The adrenal functions can be overburdened by emotional stress such as prolonged or excessive fear, anger, guilt, worry, and the inability to experience pleasure. However, there are several physical stressors that can put heavy strain on your adrenal functions as well.
Trying to do a lot of work without balancing it with enough rest can leave people completely burned out. Add the factor of poor diet and the situation will worsen even more. Other less obvious factors taxing the adrenal glands include chronic pain, chronic allergies, illnesses, excessive exercise, lack of sunlight, and exposure to toxins.
Following are the characteristic symptoms of adrenal exhaustion:
- Debilitating, relentless fatigue
- Loss of interest
- Irritability
- Low energy
- Depressed mood
- Low thyroid
- Symptoms of low blood sugar
Unfortunately, most of the above symptoms overlap with several other diseases. The distinguishing factor for diagnosing adrenal exhaustion is the extreme fatigue that renders it impossible to even perform day-to-day activities[1].
Diagnosing Adrenal Exhaustion
The tests for adrenal fatigue that are available for now are only able to detect the severe dysfunction of the adrenal system. As a result, most physicians who practice conventional medicine fail to diagnose adrenal exhaustion even in the presence of all the symptoms[2]. Focusing on the symptoms is the key here, which can lead to further testing, that can help with proper diagnosis.
DHEA and Cortisol
For maintaining proper adrenal functions, there must be a balance between DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) and cortisol. In case of adrenal fatigue, the levels of cortisol are high when compared to the DHEA. While cortisol is essential for the endurance and resistance of the body related to the fight-and flight response, too much of it can cause a number of problems such as insulin resistance.
On the other hand, DHEA balances the negative effects caused by the cortisol. It is associated with bringing vitality, positive energy, mental clarity, and proper sleeping patterns. Moreover, DHEA reduces the PMS symptoms, helping the body fight against trauma and stress[3], and maintaining the muscle and bone mass[4].
However, the DHEA production is suppressed in the presence of stress. Also, when we age, the DHEA levels drop on their own, especially in case of women. This is one factor responsible for making Adrenal fatigue especially trying during the midlife years.
Salivary Test
While the real cause of stress in your life must be confronted in order to deal with the adrenal exhaustion, proper diagnosis is also extremely important. Salivary tests such as Temporal Adrenal Profile and Adrenal Stress Index play an important role in studying the state of your adrenals[5].
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[1] Wilson, J. L. (2001). Adrenal fatigue: The 21st century stress syndrome. Petaluma: Smart Publications.
[2] Yehuda, R., Giller, E. L., Southwick, S. M., Lowy, M. T., & Mason, J. W. (1991). Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal dysfunction in posttraumatic stress disorder. Biological psychiatry, 30(10), 1031-1048.
[3] Bastianetto, S., Ramassamy, C., Poirier, J., & Quirion, R. (1999). Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) protects hippocampal cells from oxidative stress-induced damage. Molecular Brain Research, 66(1), 35-41.
[4] Arlt, W., Callies, F., van Vlijmen, J. C., Koehler, I., Reincke, M., Bidlingmaier, M., … & Allolio, B. (1999). Dehydroepiandrosterone replacement in women with adrenal insufficiency. New England Journal of Medicine, 341(14), 1013-1020.
[5] Vining, R. F., McGinley, R. A., Maksvytis, J. J., & Ho, K. Y. (1983). Salivary cortisol: a better measure of adrenal cortical function than serum cortisol. Annals of Clinical Biochemistry: An international journal of biochemistry in medicine, 20(6), 329-335.