The source of your stress may not be solvable in the short term, but your capacity to handle it absolutely can be improved. Put your resilience back in your own hands.
Stress plays a significant role in modern life, and it can come from family, work, relationships and physiology alike. But did you know your body has two separate systems for handling stress? When you first encounter stress, the autonomic nervous system is the first to activate. At that point your heart rate quickens, your breathing deepens, your blood pressure rises and your muscles tighten — all symptoms that are easy to notice. Once the stressor disappears, everything returns to normal. When stress persists over the long term, however, and becomes chronic, the body moves into its second stress system: the endocrine system, with the adrenal glands stepping in to make adjustments.
Emergency response versus the long campaign
Once the long campaign begins, the endocrine system takes over, and by charting the relative levels of the resilience hormone DHEA against the stress hormone CORTISOL we can see the body's real response very objectively.
Normal stress response: stress hormones begin to rise while levels stay inside the reference range, indicating a normal state. DHEA and CORTISOL remain in balance, showing a healthy adrenal response to stress. Normal levels support the most effective stress resilience, emotional regulation and immune function.
Sustained stress, phase 1: when stress hormones exceed the normal range, the adrenals are under a degree of strain, but the body can still produce enough DHEA to counter it. This stage is an early sign of adrenal fatigue and may stem from prolonged, ongoing stress. At this point, building resilience, changing lifestyle and providing nutritional support can restore adrenal balance and prevent further deterioration.
Sustained stress, phase 2: these two stages mean the adrenals are extremely depleted and can no longer secrete stress hormones normally, however great the pressure. The imbalance between DHEA and CORTISOL becomes more pronounced, leading to symptoms such as fatigue, disturbed sleep, mood swings and reduced immunity. At this stage, targeted nutritional support becomes more critical, alongside lifestyle adjustment, stress reduction strategies and dietary change to support adrenal health.
Adrenal fatigue: at this stage the adrenal glands are severely compromised and can produce only tiny amounts of DHEA and CORTISOL — in other words, your adrenals have hit their limit. The existing symptoms worsen, and extreme fatigue, chronic illness, hormonal dysregulation and an impaired stress response all arrive together.
From normal levels through to exhaustion, assessing DHEA and CORTISOL helps you find out early whether adrenal function is already worn down, so you can act sooner. That makes this test a useful indicator of health in modern life.
"Take hold of your stress and build your resilience. Testing is how you get to a healthier life."
References:
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Adrenal Stress Profile test result - What does it mean? By Dr Sarah Myhill MB BS
A self-assessment questionnaire can only tell you that something may be going on; it cannot distinguish the stage — and the stage is what determines what to supplement and how to adjust.
See which systems the 136 markers cover →Frequently asked questions
What is adrenal fatigue?
It generally refers to a functional state in which HPA axis regulation is out of balance under long-term stress. Common presentations are fatigue no matter how much you sleep, difficulty waking in the morning, and a lower tolerance for emotional strain. It describes a functional state, not a formal medical diagnosis.
What are the stages of adrenal stress?
Conceptually there is an alarm phase (cortisol elevated, still coping), a resistance phase (the rhythm starts to break down and you need caffeine to function), and an exhaustion phase (everything low, and rest no longer restores you). The three stages call for completely different approaches.
How can I assess myself?
A self-assessment questionnaire is useful as a first reference, but it cannot distinguish the stages. Working out which stage you are in requires looking at the diurnal rhythm of cortisol — not a single value — along with your DHEA-S reserve.
Want to know what state your body is in right now?
Body Decode, 136 markers, covers 17 health categories including nutrients, metabolic, cardiovascular, immune, endocrine and detoxification, with a 60-minute consultant report review and a 120-day action plan.
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