Let’s talk about “adrenal fatigue”
What is it?
“Adrenal fatigue” is a common term that is used to describe a host of symptoms related to an overworked hormonal system. Harvard Health states that according to the Endocrinology Society “no scientific proof exists to support adrenal fatigue as a true medical condition.” And, Parsley Health explains how “adrenal fatigue” is used to support a medical diagnosis of “HPA axis dysfunction”.
Let’s go backwards for a moment...
Our adrenals are two small glands that sit on top of our kidneys and produce hormones, namely the stress hormone, cortisol. When our brain senses stress, it communicates with the pituitary glands which controls all hormone production. The pituitary glands then tell our adrenal glands to generate cortisol which leads to stress responses like fight or flight.
If our brain senses that we are under constant stress (which a lot of us are due to modern life), our adrenal glands become overloaded and overworked. This then is referred to as “adrenal fatigue”, which stated above is actually not the correct diagnosis but seems more like layman’s terms when a doctor can’t figure out what your symptoms are actually pointing to. Normally, after being under stress, our bodies move into rest and recovery. If your body does not allow itself to rest and recover, it remains in constant stress making our brain-hormone communication work overtime.
Coming back to Parsley Health’s definition of HPA Axis Dysfunction, it refers to the process in which our brain communicates with our hormone system when under prolonged stress and can be totally helpful in understanding why you feel the way you do. When under constant stress, communication between your brain and hormone production can go out of control causing dysfunction in the way your body reacts to any hormone production. Simply, our brains are in communication with our hormones to regulate our bodies. When that communication is out of whack or disrupted, we experience symptoms.
Symptoms
Your symptoms exist. Never let a doctor or anyone else tell you otherwise. “Adrenal fatigue” causes many vague and widespread symptoms throughout your whole body including:
Constant tiredness
Muscle fatigue
Low blood pressure
Brain fog
Lack of motivation
Sugar or salt cravings
Digestive issues
Insomnia or other sleep issues
Mood disorders
Cognitive decline
Remedy
The best possible way to address your “adrenal fatigue” symptoms is to really figure out where your stress is coming from in the first place plus finding a doctor (Functional Medicine if possible) you trust. Because symptoms can be so elusive, it’s important to be honest, candid, and inquisitive with yourself and anyone who’s helping you. Working with a health coach, like me, and a doctor is crucial to create a strong relationship with the goal of getting to the bottom of why you feel the way you do. Through conversation and tests to monitor your cortisol (and other hormone) levels, this can happen.
Our bodies thrive from stress if you’re able to get into the rest and recovery stage. So, avoiding stress all together may not be the answer, and is also impossible. Our cortisol levels should rise at the beginning of the day and fall in the afternoon. Addressing where your stress is coming from is deeply important in the process of alleviating your symptoms. Learn to work with the stressors in your life, and add in moments of rest and recovery whenever possible.
Before spending a bunch of money on supplements and treatments that are labeled to help your adrenals, spend some time on naming things in your life that cause stress. That can be minor moments like the dog that constantly barks across the street from your house to major issues like finances. Then, try to add moments of individualized stress relief to your day like putting on calming music to drown out other noises or make a plan to start a budget next week.
It’s a bummer to say there’s no one-size-fits-all treatment plan to alleviate your symptoms of “adrenal fatigue”, but there are many routes to getting your brain-hormone communication back on track.
Stress relief is a huge topic in working with clients and it’s extremely unique to each and every one of us. Journaling, meditating, doing yoga, or running for 60 minutes per day may not be an option for you, but any little bit you’re able to include has benefits. Five minutes here and there adds up to a lot, and rewarding yourself for little successes may help to get a new, stress-relieving habit to stick.
