The inner portion of the gland, called the adrenal medulla, also makes hormones. Cortisol, which helps you respond to stress and helps regulate metabolism, is the one we focus on most because it’s the one most impacted by chronic stress. The outer layer of the gland, called the adrenal cortex, manufactures hormones you literally can’t live without, including cortisol and aldosterone. Your adrenal glands produce several hormones – some of which are critical to survival. To really understand why adrenal balance is so important you have to first understand the important function of these small and mighty glands which are located on top of your kidneys. Here, I’ll walk you through the most important early signs to watch out for so that you can stop adrenal dysfunction in its tracks.īut first, let’s take a closer look at what adrenal fatigue really is. But, especially in the earlier stages, this may not be the case. Many people also feel wired at night.Ī common misconception about adrenal fatigue is that you’re just tired all the time. Typically, this looks like waking up tired, experiencing a small boost of energy mid-morning, and crashing by around 3 PM. The key difference with Beth, and with other people who have adrenal fatigue, is that their energy levels follow a distinct pattern. Now, it’s not that a little bit of tiredness here and there isn’t normal– it is. This was the first clue: Beth was in the early stages of adrenal fatigue. “I’m great,” she said, “but I find that by 3:00 these days I just feel like I need to take a nap.” I noticed Beth suppressing a yawn mid-conversation, and asked her how she was doing. But, as usual, we both had so much on the go that we couldn’t find the time until late in the afternoon. A few months ago, I was planning to have lunch with my friend Beth.

Signs of too much adrenaline