Many people are walking around, driving, going to work and living their lives in a permanent state of fatigue. There is no reason to be tired all the time. It’s not a normal state of being in healthy people.
Fatigue can be very frustrating and even disabling due to feeling as if you cannot get things done or enjoy your downtime, family or friends. In this book, we’re going to look at different ways to combat and overcome fatigue so that you can get your life back.
If you use all these ideas there is no doubt that you’re going to be on your way to not just getting over fatigue, but also becoming an energetic, happy, recharged individual who can accomplish more than you ever thought you could!
Do You Feel Constantly Tired & Stressed?
You may be one of the millions of people who suffer from Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome.
This widespread condition results from chronic stress, and it leads to symptoms like fatigue, food cravings, a weakened immune system, and much more.
Does that sound like you? What if you had a step-by-step plan showing you how to recover your energy and end your fatigue for good?
The term “Adrenal Fatigue” was formulated in 1998 by naturopathic doctor, James Wilson, PhD. This syndrome was explained as a collection of related symptoms caused by insufficient adrenal gland function.
In other words, when the adrenal glands operate inadequately, complications arise and Adrenal Fatigue syndrome can develop. Usually the onset of adrenal fatigue is attributed to prolonged stress and chronic infections due to hormonal changes, immune response, and metabolic changes.
Those suffering may not present any physical signs of illness but will still feel generally fatigued, have trouble cognitively, and experience strong food cravings. Sleep does not solve this exhaustion, so it is common to see an increase in the intake of coffee, sugar, and other stimulants to sustain energy throughout the day. Unfortunately, this is counterproductive for adrenal fatigue.
Because of the multitude of responsibilities these little glands have, adrenal fatigue can manifest very differently depending on the individual.
Some signs of adrenal insufficiency and fatigue include:
- Persistent and nonspecific fatigue
- Struggle waking up in the morning
- Imbalanced energy levels throughout the day
- Difficulty handling stress
- Food cravings (particularly for salt)
- Weakened immunity
- Unexplained body aches and joint pain
- Depression and anxiety
- Dark circles under eyes
- Impaired recovery after physical activity
- Low blood pressure
- Poor circulation and numbness
- Lightheadedness or dizziness
- Weight gain and fluid retention
- Decreased libido
Do you suffer from any of these symptoms?
Contrary to popular belief, stress hormones (such as cortisol and adrenaline) are a good thing. When released appropriately, they provide mental clarity, physical strength, and overall brain and muscle efficiency that can be seen even as “super human.”
Have you ever heard of the term “adrenaline rush?”
This term refers to your body appropriately responding to stress by activating it’s fight-or-flight mechanism. It can be used to propel you out of danger, help someone in a pressing situation, or conquer a fearful situation.
However, when our body unloads adrenaline when we are not in a tasking situation, such as just sitting at a desk working on your computer, then our body is not using it’s stress hormones correctly.
On the other hand, chronic stress suppresses adrenal function as the adrenal glands become unable to continue producing the cortisol needed to recover from stress.
Stress can be caused by a number of things, such as:
- Unresolved biomedical dysfunctions (infections, hormonal imbalances, etc.)
- Nutrient-poor diet
- Lack of sleep
- Stimulants (such as caffeine)
- Work-life imbalance
- Over training physically
- Emotional trauma
The body’s response to stress includes a surge of cortisol, a boost of energy, an increase in blood sugar, lagged immune function, and the breakdown of stored protein and carbohydrates. As you can tell, this is not ideal when not in an immediate damage as it leaves us sustainable to complications like insulin resistance, decreased immunity, muscle wasting, and thyroid complications.
The rise and inevitable drop of stress hormones impacts the thyroid by slowing thyroid production and the conversion of thyroid hormones to their active, and usable, forms.
If the thyroid does not operate properly, many of the common symptoms of adrenal fatigue are present, such as:
- Fatigue
- Depression
- Weight gain
- Muscle aches
- Brain fog
- Low libido
Unfortunately, due to the similarities in symptoms of both hypothyroidism and adrenal fatigue, the two conditions can be easily confused.
These glands are seen to work together due to their collective roles in supplying essential hormones throughout the body. In fact, it is not uncommon for those suffering with thyroid dysfunction to also have weakened adrenals.
Thyroid deficiency is incredibly common and goes undetected by many of the standard thyroid tests (by approximately 80%)!
Most endocrinologists examine a patient solely on their TSH levels, but ignore other important markers of imbalance. This misunderstanding leads to skewed lab results and the failure to diagnosis accurately.
Comprehensive thyroid testing includes measurements of the following hormones:
- Free T4
- Free T3
- Reverse T3
- SHGB (sex hormone binding
- globulin)
- Leptin
- Tissues levels
- And the basal metabolic rate
Without looking at all of these factors in thyroid function, the prescribed treatment may be unfit for the patient. For example, if a patient is advised to take synthetic hormones for hypothyroidism and are still experiencing fatigue, they may want to revisit testing, including their adrenal function.
In today’s conventional medical model, there is no formal adrenal fatigue testing. This is where functional medicine becomes crucial for an accurate and comprehensive diagnosis.
In short, functional medicine is a systems-oriented approach that employs a personalized medicine approach to identify, understand, and treat the underlying cause of a disease.
Therefore, functional medicine practitioners take the signs of adrenal fatigue very seriously being that this disorder can be both a cause and a result from imbalance within the body.
Some of the many signs practitioners will look for include:
- Fatigue
- Thyroid imbalances
- Unexplained weight changes
- Low blood pressure
- Unstable blood sugar
- Hair loss
- Blurred vision
- Infertility
The most common diagnostic tool for adrenal testing is a cortisol saliva test, that measures 4 cortisol samples at various times of the day and DHEA the mother hormone of the adrenals, and the Cortisol/DHEA ratio.
However there are plenty of other ways to test for adrenal fatigue, such as:
- Postural blood pressure testing
- If a person gets dizzy upon standing
- Iris contraction testing
To obtain an accurate diagnosis, for the best treatment approach, it is important to have information from various tests, sometimes conducted multiple times, and to make tracking all of your symptoms a priority.
Adrenal fatigue progresses through four different stages of advancement. Symptoms increase in frequency and severity throughout these stages.
The phases of adrenal fatigue go as follows:
- Stage 1: Alarm Reaction
- Stage 2: Resistance Response
- Stage 3: Adrenal Exhaustion
- Stage 4: Adrenal Failure
As you can see there is alot to take into account when getting to the root or underlying causes of fatigue. I’ve only scratched the surface here.
Their is diet, stress, sleep habits, the five energy bodies, and do much more…
If you are suffering from fatigue and want answers, without having to figure out what your ROOT CAUSE is…
Then I suggest you schedule a Virtual consultation with me so we can figure it out together and you can get your life back quickly.
I’m hosting a FREE EVENT july 18, 2022 at 10:00 AM PDT
“KEYS TO UNLOCKING YOUR ENERGY RESERVES”