Adrenal Fatigue and Stress:
The Clear Connection

Adrenal fatigue and stress are intimately related. In my own life, chronic stress over many years caused adrenal exhaustion. Read on. You may relate to my story of stress and declining health.

Adrenal fatigue is caused by some form of stress be it physical, emotional, physical, environmental or a combination. The reasons for this can be explored by looking at the way stress affects the adrenal glands.

Our adrenal glands are located on the top of the kidneys near the spine. They excrete the hormones cortisol and DHEA (among others), which are extremely important to many bodily processes.

Cortisol and DHEA not only shields us from adrenal fatigue and stress, but also inflammation, allergies, decreased sex drive and depression. They affect many body systems. This is the reason adrenal fatigue is labeled a syndrome. The adrenals buffer us from our stressors big and small. They also help us perform beyond our threshold in times of need. When chronic stress overworks the adrenals, cortisol and DHEA become depleted. Adrenal fatigue and stress have worn us out. As a result, many symptoms will arise.

These symptoms will usually be diagnosed as Adrenal Fatigue with stress as the cause. The stressors that bring one to this state can be an illness, lack of sleep, money troubles, change, unhappy home or work environment, toxins, unhealthy foods, caffeine, addictions, excessive noise and the list can go on and on.

My story of adrenal fatigue and stress started, in my mind, when I was a child. And, I believe this to be true with other victims. Although, I really haven’t seen it explored anywhere. My childhood, like many, was very stressful for many reasons. At age 18, I was involved in a serious car accident. I had severe concussion and I didn’t come to until the next day. My brain function was compromised as I had a hard time even forming a sentence.

I later married and knew in the back of mind it was a mistake. For seven years, I endured emotional and psychological abuse from my then husband. I developed terrible headaches and neck and facial pain. This was diagnosed as TMJ (temporomandibular joint dysfunction). I eventually went through jaw alignment surgery, which did give me relief.

When I finally left him, I worked long, crazy hours to make ends meet. I worked the “graveyard shift” for a few years. I later met and married my current husband and moved away to be with him. Because I moved to a city, there were many colleges available. I decided to finally enroll after wanting to go to college for years. At one point, I had to get a full-time job and finished the last part of my studies while working. This eventually led me to develop panic attacks from the stress overload.

I went through a period after that of depleting health. I had a miscarriage. I developed uterine fibroids that were so bad I had to be hospitalized because I bled profusely. I had to have a blood transfusion and IV iron replacement. I was dangerously anemic. Not too long after that, I became pregnant. My husband and I were in disbelief. At the time, we were building a house and were not expecting that surprise. I delivered a healthy 8-pound boy a few months after moving into a new house.

Two days after I delivered my son by C-section, we had to rush him to the emergency room because of dehydration. I was nursing him and, unbeknownst to me, barely producing any milk for him – Poor Guy! On top of that, he barely ever slept and cried constantly. For two months, I hardly got any sleep and couldn’t find out why he wasn’t sleeping. Thank goodness for a new pediatrician at the pediatrics center who told me he had Acid Reflux.

After giving my son medication to help his pain, he slept almost constantly for a couple of months. I, on the other hand, could not sleep. I suppose my circadian rhythms were really out of whack. My doctor put me on Xanax. However, I got better relief when I took Tryptophan supplements. That was the point, though, that I felt sick and just plain exhausted. Adrenal Fatigue and stress took over. I couldn’t recover. I almost had to quit my job.

My point for telling my story of adrenal fatigue and stress is that I know many people share my story. There is a myriad of physical, emotional and psychological stresses that build up until you just can’t take any more. Your body shuts down and it is time for change.

If your body is trying to tell you “ENOUGH”, you may have developed symptoms of adrenal fatigue. You need to start treating yourself (all aspects) in a more healthy way. You have been beaten up for too long.

You and you alone can control adrenal fatigue and stress. There are many ways of treating Adrenal Fatigue but the biggest help is a change of lifestyle.

When I received medical treatment for adrenal fatigue syndrome, my doctor helped me a lot. I was found to have low cortisol and DHEA levels by saliva testing. Because of her, I was able to stay at my job. My husband and I just moved into our house so that was important. She gave me adrenal support supplements and DHEA sublingual drops, which helped tremendously. I also had acupuncture treatments.

Adrenal Fatigue and stress need to be controlled if you are to live a happy, healthy life. You may have to make some tough choices to change your lifestyle. But, a life without energy and joy is a life not lived to the fullest.

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