If you actively read up on various fitness and nutrition topics, you've likely already come across the word 'cortisol'. Cortisol is a hormone that is secreted by the body in times of stress that acts in a catabolic fashion. For those who are interested in building muscle, cortisol is the last thing you want floating around the body as it will cause you to break down bodily tissues rather than build them up.

Additionally, for those who are trying to lose body fat, high cortisol levels tend to cause a greater risk of accumulation of excess body fat around the waist region, thus counteracting the great efforts you are putting in.

Aside from putting you in a catabolic state and increasing fat accumulation, there are a few other roles cortisol plays in the body.

Regulating Blood Sugar Levels

In times of great stress you are going to need more energy then when you are relaxed. Because of this, when stressed you are going to see an increased output of cortisol as it is the body's way of increasing the blood sugar that is available to your cells and thus provide you with energy. In the case of adrenal fatigue however, as time progress and stress continues, eventually these glands become exhausted. Cortisol levels will start to fall and this in return starts causing issues with blood sugar levels. Therefore, major thing you will notice with adrenal fatigue is greatly fluctuating blood sugar levels and constant feelings of fatigue.

Anti-Inflammatory Response

Another important role cortisol plays in the body is an anti-inflammatory response. When you have an injury to the body your cells will go through a cascade of reactions that will cause swelling and redness. When this occurs, cortisol is released by the body to work to reduce these symptoms. Cortisol will also be released when you suffer from an allergy attack in effort to prevent the eyes from swelling shut.

Regulating The Immune System

Another major issue that those with high levels of cortisol face is a weakened immune system. You probably have already noticed that when you are under a lot of stress you seem to become more susceptible to getting ill. This is cortisol in effect. During adrenal fatigue, you will not be able to fight off many invading organisms and this will further your condition, making you grow even more tired than you already are.

Increased Blood Pressure

Those who have a high cortisol output, often also have high blood pressure as it acts as a vaso-contrictor in the body. Since adrenal fatigue sufferers have higher cortisol levels, this could also put them at an increased risk of seeing issues associated with high blood pressure as well.

So if you have been feeling overly tired lately, you may not want to overlook the possibility that you are suffering from adrenal fatigue. Not only does adrenal fatigue cause excess tiredness but the underlying mechanism behind it (increased stress leading to higher levels of cortisol) also means that you may be at risk for the other symptoms described above.

When people joke that stress can kill, they really aren't joking. If any of the above issues become too serious, you could wind up facing severe health consequences.