Adrenal Dysfunction
Are you stressed out? You have probably heard of Chronic Fatigue and Adrenal Fatigue but they aren’t actually accurate terms for the chronic turning on of our body’s Stress Response System. However, they both describe the same set of symptoms that is controlled by the Hypothalamus-Pituitary Gland-Adrenal Gland Axis in the body (part of the endocrine system).
You may have a chronic activation of the body’s stress response system if you experience:
Trouble falling asleep; waking in the night
Cravings for Caffeine, sugar, salt, carbs, or fat
Fatigue around 3-4pm most afternoons, cravings at this time, too
Slow metabolism; weight gain
Anxiety; Depression
Chronic colds, respiratory or sinus infections
Irregular or poor digestion
Hormonal imbalances
Autoimmune disease
Decreased memory or concentration (i.e. brain fog)
Blood sugar problems - low or high; metabolic syndrome → DM2
Women tell me they work out and then they crash and have to rest for days after one workout.
A better way to describe it is Adrenal Dysfunction. The physiologically correct term is HPA Axis Dysregulation. This is what I am going to call it from now on. So what is really happening?
There is a central (in the brain - hypothalamus and pituitary gland) regulation through a feedback system of the body’s hormones that causes the stress response system (HPA Axis) to stop sending the signals for the adrenal glands to keep pumping out stress hormones (i.e. cortisol).
Basically, the brain senses that you are low on fuel and have been stressed out for too long and says ‘Hold on! You need to rest!’ So you feel like you can’t keep pushing and eventually you can feel ‘crashed’ or burnt out. But do not despair, there are ways to get you back to your old self!
Take the Stress Level Quiz below and if you score in the Tired & Wired or Crashed levels, please contact us for an Integrative Medicine Consult.
