What Happens When You're Stressed?

Unfortunately, stress is part of the American way. There are few and far between who do not experience the symptoms of undo stress at least once in their lives. There are others who must exist under stressful circumstances for extended periods of time. Not only does stress one mentally and emotionally, it can also cause the body to suffer adverse physiological reactions as well. It is these physiological reactions that are harmful and may actually pave the way to real disease or an unwanted medical condition. One of the most common physical by-products of stress is adrenal insufficiency.

The adrenal glands are located above the kidneys and are responsible in part for the metabolism of foods, regulation of blood sugar, production of sex hormones, and the production of cortisol. While the adrenal glands play a role in many physiological functions, their main duty is to regulate reactions to stress. With regards to stress, it’s cortisol and its functions that must be examined. Here’s an example:

You are traveling down the road and someone cuts you off. You slam the brakes, swerve and murmur a few choice words all the while thankful you avoided an accident. In the meantime, your physical responses may have included short shallow breathes, racing thoughts, lightheadedness, and quivering muscles. At the same time, your cortisol levels skyrocketed to compensate for the demand on your adrenal glands which kicked into a fight or flight response. All of this is quite normal.

What is abnormal is the fact that millions of people, due to daily stressors, live this fight or flight response on a continuum. This is how and where adrenal insufficiency takes place as the adrenal glands cannot carry this type of mental and physical overload on a continuous basis. As a result of this continuous battering on your body, cortisol levels remain elevated and the symptoms of dysfunctional adrenals take place. All hormone levels decline with age. When elevated cortisol levels are constant, hormone levels experience a much more rapid decline and adrenal exhaustion supplements may be required.

In order to compensate for the up and down roller coaster feeling that accompany adrenal fatigue, most reach out for caffeine and other stimulants. This actually makes the problem of adrenal fatigue worse, however, unbeknownst to the individual. This is where adrenal exhaustion supplements can come into play.

Symptoms of adrenal fatigue are variable depending upon the person but can include: troubles waking the morning, that mid- afternoon crash, troubles sleeping at night, headaches, nervous tendencies, cravings for salt and sweets, hair loss, inability too loose weight, mood swings and a short temper.

Low level adrenal problems are not typically diagnosed by the standard medical community and adrenal fatigue issues often go misdiagnosed. Most medical professionals will send exhausted patients home for a vacation, orders for rest, or prescribe antidepressants or anti-anxiety pills. If you feel you indeed are suffering the effects of adrenal fatigue verses another medical condition, the internet is great resource to help you find an adrenal practioner in your area and one that can provide natural and effective adrenal exhaustion supplements.