These are signs your body is running on empty. This throws off your hormone balance. Overtraining is a major trigger. But it can also dip when your body is under stress. If you're hitting the gym hard every day—especially with heavy lifting or long cardio sessions, and skipping rest days, your testosterone can take a hit.
You sometimes wonder what happened to your interest in sex. At night, though exhausted, you have difficulty falling asleep as the worries of the day keep replaying in your mind. If you have true adrenal fatigue, you will typically have difficulty dragging yourself out of bed. Exhaustion that is relentless is the primary symptom of adrenal fatigue. And, a woman in a state of adrenal fatigue is likely to find herself at a distinct disadvantage when entering perimenopause, which is an additional form of stress. The problem is your body is not meant to be in a constant state of high alert.
» Discover science-backed ways to naturally increase testosterone Testosterone is present in much lower amounts in women. A man’s T levels are highest in his late 30s, after which they then decrease by 1-2% each year.
Like women, men can experience hormonal imbalance at mid-life and more specifically a decline in androgens, including testosterone. So, your adrenal glands release cortisol and epinephrine to help you fight (or flee) from it. Be aware that if you supplement your adrenal hormones in dosages that are too high or if you take supplements for too long, the result can be permanent depression of adrenal function.
Optimal levels of this hormone are necessary to create and preserve bone density; without enough testosterone, bones can become weak and more likely to fracture or break. If your testosterone is low, InsideTracker recommends tailor-made interventions to help you increase your levels, including lifestyle, training, and nutrition modifications. Your muscles can feel good and like there’s nothing wrong with them, but the problem of overtraining doesn’t start in your muscles.