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What is Adrenal Fatigue? This is What you need to know

First let’s address what the adrenal glands even are, they are located on top of your kidneys and are responsible for producing & releasing cortisol – our stress hormone.

 

Prolonged, elevated cortisol levels (aka high levels of stress) can lead to what some call adrenal fatigue or adrenal burnout.

 

But what does that mean, what is adrenal fatigue? In this post I will explain what the symptoms are, what causes it, how it affects our bodies, how to know if you have it, & steps you can take to begin to heal if you are experiencing adrenal fatigue. 

What are the common Symptoms of Adrenal Fatigue?

Adrenal fatigue can show up differently for everyone, but some of the common potential symptoms are:

  • Fatigue
  • Headaches
  • Weakened immune system
  • Afternoon energy slumps
  • Feeling extra full or bloated after meals
  • Blurred vision
  • Dizziness
  • Hemorrhoids
  • Varicose veins.

 

For you this might look like hitting the snooze button several times or feeling like you just can’t get yourself out of bed.

 

You might also feel like you need to drink coffee or some type of caffeine all throughout the day because otherwise you struggle to stay awake.

 

And the last symptom that I commonly see among my clients is feeling unusually sore or fatigued following a workout, sometimes lingering for several hours or even days post-workout. 

What Causes Adrenal Fatigue

Adrenal fatigue is not typically caused by one singular thing. It’s no secret that we are living in a time where high stress has been normalized. We are constantly in go-go-go mode, with a phone in our face, deadlines to meet, kids to take care of, and tragedy after tragedy seen on the news that we have to process. 

 

This time of ongoing stress overtime can easily lead to adrenal fatigue if we are not intentional with stress management.

 

Additionally, a common contributing factor to adrenal fatigue for my clients is unstable blood sugar levels. If you have unstable blood sugar all day long, then your insulin levels are constantly trying to correct that, putting your endocrine system under constant stress.

How Can Adrenal Fatigue Impact Your Body

If someone has Adrenal Fatigue and it is not addressed, it can contribute to the development of infertility, PCOS, low libido, depression, anxiety, thyroid disorders, metabolic syndrome, weight loss resistance, and insulin resistance, just to name a few.

 

As I mentioned early on, cortisol that is released by our adrenal glands is a hormone. I often explain hormone imbalances as being a snowball. You might have imbalance in one area at first, but then that snowball starts rolling downhill, and before you know it you have hormone imbalance in multiple areas – your very own big snowball. 

How Do I Know If I have Adrenal Fatigue?

Often time you can tell based on the symptoms you are experiencing, especially if you are aware of what your stress load is.

 

But testing can confirm what you’re suspecting. A salivary cortisol test is best because it can evaluate your cortisol level at various points throughout the day.

 

If you’d like to do your own experiment at home, there are two simple tests you can try on yourself. Just remember these are not always accurate and do not reflect a formal diagnosis of Adrenal Fatigue.

 

Pupil light reflex: go into bathroom, look into mirror, turn lights off, shine light into pupil & it should constrict, if after 30 seconds it begins to dilate again you may have adrenal fatigue.

 

Postural test: take blood pressure while sitting down, stand up & immediately take BP again, if first number did not increase by 8-10 points or if the number dropped then you could have adrenal fatigue.

How to Heal Adrenal Fatigue

Before I share some tips on healing from Adrenal Fatigue, I want to briefly explain what we want our daily cortisol levels to be like.

 

Cortisol levels should be highest in the mornings soon after waking up, this is what gets us up out of the bed. Shortly cortisol levels will begin to decline and then remain pretty steady throughout the day. As we get closer to night, cortisol should decline to allow for melatonin production and then sleep.

 

If you are feeling tired but wired at bedtime – can’t fall asleep or can’t stay asleep – then your cortisol levels are likely higher in the evening than they should be.

 

If you suspect you have or are developing Adrenal Fatigue, here’s some things you can start doing today.

 

Sleep is most important. Aim for 7-8hrs of uninterrupted sleep each night. Short term supplementation with melatonin can be helpful if you struggle to fall asleep, but the best thing you can do is get more natural light and less artificial light. Specifically, try to get outside for 10-15 minutes as early in the morning as you can, but by 10am. Then use blue light blocking glasses (make sure to get ones with amber colored lenses) at least 2hrs prior to bedtime.

 

From a nutritional standpoint work to consume less sugar, eat more whole foods, eat a wide variety of colors, add high quality, mineralized salt to your foods and add minerals to your water. I think it’s helpful to know specifically which nutrients and vitamins we’re trying to optimize with our diet, so I recommend focusing on foods that are rich in vitamin C, B vitamins, and Magnesium.

 

  • Vitamin C rich foods: cruciferous veggies- brussels sprouts, kale, broccoli

  • Vitamin B rich foods: eggs, chicken, red meat, tuna, salmon, spinach, kale

  • Magnesium rich foods: cooked black beans, cooked black-eyed peas, cooked chickpeas, almonds, cashews, flaxseed

 

Lifestyle changes are also going to be necessary to get stress under control. Assess what in your life is causing you stress. Can you change it or avoid it? Say no to things, people, or events that feel draining to you. If your job is a big stressor, can you find another job?

 

If you cannot change or avoid the stressor, then can you change your mindset or thoughts around it. For example, instead of telling yourself ‘I have to go to work today’ say ‘I get to go to work today which provides for my family’.

 

Keep a running gratitude list where you can write down things you are thankful for, even the small things.

 

Don’t over exercise or do lots of strenuous exercises. Move your body to get in NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis) movement. You can do this by playing outside with your kids, going for a walk with friends, listening to an audio book or your favorite podcast while you take a walk by yourself.

 

Lastly, I encourage you to find the things that help you unwind. This is likely going to look different for everyone as we all have different preferences. For me personally, I find taking a bath to be very relaxing. I like to add Epsom salts (my favorite brand here) so that I am also supporting magnesium levels at the same time.

 

What Supplements Help with Adrenal Fatigue?

Supplements are meant to be just that—supplemental. You can’t out supplement a bad diet, bad choices, or a negative mindset.

 

However, while you’re in the healing process and making sustainable lifestyle adjustments, supplementation might be necessary.

 

These can be helpful: vitamin c, vitamin b5, b complex, magnesium, liquorish root extract/tea (take in the morning only, not after 3pm), GABA for anxiety stress, melatonin at bedtime, apoptogenic herbs, ashwagandha root/leaf, ginko biloba, and/or an adrenal support blend. 

 

You can shop my favorite supplement brands and get a 10% discount here. Please remember it is always important to talk with your provider or practitioner prior to starting any supplements.

 

If you are looking to add supplements to your routine, I do recommend getting HTMA testing so that you know which supplements will be most beneficial for your unique body. The wrong type of supplements or in the wrong dosage, could cause more harm & stress on your body, instead of helping.

 

I offer HTMA testing in a variety of packages, click here to read more about those options.