BY: JEFF HAYWARD

Do you constantly feel fatigued even though you are getting enough sleep? Have your recently been sick with an illness such as bronchitis or the flu? Do you crave salty snacks? If you are experiencing these symptoms you could have what holistic health practitioners refer to as Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome. Prolonged periods of stress can overwork our adrenal glands and cause them to stop functioning well. This leads to a variety of health issues. Natural Healing Center can advise you on ways to support your adrenal glands and treat those symptoms. Here are six of the main signs of Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome, followed by our link to take an Adrenal Fatigue Test.

1. You Feel Excessively Tired

We all have our bouts of being worn out, but Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome (we’ll call it AFS for the purposes of this article) can leave you feeling tired even when you haven’t done anything that requires energy, according to AdrenalFatigue.org.

That can leave you with feelings of being run down and needing a nap or having trouble getting up in the morning even when you’ve had sufficient sleep. You may feel like small tasks have become overwhelmingly large because you just don’t seem to have the energy.

2. You Crave Salt

According to Livestrong, craving salty snacks could be a warning sign from your adrenal glands that they’re tapped out. However, salt can actually be helpful in healing the overworked glands and curbing the symptoms, according to the source.

The reason for salt cravings is low sodium and aldosterone (a steroid hormone) levels in your body, noted Livestrong. It recommends adding up to a teaspoon of salt of filtered water in the morning to give your system a kickstart.

3. You Get Energetic in the Evening

Those with adrenal fatigue tend to feel more awake in the evening hours, after 6 p.m. The Association of Women for the Advancement of Research and Education (AWARE) explains that there’s an energy pattern with AFS—namely very fatigued in the morning, with more alertness around lunch and a lull in the afternoon.

That’s because there’s a lull in cortisol (stress hormone) production in people with AFS, with a gradual recovery in the evening with another “wall” of fatigue around 9 p.m. The website notes that people with this condition tend to do their best work in the evening.

4. You Feel Dizzy Standing Up

This is a lesser symptom of AFS, but those with the syndrome can feel light-headed just by standing up too fast. You may also experience a loss of balance when standing or walking.

This might be attributed to low blood pressure when returning to a standing position, according to experts. Your blood pressure is supposed to rise when you’re upright; if this doesn’t happen it could mean your adrenal glands are overtaxed.

5. Lack of Tolerance for Stress

Since one of the causes of AFS is prolonged stress, it makes sense that more stress can prove too much for your adrenal glands, which manage your fight-or-flight responses to situations. This could mean it’s more difficult to face daily stresses such as the workplace.

AdrenalFatigue.org suggests that long periods of high cortisol from stress can be followed by a dip in cortisol due to overstimulation, making your body less prepared to deal with stress. This can lead to “burnout” that can decrease your overall tolerance to life events, which can then lead to being withdrawn socially. Adjustments to lifestyle can help you recover, said the source.

6. You Get Sick Easily

Since the stress hormone cortisol is also a natural anti-inflammatory, having an adrenal system that is working overtime can actually raise those cortisol levels too high and block your immune responses, according to AdrenalFatigueSolution.com.

Conversely, if your cortisol levels drop too low, you can also be prone to overreact to pathogens and end up with inflammation or even auto-immune diseases, said the source. You tend to have overly high levels of cortisol early in AFS, and lower levels as the condition drags on.

Click here to take the Adrenal Fatigue Test, and click here to schedule a consultation with us.