11 Signs of Adrenal Exhaustion

Content updated from previous publish date.

If you feel tired all day long, even after getting a good night’s sleep, it could be a sign that your stress load is more than your adrenal glands can handle. The adrenals are a pair of triangle-shaped glands that sit on top of your kidneys, and they take center stage in your stress resilience, cognitive function, and hormone balance. The truth is adrenal exhaustion, also known as adrenal fatigue, is one of the most common yet most overlooked health problems in recent times.

WHAT ARE THE ADRENAL GLANDS?

The adrenal glands are involved in producing hormones in the body, including cortisol, which is involved in the fight-or-flight response. Imagine that you’re hiking through the woods with your children when suddenly, a mountain lion appears. Immediately, your heart starts pounding and your adrenals begin producing adrenaline and other hormones to give you a quick burst of energy to fight the lion or pick up your children and run away as fast as you can.

The problem is that your body doesn’t recognize the difference between one kind of stress and another. Whether it’s physical stress at the sight of a mountain lion or mental stress caused by working 60 hours at your job each week, your body reacts the same way: it pumps out loads of stress chemicals.

When running from the lion, you put the chemicals to use and get them out of your system—no problem. But many people are faced with the latter type—intense mental stress—on a daily basis, and eventually, it can lead to adrenal exhaustion.

WHAT IS ADRENAL FATIGUE?

In our go-go-go society, we experience stress on a regular basis. Traffic jams, relationship problems, and last-minute work projects mean that we’re stressed from the time we open our eyes until we hit the sack at night. This can cause our adrenal glands to go into overdrive, making them produce cortisol continuously. If chronic stress last for many months or years, the adrenal glands can burn out. We call this adrenal exhaustion, adrenal fatigue, or adrenal gland failure, and it reduces your body’s ability to cope with daily stressors.

When this occurs, you may feel fatigued throughout the day, have trouble tackling or completing chores or tasks associated with daily living, and may find it difficult to perform at work. Adrenal fatigue makes you fat — especially in your abdomen, which not only looks bad but also increases your risk for cardiovascular disease. Chronic exposure to stress hormones also kills brain cells in the hippocampus, a major memory structure in the brain.

WHAT CAUSES ADRENAL FATIGUE?

Chronic, unrelenting stress is considered one of the most common causes leading to adrenal fatigue. One of the contributors to chronic stress is a lack of sleep. An estimated 50-70 million Americans aren’t getting enough of it, according to statistics from the State of Sleep Health in America in 2022. If you aren’t getting adequate sleep—approximately 7-8 hours at night—your body enters a state of stress overload. Other potential causes include a poor diet, excessive use of caffeine or stimulants, chronic pain, negative thinking patterns, emotional trauma, exposure to environmental toxins, and food sensitivities.

In addition to these issues, people with adrenal fatigue may also have low levels of DHEA, a master hormone that is involved in the production of many other hormones. DHEA levels generally begin to decline once a person hits age 30 and may be depleted in some people with medical and mental health issues, such as anorexia, end-stage kidney disease, type 2 diabetes (non-insulin-dependent diabetes), AIDS, and more. Certain medications, such as insulin, steroids, and opiates, may also play a role in lowering DHEA levels.

11 SIGNS OF ADRENAL FATIGUE

How can you tell if you or a loved one has adrenal exhaustion? Common signs and symptoms include:

1. Decreased ability to withstand stress
   2. Mental fog with poor memory and difficulty concentrating
   3. Morning and afternoon fatigue, lack of stamina
   4. Abdominal fat that doesn’t go away, no matter what you do
   5. Low libido
   6. Cravings for sweets or salty foods
   7. Hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) under stress
   8. Dizziness when getting up from a sitting or lying position
   9. High blood pressure and rapid heartbeat
   10. Signs of premature aging
   11. Recurrent infections and poor wound healing

If you notice these symptoms, it’s a good idea to discuss them with a healthcare provider who is familiar with adrenal fatigue.

DIAGNOSING ADRENAL FATIGUE

Getting diagnosed with adrenal fatigue can be challenging. This is why it’s important to see a medical professional, such as an integrative medicine (or functional medicine) physician, who is familiar with the condition. Typically, testing for adrenal fatigue involves checking cortisol, DHEA-S levels, and other hormone levels. Blood tests may not be helpful, however, saliva tests may be beneficial in helping to detect abnormal levels.

NATURAL REMEDIES FOR ADRENAL FATIGUE

There are several natural ways to combat adrenal fatigue including:

• Stress-management techniques: Reducing stress is key to recovering from adrenal fatigue.
• Meditation: Making meditation part of your daily routine can calm stress.
• Self-hypnosis: Using hypnosis to put yourself into a state of relaxation can be very beneficial.
• Kill the ANTs: Eliminating automatic negative thoughts (ANTs) can help reduce stress and worry.
• Eliminate nutritional stressors: Avoid caffeine, alcohol, sugar, and processed foods.
• Eat foods that support adrenal function: Focus your diet on foods that are nutritious, low in sugar, and high in fiber.
• Nutritional supplements:
  • B vitamins—either in foods like green leafy vegetables or in supplements—support the adrenal system and help our bodies deal with stress.
  • 5-HTP helps you sleep and boosts serotonin levels in the brain, which helps you calm stress.
  • Phosphatidylserine can also be helpful for adrenal fatigue.
  • DHEA, if levels are low, is an important supplement to counteract adrenal fatigue.
  • Adaptogens: Some research shows that adaptogens improve resistance to stress.
  • Vitamin D: Some studies have linked low vitamin D levels to the overproduction of cortisol and suggest that supplementation with vitamin D may be beneficial in adrenal diseases.

Recovering from adrenal fatigue takes time. Remember, it took months or even years to wear down your adrenal function, so it will take some time to heal. The best way to accelerate the healing process is to adopt healthy lifestyle changes that reduce stress and support adrenal function.

Adrenal fatigue and other mental health issues can’t wait. At Amen Clinics, we’re here for you. We offer in-clinic brain scanning and appointments, as well as mental telehealth, clinical evaluations, and therapy for adults, teens, children, and couples. Find out more by speaking to a specialist today at 888-288-9834 or visit our contact page here.