Chronic stress can affect your body’s ability to recuperate from physical, mental or emotional stress. Most people have dealt with adrenal fatigue at some point in their lives, usually during a stressful point in their life.
The adrenals influence many parts of the body. Symptoms of adrenal fatigue can mimic a number of disorders and aren’t always easily recognizable. Symptoms like brain fog, moodiness and trouble sleeping can be overlooked by doctors because they are indicative of many disorders.
Adrenal fatigue was proposed as a new condition in 1998 by Dr. James L. Wilson. His assumption was that an overstimulation of the adrenal glands by long-term stress could lead to an inconsistent level of cortisol in the bloodstream. Dr. Wilson describes the unique progression of adrenal fatigue throughout the day: You wake up and are unable to function without a significant amount of caffeine. You finally feel a burst of energy during the early part of the day. Then your energy level crashes around 2 p.m., rises around 6 p.m. and then falls again around 9 p.m. Your energy finally peaks again at 11 p.m.
One of the fundamental aspects of functional medicine is understanding that health, illness and most conditions exist on a spectrum. Adrenal health and function also exist on a spectrum. Conventional medicine recognizes a few medical conditions related to the adrenals, namely Addison’s disease, or chronic adrenal insufficiency, which is what happens when you have lost 90 percent of your adrenal function.
Cushing’s disease is when your body is consistently overproducing cortisol. This critical stress hormone can cause irritability, depression, anxiety and also has some physical symptoms like fat in the abdominal region, moon-like face and a fatty lump on the back of the neck.
The adrenal glands, which sit on top of the kidneys, produce hormones that are required for our stress response. The most famous is cortisol, but the adrenals are also responsible for producing DHEA, estrogen, progesterone, adrenaline and dopamine, which communicate with the rest of the body. Adrenal fatigue is a problem that involves the whole system, which includes the brain.
The big issue when dealing with adrenal fatigue is stress. We live in a world that is throwing constant stressors at us all day long. When we are in a “fight or flight mode,” the adrenal glands release the stress hormone cortisol. Other essential tasks like digestion, immune system function and rest take a backseat. Our heart rate increases and our muscles tense up. We were not designed to be in this constant state of “must survive.”
Our bodies are often experiencing stress even when we don’t feel stressed. Eating inflammatory foods, constantly reacting to emails and notifications, being exposed to chemicals and sleeping poorly can all contribute to stress overload. We were built to bounce back from stress to a certain extent, but when it’s constant, we can end up depleting our reserves and running dry.
Studies indicate that adrenal fatigue symptoms include: Autoimmune conditions, chronic fatigue, brain fog, hair loss, hormone imbalance, weakened stress response, insulin resistance, lightheadedness, decreased sex drive/libido, moodiness and irritability, depression, muscle or bone loss, skin ailments , sleep disturbances/sleep apnea, weight gain, sweet and salty food cravings and loss of appetite. There are now many natural ways to treat and support your adrenal system.
Adrenal fatigue doesn’t have a clear-cut definition or strict criteria for diagnosis, which is a problem with conventional medicine. Functional medicine is not worried about labeling it, but is concerned with understanding what’s going on within the body and healing the root cause.
There are many different kinds of stress that over time can build up and lead to adrenal fatigue. The list of stressors is long and also includes poor sleep, eating inflammatory foods, overuse of sugar or caffeine, getting too much exposure to blue light from screens at night and imbalances in the gut to name some.
Fatigue is one of the most common complaints in medicine. If you are experiencing symptoms like fatigue, anxiety, low blood sugar or difficulty losing weight, it is absolutely important to rule out conventional medical causes first. But don’t let your symptoms be dismissed as they are not just in your head,
In every case of adrenal recovery, diet is a huge factor. First, start by removing any hard-to-digest foods and any toxins or chemicals in your environment. Removing anything that taxes your adrenals is important.
Foods that need to be avoided include: Caffeine (or limited amount before noon), sugar and sweeteners (use raw honey or stevia), carbohydrates, processed and microwaved foods, processed meats (stick to grass-fed beef and free-range chicken or turkey), and hydrogenated oils (use coconut oil, olive oil, organic butter or ghee).
Add these foods to your diet: Coconut, olives, avocado and other healthy fats, cruciferous vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts), fatty fish (wild-caught salmon), free-range chicken and turkey, bone broth, nuts (walnuts and almonds), seeds (pumpkin, chia and flax), kelp and seaweed, Celtic or Himalayan sea salt, fermented foods rich in probiotics, chaga and cordyceps medicinal mushrooms.
Another way to overcome adrenal fatigue is to take the right supplements using supporting herbs. CoQ10, Alpha lipoic acid, N-Acetyl Cysteine and Acetyl-L-Carnitine can be helpful. Others that can help include: Adaptogenic herbs ashwagandha, rhodiola rosea,schisandra and Holy Basil; licorice root (don’t take more than four weeks at a time); fish oil (EPA/DHA); vitamin D; selenium; lavender oil; rosemary oil; magnesium; B12; vitamin B5: vitamin B6; vitamin C; trace minerals; amino acids; L-Tyrosine; L-Taurine; 5-HTP; L-Theanine; GABA; phosphatidylserine; and hormones used only under the supervision of a qualified medical professional.
Try the following natural stress relievers: Rest when you feel tired; sleep 8-10 hours a night; avoid staying up late; laugh and do something fun every day; minimize work and related stress when possible; eat a regular food cycle and reduce caffeine and sugar addiction; exercise; avoid negative people and self-talk; learn how to say no; take time for yourself; and seek counsel or support for traumatic experiences.
For full adrenal recovery, you can expect it to take 6-9 months for minor adrenal fatigue, 12-18 months for moderate fatigue, and up to 24 months for severe adrenal fatigue. The best approach is to make changes to your lifestyle for lasting results. If you aim for a balanced lifestyle with a healthy level of sleep, exercise, fun and a positive environment, then you are most likely to keep your adrenal system going strong.