A muscle cramp is a strong, painful contraction or tightening of a muscle that comes on suddenly and lasts from a few seconds to several minutes. It often occurs in the legs. A muscle cramp is also called a charley horse. Nighttime leg cramps are usually sudden spasms, or tightening, of muscles in the calf. The muscle cramps can sometimes happen in the thigh or the foot.
When the adrenal glands begin to act âdysfunctionalâ due to prolonged stress, they first go into a hyper (overactive, stressed) state. As they are pushed further and not given the opportunity to recover they go into an âextremeâ stressed/overactive state and eventually reach the hypo (under active, exhausted) mode.
Cortisol is produced by small glands on top of the kidneys called the adrenal glands. Known as âthe stress hormone,â cortisol is released as the bodyâs natural response to stress. Chronic stress can cause the adrenal glands to become overworked, and eventually quit working.ymptoms of cortisol imbalance are similar to other hormone deficiencies. 1  Fatigue, sluggish. 2  Depression. 3  Weight gain. 4  Bone and muscle loss. 5  Foggy thinking.