What is Adrenal Fatigue (AF) or Exhaustion? They are glands which are extremely important. They are little pea sized and sit on top of our kidneys. AF is just what it sounds like. It is what happens when your adrenal glands get over-worked and under-nourished, so they become fatigued. These glands secrete hormones that allow us to deal with immediate and long-term stress. The adrenals secrete over 50 different hormones, including adrenaline, estrogen, progesterone, cortisol, and DHEA. You've probably heard of most of these hormones. These hormones are what give us the ability to "get up and go," providing the energy we need to deal with our hectic and over stimulated lives.

Adrenal stress is often helped by progesterone for two reasons. The adrenals first make progesterone which they then convert into cortisol, one of our stress hormones. If stress is high, the adrenals rob other sources of progesterone, notably ovarian. This affects our moods and more

Adrenal Fatigue Symptoms:

The adrenals make over 70 hormones. Exhausted adrenals cannot cope with the demands made on them, so levels of some hormones drop. Low progesterone is an inevitable result. This is due in part to the rise in two hormones, cortisol and adrenalin, the two stress hormones, which suppress progesterone.

Unfortunately, these glands, when over-stressed, eventually stop working, and then we end up with adrenal exhaustion or fatigue symptoms, which include:

• chronic fatigue and tiredness
• depression
• inability to think clearly
• chronic anxiety
• low blood sugar
• decreased metabolism
• changes in skin colour
• bad body odour
• craving for sweet or salty foods
• joint pain
• decreased immune function
• low body temperature
• allergies and food sensitivities
• dark circles under the eyes

There are other symptoms of adrenal overwork that could be added to the list, but you get the general idea. Our adrenal glands do a lot for our bodies and when we overuse them, they burnout.

Causes of Adrenal Fatigue

In general, our modern lifestyle is a recipe for adrenal exhaustion and burnout. COVID is causing so much stress on it's own. Our adrenal glands suffer when we demand too much of them. Our minds are active and full of ideas, but our bodies can't keep up. Specifically, lifestyle habits that overstress the adrenals include:

• too little sleep
• poor diet
• use of caffeine or other stimulants
• use of medication to get to sleep at night
• use of medication to treat anxiety or depression
• perfectionism
• constant physical, mental, or emotional stress
• over stimulation from cell phones, music, traffic, pagers, and email

Do I need to draw another picture? It's nothing out of the ordinary in our modern lives. For most people, it's just a snapshot of everyday life. But it's hell on the adrenal glands. In fact, modern life has such a strong negative effect on the adrenals that some women suffering from adrenal fatigue are showing signs of Menopause as early as their mid-30s. You got that right - adrenal burnout can cause early aging.

Adrenal stress is often helped by progesterone for two reasons. The adrenals first make progesterone which they then convert into cortisol, one of our stress hormones. If stress is high, the adrenals rob other sources of progesterone, notably ovarian. This affects our moods and more.

Start your day right by taking the following ADRENAL FATIGUE COCKTAIL, it is excellent. When I don't take it, I can certainly feel the difference. For me, I find that it helps my sleep. It may not you, but it does for me. It helps to feed the the stressed adrenals. Typically, between the hours of 8 am to 10 am and/or between 2 pm to 3 pm., our bodies naturally start to run out of the adrenal gland’s hormones, and more is needed. However, if our body has no ingredients, in this case minerals, to make more energizing hormones, we instead start to wind down. By consuming an “adrenal cocktail” at these times, the adrenal gland will receive the right amount of sodium and potassium to release hormones of the adrenal gland, like aldosterone, to get those cells pumping.