Do you think you have Adrenal Fatigue?

If you’re in perimenopause or menopause and exhausted, start with our menopause fatigue guide, which covers what “adrenal fatigue” is and isn’t.

Adrenal fatigue is a phrase used online and in wellness settings. You may have heard it without knowing what it means.

This article covers what the term means and its commonly reported signs.

What is adrenal fatigue?

James Wilson, who coined the term, described adrenal fatigue as a group of general symptoms that indicate that your adrenal glands aren’t functioning as well as they should. Your adrenal glands produce hormones such as cortisol, which plays a role in energy. These glands also produce hormones that are important for metabolism.

Adrenal fatigue refers to possible problems with cortisol:

• Not producing cortisol at the right times
• Producing too much or too little cortisol
• Other problems with cortisol or cortisol signaling

Your cortisol spikes and dips throughout the day. For example, it spikes in the early morning around 6 to 9 am and dips quite low around 10 pm. With adrenal fatigue, you may be producing too much at night or not enough in the morning. You may feel “wired and tired.”

What are the symptoms of adrenal fatigue?

Because your adrenal glands produce hormones such as cortisol, adrenal fatigue is associated with symptoms related to energy and metabolism.

These symptoms include:

• Fatigue and/or wired and tired
• Weight gain
• Low blood pressure
• Body aches
• Loss of hair
• Feeling lightheaded

What causes adrenal fatigue?

Cortisol contributes to alertness, energy and the stress response. Adrenal fatigue can arise from long-term stress.

The theory is that chronic stress keeps cortisol high even when it should be low. The adrenal glands may then be overwhelmed, and the body may have trouble responding to cortisol and other stress hormones. This can lead to the symptoms described above.

The medical community does not accept the term as a diagnosis, but the symptoms are real. Long-term stress can cause fatigue, body aches and other difficult symptoms.

If you have these symptoms, talk with your naturopathic doctor about stress, adrenal fatigue and functional testing for adrenal function.

What can you take to support your adrenals?

There are herbs and nutrients that help to build the adrenals, herbs that help with cortisol production, and herbs that can help lower or modulate stress. Some ashwagandha preparations may help with stress or sleep, but adaptogen supplements have not been established as treatments for adrenal dysfunction. Options include:

• Ashwagandha
• Rhodiola
• Eleutherococcus
• Phoshatidylserine
• Pantothenic acid
• L-theanine
• Holy Basil
• Maca
• Glycyrrhiza glabra
• Schisandra
• Vitamin C
• Trace minerals

Talk with us before adding any new herb or supplement to your regimen.

Related Article: Too Much Anxiety and Worry Can Be Caused By Hormonal Imbalance