On a chemical level, we are designed to handle “fight or flight” (intense, short-duration) stress much better than the chronic low-level stress we are subjected to every day. Because of this, when we experience stress, our blood sugar levels rise in preparation for a quick get-away or a fight for our lives. As you are probably realizing, the more stress a person goes through during the day, the more cortisol is released from the adrenal glands. Any other releases of cortisol come as a result of our body’s response to stress or to low blood sugar. Normally, cortisol is released twice throughout the day. The body’s response to stress, by depositing fat, is often overlooked by those struggling with weight loss even though it is a significant cause of weight gain. This is why we tend to gain weight around our midsection under stress. When we don’t burn the sugar that’s been released into the bloodstream by cortisol, it gets deposited as fat around our waist.
The fat cells around our waist respond particularly well to cortisol. CortisolĬortisol is probably the most important adrenal hormone that is released when we experience stress. This hormone increases the sugar in our blood so that we have the fuel we need to escape danger. Often the symptoms are so clear that lab testing is not necessary to confirm the diagnosis, however there are special tests available if indicated. Difficulty concentrating and problems retaining informationĪdrenal fatigue is generally diagnosed based on the constellation of the symptoms above as well as others.Weight gain and inability to lose weight despite effort.Fatigue and tiredness general feeling of being wiped out.Stresses like these can take the form of psychological stress (emotional, work, family, etc.), extreme exercise, surgery, toxic exposure, and infections that go undetected (often called sub-clinical).Īlthough adrenal fatigue has been described for over one hundred years, it is only recently being recognized as a unique condition with a specific set of symptoms. Under chronic or extreme stress, the production of these hormones declines because the adrenal glands become exhausted.
Among the most notable hormones that they produce are adrenaline, DHEA and cortisol.
They are tiny stress hormone producers that sit on the top of each kidney. The organs that help us manage our stress are our adrenal glands. In fact I see a lot of people in my practice that have not changed their eating or exercise habits in years but have found that with their high stress lives, they are steadily gaining weight and are unable to lose it, especially around their waist. Even exercise can be perceived as stress by a body that is already overwhelmed. Stress, stress, and more stress are the conditions that most of us operate under each day of our lives. Between our obligations at home and in our families very few of us have time for ourselves.
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