Advertisement
The middle layer (cortex) is responsible for sex and steroid hormone production. In fact, steroid hormones regulate the sleep cycle and blood pressure and are involved in the metabolism of food into usable energy. The outer part of the adrenals (capsule) is composed of adipose (fat) tissue to protect the adrenal glands.
Adrenal Fatigue
More often than not, we hit the adrenal glands too hard and too often. “First World” lifestyles are, to a large extent, driven by emotional stress (school, work, finances, relationships) and our food, water, and air all contain harmful chemicals that apply physical stress on top of that.
Left unattended, adrenal fatigue can lead to adrenal insufficiency.
Signs of adrenal fatigue include (2):
Multiple allergies
Anxiety
Blurry vision
Body aches or chronic muscle pain
Brain fog and memory loss – excess cortisol over time affects the hippocampus, where memories are stored
Extreme fatigue
Cold hands and feet
Depression
Dizziness
Chronic dry skin and/or brittle nails
Hair loss
Heart palpitations
Hypoglycemia
Irritability
Lethargy
Low blood pressure
Low sex drive
Muscle weakness
Salt and/or sugar cravings
Poor sleep/mid-afternoon sleepiness
Thyroid problems
Tinnitus
Uterine fibroids
Unexplained weight loss or gain
adrenal fatigue
The Stages Of Adrenal Fatigue
There are four identifiable stages of adrenal fatigue (3):
One – Beginning of Alarm
