Portrait on the Mantel

So what does Stress have to do with Chronic Fatigue?

Everything, according to Dr. Hans Selye, also known as the “father of stress response” because he was the first medical doctor to elaborate on the GAS (General Adaptation Syndrome) response, ongoing stress leads to Chronic Fatigue and if not dealt with complete adrenal failure and heart failure can be the result.

As an author of 1,700 scholarly papers and 39 books on how stress affects our entire system, Selye stated that headaches, insomnia, high blood pressure, anxiety/panic attacks and cardiovascular and kidney diseases are brought on by stress.

“Every stress leaves an indelible scar, and the organism pays for its survival after a stressful situation by becoming a little older,” says Dr. Hans Selye.

What happens when any form of Stress impacts your life?

Stage 1: Alarm Reaction known as “Fight or Flight”.  In this stage your body is geared toward off the impacting stress which could be anything or anyone, including our loved ones, any pressures for our time, money or love and challenges to our identity in any way.

In this stage, the body is alarmed by the stressors and mounts an aggressive anti stress response to reduce stress levels.  Some doctors call this the Early Fatigue stage.

Stage 2: Resistance Response; This is where the stress goes for some days, weeks even months.  In this hyper vigilant state, the body is resisting the ongoing stress but at the expense of the adrenal glands over pumping the stress hormones.

Stage 3: Exhaustion; When the resistance stage goes on for longer than the body can physically cope with, exhaustion sets in after 1 or 2 years.  In this stage, people normally start to experience Fibromyalgia, aches/pains, back ache, muscle tension, severely suppressed immune system and muscle weakness.  Many experience sluggishness and weight gain.

Stage 4: Failure; After a couple of years of over pumping stress hormones daily, eventually, the adrenal glands become totally exhausted.  People at this stage have a high chance of cardiovascular collapse, nervous breakdown, and according to Dr. Selye total collapse even death.

To understand how and why Chronic Fatigue happens to us, we need a basic understanding of the functions of the adrenal glands.  These are walnut sized glands located on top of each kidney.  Their purpose is to help the body deal with stress and help us to survive.

Adrenals are important control centers for many of the body’s hormones. The outer layer of the gland, called the adrenal cortex, produces hormones including cortisol, DHEA, estrogen and testosterone.  The centers of the glands produce adrenaline, the hormone named after them.

The basic task of your adrenal glands is to rush all your body’s resources into “Fight or Flight” mode by increasing production of adrenaline and other hormones.  When healthy your adrenals can instantly increase your heart rate and blood pressure, release your energy stores for immediate use slow your digestion and other secondary functions, and sharpen your senses.

When you are stressed, your adrenal glands produce cortisol in excess. Cortisol is also known as the death hormone, because it is highly toxic and catabolizes (literally tears down) muscle mass for energy, your organs diminishes your strength and your speed of recovery and makes people unable to cope with daily life.  Adrenal fatigue also known as Chronic Fatigue occurs when the amount of stress exceeds the capacity of the body to recover from the stressful challenges.

And that list of stressful challenges is endless, including:

• Lack of Sleep
• A demanding boss
• The threat of losing your job
• Financial pressure
• Personality conflicts
• Yo Yo dieting
• Relationship turmoil
• Death or illness of a loved one
• Skipping meals
• Reliance on stimulants like caffeine and starchy carbs
• Digestive problems
• Over exercise
• Illness or infection
• Unresolved emotional issues from our past or present

The result is adrenal glands that are constantly on high alert.

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