Feel tired all day long, even after a good night’s sleep? This could point to one of the most overlooked health concerns: signs of adrenal fatigue caused by excessive stress on the adrenal glands.

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.

Adrenal exhaustion, also known as adrenal fatigue, is one of the most common yet overlooked health problems in recent times.

WHAT ARE THE ADRENAL GLANDS?

The adrenal glands are involved in producing adrenal 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—daily, and eventually, it can lead to adrenal exhaustion.

WHAT IS ADRENAL FATIGUE?

In our go-go-go society, we experience stress regularly. 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 the hormone cortisol continuously.

Prolonged exposure to chronic stress can lead to adrenal glands burning out, manifesting as key signs of adrenal fatigue, such as persistent tiredness, difficulty concentrating, and low energy levels. 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 can also make you fat—especially in your abdomen, which 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 one of the primary contributors to signs of adrenal fatigue, which can also result from poor sleep, an unhealthy diet, or exposure to toxins. Chronic stress can affect the function of the pituitary or adrenal glands, 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 Warning Signs of Adrenal Fatigue You Should Know

Wondering if you or a loved one might have adrenal exhaustion? Look out for these signs of adrenal fatigue:

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

In addition to these, there are other symptoms that may indicate adrenal fatigue, such as muscle weakness and mood changes.

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 WITH BLOOD TESTS

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.

Diagnosing adrenal fatigue often requires evaluating cortisol and DHEA-S levels, especially if you’re experiencing persistent signs of adrenal fatigue, such as morning fatigue and difficulty concentrating.

In some cases, blood tests may not be helpful, however, saliva tests may be beneficial in helping to detect abnormal levels.

ADRENAL INSUFFICIENCY: A RELATED CONDITION

Adrenal insufficiency is a condition where the adrenal glands do not produce enough hormones, particularly cortisol. This can be caused by damage to the adrenal glands or a problem with the pituitary gland, which regulates the adrenal glands.

Depending on the underlying cause, adrenal insufficiency can be categorized as primary, secondary, or tertiary.

• Primary adrenal insufficiency, also known as Addison’s disease, occurs when the adrenal glands are damaged, often due to an autoimmune disease, infection, or tumor.
• Secondary adrenal insufficiency occurs when the pituitary gland does not produce enough adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), which stimulates the adrenal glands to produce cortisol.
• Tertiary adrenal insufficiency occurs when the hypothalamus, a part of the brain that regulates the pituitary gland, is damaged or not functioning properly.

Symptoms of adrenal insufficiency can include fatigue, weight loss, low blood pressure, and darkening of the skin. If left untreated, adrenal insufficiency can lead to serious complications, such as an Addisonian crisis, which is a life-threatening situation that requires immediate medical attention.

WHEN TO SEEK MEDICAL HELP

If you’re experiencing any of the following symptoms, seek medical help immediately:

• Severe abdominal pain
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Abdominal tenderness
• Low blood pressure
• Rapid heartbeat
• Confusion
• Seizures
• Coma

If you’re experiencing any of the following symptoms of adrenal issues, make an appointment with your healthcare provider:

• Fatigue
• Weight loss
• Muscle weakness
• Low blood pressure
• Darkened skin
• Low blood sugar
• Nausea and vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Abdominal pain
• Joint pain
• Hair loss
• Mood changes

It’s also important to seek medical help if you have a history of adrenal insufficiency or Addison’s disease and are experiencing any of the following:

• Increased thirst and urination
• Dizziness or lightheadedness
• Headaches
• Muscle cramps
• Numbness or tingling in the hands and feet

Early diagnosis and treatment of adrenal insufficiency can help prevent serious complications and improve quality of life.

NATURAL REMEDIES TO SUPPORT ADRENAL FATIGUE

If you’re noticing signs of adrenal fatigue, incorporating natural remedies can help restore adrenal function:

• 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 stress resistance.
  • 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.

Reviewed by Amen Clinics Inc. Clinicians