tests for adrenal fatigue. Lab tests are expensive and take time for the results. However, there is a simple self-test that can be done with a flashlight and a mirror. Start in a darkened room so that your pupils dilate but have it light enough so that you can see your eyes in a mirror. Allow enough time in the dim room so that the pupils dilate fully, about ten minutes. Next, shine the flashlight into one of your eyes from the side so that the light causes the pupil to shrink down to a pin point. Do this in such a way that you can still watch the pupil as it reduces in size. If your adrenals are strong, the pupil will most likely shrink down immediately. If there is any hesitation before they react, then your adrenals are probably fatigued. I use the qualifier probably here because there are other reasons eyes may not react like this though they are not common.

Dietary causes of adrenal fatigue
As mentioned earlier, sugar and refined carbohydrates are the main cause of adrenal fatigue. Sugar includes honey, maple syrup, fructose, dried fruit, fruit juice and just about anything that is sweet. Refined carbohydrates are grains that have been ground up or have had the bran removed. This include products like bread even whole wheat bread, noodles, corn chips, white rice and pretty much anything that comes in a package. Refined foods are broken down by grinding and concentration. Refined grains have more surface area exposed to digestion, so they digest more quickly. They release their sugars quickly into the blood stream causing blood sugar to go up too high too fast.

The body responds to high blood sugar by releasing insulin. Insulin is a hormone that causes sugar to move into the liver, muscles and fat tissues. The problem is that the body evolutionarily isn’t designed to deal with the large amounts of sugar in the blood that are caused by sugar and refined foods. Evolution has designed us to eat animal protein, whole grains (not chopped up), vegetables and fruits. So, the body tends to overreact to this fast sugar by releasing too much insulin. This article is about the adrenals, but high blood sugar, high levels of insulin and constant exposure to stress hormones cause their own problems that will be covered in the future.

The release of too much insulin causes the blood sugar to go down too far. Most everyone has experienced getting sleepy after a large meal of pasta, rice or some other carbohydrate. Or, the drop in energy that follows a candy high. That’s what happens after the large release of insulin. The blood sugar goes down too far. The brain eats mostly sugar, so it gets sleepy from lack.

Now we get into the adrenal involvement. One of the stress hormones they release is cortisol. In ancient times stress meant that we had to fight or run away, the fight/flight response. The muscles that move quickly use sugar, and cortisol causes blood sugar to increase. There is also a cortisol release anytime there is low blood sugar. You know how you can be really hungry, then after awhile you aren’t so hungry anymore? That’s cortisol doing it’s job. The same thing happens when low blood sugar happens because of an over-release of insulin.

The adrenals are constantly being assailed by the above reactions. Processed foods and snacks are available all the time, and they are hard to resist. Our ancestors survived because they had a sweet tooth. They craved the sweet fruits that were available at the end of winter. Insulin caused that extra sugar to be stored as fat for the lean times of winter. The ones that didn’t desire sweet fruits didn’t survive, so we inherited that craving for sweets and other foods that turn into sugar. The problem is that we eat as though it is the end of summer all the time!

The adrenals are constantly being called on to produce more and more cortisol in response to the stress caused by sugar and processed food. Eventually they become exhausted. And, so does the indulger.

What you can do
The obvious thing to do is to stop eating sugar and refined foods. A lot of people will do great just by modifying their diet alone. There are lots of products on the market for treating the adrenals, but which ones really work? This is very individual, but I will give you some suggestions in part two.

Be well, and remember: the body wants to heal, all it needs is the opportunity.

Meet the Author

Kalidasa

Hello and welcome to my blog! There are several reasons I decided to start writing a blog on natural self-healing. The main thing I want to do is to share information on health and healing so that people can take action to heal themselves using natural techniques. I have met so many people who couldn't afford natural health care. They may have had health insurance, but they didn't trust that model. Many people want to know how to be healthy naturally. They want to know what really works and what doesn't. They want to be health conscious and often fail because of poor information, lack of knowledge, bad science and other factors. This blog is intended to help demystify the body and its various functions and to help people understand what is really needed to obtain optimum health. One of the great things about knowledge of the body is that once you know and understand how it works it becomes easy to know what the right things to do for it. And, it is much easier to do the right things when the consequences of the wrong things are fully understood. To do this I will be drawing from the knowledge of many people that I have learned from. I will talk about biochemistry relating that to what is needed to obtain optimum health. There will be information about the physical structure of the body and how to keep that aligned and functioning well. A major part of yoga has to do with health, so information about yogic techniques will be included. Mental and emotional health are important for the health of the body/mind, so articles about these topics will be included. And, there will be an occasional article about me and what I am up to. Hopefully I can relate that back to some health issue as well. The title Self Adjusting Technique comes from my technique for self-adjusting the structural part of the body, that is adjusting the body's various vertebrae and joints. For this blog it will include the idea of how to adjust health issues for yourself and those you care about. With a little knowledge there is a lot people can do to help heal themselves and stay healthy. I want to explain complex information about the body in a way that is easy to understand and useful. The comments section will help in that goal as people can ask for clarification if there is something they don't understand. And maybe we can get some helpful input from people smarter than me that will benefit us all. I hope you find information that can help you with your health issues. Kalidasa

166 comments… add one
  • Dominik Oct 18, 2007, 10:37 pm

    Hi kalidasa,

    it is a major problem in our society today, that we eat to much sugar and processed food. I think you can give important advice how to get “healthy” again.
    What a great article! I am looking forward to read more about that topic.
    Greetz

  • Kalidasa Oct 19, 2007, 1:42 am

    Thanks Dominic, I am looking forward to writing more on the problems of sugar and processed foods, and what we can do about it. My list is long on this one.

  • TheAnand Oct 19, 2007, 10:02 am

    Diabetics has become so common on our society that its accepted as a way of life! Looking forward to your articles…

  • Kalidasa Oct 19, 2007, 11:40 pm

    Yes, and diabetes is expected to increase by double over the next 25 years. Obesity is the main factor.

  • ampickert Oct 25, 2007, 6:42 am

    I do eat a very healthy diet and I have done this test and I believe I have adrnal fatigue.I have hypothyroid and a few other autoimmune disease so it does not alway end up being your diet and that cannot always fix it.

  • Kalidasa Oct 26, 2007, 5:48 am

    You are right Ampickert, it isn’t always diet. There are many factors that can affect the adrenals like stress, infection, toxicity and more. I will be writing about adrenals again sometime. There are many supplements and herbs that can help the adrenals too. Feel free to email me directly through comments if you would like to discuss this with me directly. By the way, the thyroid automatically goes down when the adrenals are low.

  • Becky Linger Nov 7, 2007, 9:15 am

    I was looking for part 2 on Adrenal Fatigue. At bottom of other info on Adrenal Fatigue it said there’d be a part 2. Thank You!

  • Kalidasa Nov 8, 2007, 1:21 am

    Not to be making excuses, but you wouldn’t believe how busy I have been. But, your request doesn’t go unheard! I will get on it soon. And, thanks for the push!

  • Sandra Kranich Feb 6, 2008, 6:35 pm

    I thought your blog very helpful. I have adrenal fatigue, but really wondered if my stress (which is quite minimal to most people) was the problem. I also keep my sugar and fruits low. It was the GROUND WHEAT in my bread — and eating too much bread — that’s the root of my problem. About 4 p.m. a lot of afternoons I would be absolutely starved and knew dinner would be late because my husband has so many evening activities and doesn’t want to eat until he gets home after the activity. I would generally eat 3 pieces of bread — plus two for lunch and perhaps some oatmeal for breakfast. I think I overdid it. A Natural Healing Doctor told me I needed to eat every 2-3 hours with a protein (nuts/meat/chicken/fish) and veggie or salad and herb tea — keeping bread and fruit extremely low and eliminate sugar. Lots of exercise outside in fresh air and sunshine. I feel so much better. It will probably not only give my adrenals a rest — but perhaps heal them over a period of time I hope.

  • Kalidasa Feb 6, 2008, 9:02 pm

    Yes Sandra, bread is one of the main culprits in poor health these days. I am glad you were able to find out the problem and how to take care of yourself, congratulations.

  • Wanda Sullman Jan 28, 2009, 3:18 pm

    Hi, I believe I haveAdrenal Fatigue, I have been gaining about four pounds every two weeks. Iam getting worried, I dont want to be over weight, I weigh one hundred and fourty-eight pounds and I am five foot two. I lost my husband of twenty-three years in 1996. and I am suffering from stress and depression, always tierd, and never feel rested. cant consontrate, feel like im in a trance all the time. slow to answer questions, people think there’s something wrong with me. so do I. Thank you for listerning to me. God Bless
    Wanda Sullman

    P.S. is there some kind of herbal cure?

  • Kalidasa Jan 31, 2009, 5:22 pm

    Hi Wanda,

    Adrenal fatigue can contribute to weight loss, however the stress is probably a bigger contributer. Estrogens are responsible for fat deposition, and the liver clears excess estrogens as well as stress hormones. A lot of different symptoms can happen if the liver is overwhelmed and under nourished. Read this article http://selfadjustingtechnique.com/detoxification/how-the-liver-handles-toxins-and-what-you-can-do-to-help-it/ for more information about how this happens. Also, I’m sending you an email if you would like to consult more with me about this.

  • Jacqueline Feb 2, 2009, 4:41 pm

    Thanks for the pupil tip. Since I have almost all of these symptoms I am pretty sure I have AF, but I plan to do this ASAP, I’ve been reading this article about eating adrenal health and putting it into practice a bit. It seems to help: Eating for your adrenal health

  • castlelady Feb 4, 2009, 8:00 am

    This article is a great article. I have read about 12 different articles on Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome and this article puts all the important info together in one plain and simple article. It gets right to the facts and symptoms. The very info you need to read when questioning wheather or not you may have this symdrome. It was very informative and I enjoyed it so much. Thanks

  • jen Mar 7, 2009, 6:42 am

    HI. HOW CAN A PERSON STOP EATING SWEETS WHEN THE CRAVINGS ARE OVERWHELMING? I AM 30, I HAVE 2 YOUNG CHILDREN, I HAVE OPENED 2 RESTAURANTS IN THE LAST 4 YEARS, MY HUSBAND AND I HAVE MOVED 4 TIMES IN THE LAST 3 YEARS DUE TO OUR BUSINESS VENTURES AND HAVE HAD A LOT OF FAMILY ISSUES WITH OUR PARENTS. I WORK OUT VIGOROUSLY 5-6 DAYS A WEEK FOR 45-60 MINS YET I AM GAINING 1-2 POUNDS A WEEK . I CANNOT SEEM TO GET MY CRAVINGS UNDER CONTROL FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE. I’M 5 FT 2 AND NOW 157 POUNDS. I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN ABLE TO MAINTAIN ATLEAST 145 LBS WITH A REALLY SOLID BODY FROM WORKING OUT. I FEEL I’M OUT OF CONTROL.

  • Kalidasa Mar 7, 2009, 3:54 pm

    One of the hardest things to do is to stop eating sugar. It takes a lot of will power. However, there are a couple of things that you can do that will help. One is to eat more protein. That means animal protein like chicken, fish and eggs. Protein powers can help too as long as it’s whey or egg white protein. Inostol helps some people too. They are sweet, and they help with the cravings, so suck on the tablet. If the one you get isn’t sweet tasting try the ones from Standard Process. B vitamins in general tend to help

    Gymnea is an herb that can help, it also helps regulate sugar metabolism. MediHerb is the best brand for this, Kroeger too.

    Sugar substitutes that aren’t bad for you like xylitol and stevia and agavi nectar can help by substitution. These have a down side though, they don’t help cut your calorie intake, see http://selfadjustingtechnique.com/sugar/artificial-sweeteners-dont-reduce-calories/

    The first five days or so are the worst, but after a month to six weeks all the cravings tend to disappear.

    Good luck! Let me know how it goes.

    Kalidasa

  • jen Mar 9, 2009, 5:31 am

    KALIDASA,
    THANKS. I WILL GIVE IT A TRY AND LET YOU KNOW.
    JEN

  • kevin summerside Mar 22, 2009, 1:30 pm

    HI KALIDASE. NEARLY EVERYTHING YOU MENTION ON THIS SUBJECT APPLIES TO ME’ READ IT ON MARCH 22 2008. NEVER KNEW HOW BAD I WAS UNTILL IVE READ THIS, WATCHING MY SUGAR INTAKE NOW’ BUT WHAT ABOUT CULGOUSE. THANKS KEV. THE UK.

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