Feeling sluggish and low on energy? Are you tired even though you have just got out of bed? If so, you may have adrenal fatigue - a little known condition that manifests itself through a number of seemingly unrelated symptoms such as persisting fatigue, fuzzy thinking, lack of sex drive, mood disorders and cravings for salt or sugar. While you may look normal with no obvious symptoms of acute disease, your unexplainable low energy levels leave you with little doubt that something has gone wrong. Fortunately, you don't have to suffer needlessly because there is a lot you can do to restore and support your adrenal glands naturally.

Adrenal fatigue - who is at risk?

Adrenal fatigue is one of those illnesses the medical community knows little about. It can be frustrating to have persistent symptoms your health care provider can't readily explain. If you suspect you may be suffering from adrenal fatigue, take a look at the following symptoms and see if they sound familiar to you:

Possible symptoms of adrenal fatigue:

• low energy levels

• trouble sleeping at night but wanting to sleep during the day

• poor libido

• cravings for salt and/or sugar

• feeling confused and overwhelmed

• impaired cognitive function - brain fog, lack of concentration

• blood sugar irregularity

Who is at risk? We now know that adrenal fatigue tends to affect people who have experienced major stress in their lives. If you overload your body with stress, your adrenals - the glands sitting atop your kidneys - have to deal with it.

The problem is that nowadays a large portion of our society faces chronic stress - the kind of stress that doesn't let up. Suddenly, our adrenal glands are no more in an environment to replenish and recover. Unable to keep the pace with our lifestyle, they can't produce quite enough of the hormones we need to feel good and adrenal fatigue eventually sets in.

How to cope with adrenal fatigue naturally

Our lifestyle has changed, but our bodies haven't. Here are simple tips to help you keep your adrenals healthy:

• reduce stress - try meditation, deep breathing and other relaxation techniques together with moderate exercise

• reach for quality organic foods with sensible glycemic index

• ditch sugar, caffeine and alcohol - these "pick-me-ups" put more pressure on your body and will only worsen the condition in the long run

• get plenty of sunshine and fresh air

• sleep at least eight hours per day

Additional tip: Are you nodding off during the day? Try a 20 minute power-nap. Recovering from adrenal fatigue takes time but it's well worth the effort - your well-being depends on the health of your adrenals. Reducing stress and making healthy dietary changes will let you experience amazing health you may not have expected to see again.