Adrenal Fatigue- Stage 1: Compensation Phase

I call this the “compensation phase” because when you are at the beginning of adrenal fatigue, your cortisol rises in an attempt to compensate for the stressor that affects you. At this point, our mother hormone DHEA also endures the stressors well. Signs that you’re in the “compensation phase” include mild tiredness when you wake up (even after a good night’s sleep). Patients I see at this stage quite often say, “I need a coffee to start my day, otherwise I can’t get going.” Tiredness can also hit mid-afternoon, where again you start to crave sugar or need a coffee to keep you going. These quick fixes help you compensate for the fact that your adrenals are not working optimally. Reversing stress at this stage will reverse symptoms, but many people think this is ‘normal’ and just keep going.