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How to know if your fatigue may be from an adrenal or thyroid issue?
I’ve spoken before about how stress raises cortisol and with this in mind, the adrenals and thyroid are very connected. Our thyroid hormones are needed for energy production, so if thyroid function is inhibited, it can make us feel very tired.
Cortisol directly impacts the thyroid by inhibiting TSH (this hormone is called Thyroid Stimulating Hormone - it tells the thyroid to release thyroid hormones), plus inhibits the conversion of T4 (inactive thyroid hormone) to T3 (our active thyroid hormone) while raising reverse T3 (which further blocks the thyroid hormones >> inhibits energy production). Whew, what a mess right?
If you have thyroid symptoms but your tests say that your thyroid function is ‘normal’ (usually only TSH is measured), then you may benefit from some more in depth thyroid testing.
But how can you tell if your fatigue is from an adrenal issue or a thyroid issue?
There are many similarities between the 2, but there are some great differences:
ADRENALS:
🌸 Fatigue early in the morning and mid-afternoon.
🌸 Feels the most tired in the morning and has the most energy/alertness in the evening (feels wired).
🌸 Craves salty and fatty foods (deep fried foods).
🌸 Basal body temperature (on waking) varies a lot.
🌸 Finds it hard to fall asleep at night & may wake easily during the night.
THYROID:
🌼 Feels tired all day. Energy is consistently flat (feels wiped out).
🌼 Sugar cravings (rather than salt or fat).
🌼 Basal body temperature is consistently lower than 36.4 degrees for up to 5 consecutive days.
🌼 Can fall asleep easily, sleep through the night and still wake up tired.
You can actually test for both adrenal and thyroid function. If you have been experiencing fatigue for a while and you relate to the above symptoms, then it may be worth investigating so that you can really get to the root cause and help to improve your energy.
Not all fatigue is going to be from an adrenal or thyroid issue - there’s lots to consider if your energy is wiped out! What have you found that works for your energy? Comment below and let me know!
P.S: If you're located in Australia and you're interested in testing, book a free Discovery Call with me here and we can chat!
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