Maybe you’re not the type to leap out of a perfectly good airplane for fun, or dive off of a bridge with nothing between you and the rocks below but a big rubber band. Maybe you don’t even like Splash Mountain at DisneyWorld. So why would I call you an adrenaline junkie?

Answer this: When you drink that second cup of coffee in the morning, do you still feel tired?

If the answer is yes, then you could be suffering from adrenal fatigue. Not even drinking the whole coffee pot can jump start your adrenal glands at this stage. Is it naptime yet?

Your adrenal glands are a pair of tiny, half-ounce triangle-shaped organs responsible for regulating adrenaline, cortisol DHEA and androgens. These are the body’s four major stress hormones! Ack! I’m feeling tense just thinking about them.

All those stress hormones serve to keep you awake to deal with whatever is stressing you out. In cave-man days, a sleepless night meant that you were awake to scare off the panther, rather than be eaten. They were vital for survival.

But, living in a state of constant high stress can cause your adrenal glands to run out of batteries. If you’re feeling fatigued all the time, and you can’t lift out of it with coffee or sleep, it might be because you’ve exhausted your store of emergency energy. Stimulants like coffee will only make it worse.

What You Can Do to Wake Up!

You have to remove yourself from the stressful situation. When was your last vacation? Maybe it’s even time for a career change, because adrenal function is nothing to play around with. They can break for good if you’re not careful.

Meanwhile, the Medical University of South Carolina found that people who take twenty minutes a day to practice progressive muscle relaxing had significantly less anxiety, depression and cortisol levels. They also curbed nighttime food cravings (stress has long been linked to weight gain). Seriously, take a yoga class. Read. Go. To. The. Beach.  Get at least 3 hours of exercise every week.

And – lay off the caffeine.