Your hormones are sensitive little buggers. They are like the many players that make up a band, symphony, or orchestra. When one person is playing off-key or out of tune, it messes with the whole sound or harmony. This is similar to how your hormones are. If one or more of them are slightly off or out of sync it creates disharmony among the entire endocrine system.
Although your body may be sensitive to slight hormonal changes, the physical symptoms are sometimes not so obvious. At least at first. Sure there can be clear signs of a hormonal flux such as during pregnancy. Or when menstrual symptoms become more intense than usual. Or if your libido suddenly tanks. Yet what about when other symptoms start cropping up? What do they mean about how your inner orchestra is playing?
As simple as it sounds, sometimes plain old fatigue can be one of the first signs of a hormone imbalance. That is if you find yourself feeling run down more and more of the time. Or maybe feeling drained just seems to be your norm. Hint, hint, I promise you it doesn’t have to be that way. Other symptoms may include difficulty sleeping through the night and feeling wired but tired. Or getting a bunch of sleep but still feeling tired.
Cue adrenal fatigue. Unfortunately, adrenal fatigue is not typically recognized by conventional medicine. It can easily slip by most doctors’ radars because it is not seen as a condition or disease. The medical field does acknowledge specific conditions involving adrenal dysfunction. This includes Addison disease, where the adrenals conk out and cease making hormones. As well as Cushing syndrome in which the adrenals pump out high levels of cortisol for an extended period of time.
Yet what happens to all of the people in between? Certainly, no one just wakes up one day with one of these conditions. Usually, there are clear signs and a series of symptoms that gradually lead to dysregulated adrenals. As well as other health issues and lifestyle behaviors that can lead to adrenal dysfunction beyond just these conditions.
Symptoms of Adrenal Insufficiency
So what are the hallmark signs of adrenal insufficiency? Some of the signs that your adrenals may need some TLC can be associated with a number of conditions. Many of the symptoms of adrenal fatigue are also indicative of other endocrine disorders. These include feeling depressed, low libido, dysregulated sleep, weight loss or gain, and anemia. Hormonal deficiencies as well as hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism often present similar symptoms to adrenal fatigue. Likewise, perimenopause and menopausal symptoms can also mimic signs of adrenal fatigue.
In this light, here are some more specific signs that may indicate hormonal imbalances associated with adrenal fatigue. These include dizziness when standing, brain fog, and scattered attention. Starting tasks that you never seem to finish can also be a symptom. Getting sick more often due to weakened immunity as well as increased inflammation can also be indicators.
When the adrenals cease to function properly, they lose their ability to respond to and manage inflammation. Digestive issues and constipation can be a sign. Yet probably the most classic sign of adrenal fatigue is low tolerance for stress. If regular stressors or triggers seem more intense than usual, this can be a symptom.
So what causes adrenal fatigue?
In today’s fast-paced world, it doesn’t take much for our brains and bodies to become overwhelmed. As our racing thoughts once ensured our survival by prompting us to outrun lions, tigers, and bears, today we face new problems. AKA stress management. Instead of running for our lives, we often face a myriad of daily tasks, distractions, and an overload of information. We used to dissolve these stressors by running from danger. Now we have trouble unwinding at night. Hence many of our stress chemicals continue stirring in our bodies long after we need them.
These are known as our stress hormones which include cortisol and adrenalin (epinephrine, and norepinephrine). This is where our friends the adrenal glands come in handy. The adrenal glands, being a major player in the endocrine system, are responsible for secreting these stress hormones. That is why the adrenals are known as the stress response masters. As you may know, they regulate our fight-or-flight response. It is their job to protect us from fatigue, disease, inflammation, and stress.
Adrenal Hormones
As adrenalin helps us metabolize glucose for energy and to run from tigers, it also helps pump blood to our muscles and brain. Cortisol helps decrease inflammation in the body. It prevents widespread tissue and nerve damage associated with inflammation. Cortisol is what gives you alertness and energy to take on the day. It is best for the body to produce some cortisol in the morning and have it tapering off into the evening and night. This helps us stay focused on work throughout the day and allows us to wind down at night. That is if our adrenals are functioning well and we are able to respond to and mitigate stress in proactive ways.
The adrenal glands also secrete other important hormones. These include aldosterone, DHEA-s, and other steroid hormones. Aldosterone regulates our blood pressure as well as balances the ph of our blood. DHEA-S is a precursor hormone that is essential for the production of testosterone and estrogen. It is estimated that the adrenals produce nearly 75-90% of the body’s total DHEA. This helps the body regulate sexual characteristics and functioning.
When you face chronic stress for long periods of time this can cause the adrenals to overproduce cortisol. This means they are working on overdrive to pump out loads of this hormone. Eventually, they burn out and fail to produce cortisol optimally. When this happens they also neglect to produce other key hormones such as DHEA-s and progesterone. This directly leads to a decrease in other key hormones like testosterone and estrogen. In turn, this negatively affects libido, sexual responsiveness, and reproductive success. Likewise, dysfunctional adrenals can impact thyroid health as well.
So how do you rule out adrenal fatigue?
To begin, ask your doctor for a full bloodwork panel. Looking at your cortisol levels throughout the day can give you insight into how your adrenal gland is functioning. Low levels of ACTH and DHEAs can be indicative of an insufficiency. Also get a full thyroid panel that includes your TSH, free T3, and T4. In addition to this, ask for your total testosterone, free T, estradiol, progesterone, and SBHG levels to be measured. This can give you a bigger picture of what is going on within your endocrine system. It can shed light on your symptoms and give you clues as to what the root cause may be.
At-Home Tests
There are some at-home tests you can try out to check for adrenal insufficiency. The first is to measure your blood pressure while laying down. Note the top number (systolic). Then stand up and check your blood pressure again. The systolic number should go up roughly 6-10 points. If your systolic number goes up higher than 10 points or if it falls lower than your first score this can be indicative of adrenal insufficiency.
Another way to test this is to hold your breath for 40 or more seconds. If it is too difficult for you to hold it for that long, this can also be a symptom. Lastly, observe your pulse while exercising. When you are done exercising continue to monitor your pulse. If your pulse stays high for a period of time after you are done exercising, this can be a sign of adrenal insufficiency. It signals poor recovery and your adrenals may be struggling to recover from the stress of exercising.