What Is Adrenal Fatigue?
Adrenal fatigue describes a collection of symptoms that occur when the adrenal glands, which sit atop your kidneys, struggle to keep up with chronic stress demands. These small but mighty glands produce cortisol and other stress hormones that help your body respond to challenges.
When stress becomes relentless, whether from work pressures, relationship difficulties, health challenges, or environmental factors, the adrenal glands may become overwhelmed. This can lead to inadequate hormone production and a cascade of symptoms affecting energy, mood, sleep, and overall resilience.
Recognizing Adrenal Fatigue Symptoms
Adrenal fatigue manifests differently in each person, but common symptoms include persistent fatigue that does not improve with sleep, difficulty waking in the morning, afternoon energy crashes, feeling wired but tired at night, difficulty managing stress, cravings for salt or sugar, brain fog and difficulty concentrating, low blood pressure, and weakened immune function.
Chronic stress can affect immunity and overall health. One of the main stress hormones, cortisol, causes blood vessels to constrict, potentially affecting circulation and oxygen delivery throughout the body.
The Adrenal Fatigue Spectrum
Adrenal dysfunction exists on a spectrum. In early stages, cortisol may actually be elevated as the body tries to cope with ongoing stress. Over time, the adrenals may become depleted, leading to low cortisol levels and more pronounced symptoms. Proper hormone testing reveals where you sit on this spectrum, which is essential for developing appropriate treatment.
Someone with elevated cortisol needs different support than someone with depleted cortisol levels.
Naturopathic Approach to Adrenal Health
The best treatment for burnout is to avoid stress, get enough sleep, and take a long holiday. Since stress is often unavoidable in modern life, naturopathic approaches offer comprehensive support for adrenal recovery.
Comprehensive Testing
Before treatment begins, practitioners assess adrenal function through cortisol rhythm testing. Saliva testing collected at multiple points throughout the day reveals whether cortisol follows a healthy pattern of high morning levels gradually declining toward evening.
This testing also evaluates DHEA levels, which work alongside cortisol in stress response. The ratio between cortisol and DHEA provides additional information about adrenal function and reserves.
Dietary Support
A whole food diet forms the foundation of adrenal recovery. Key dietary recommendations include eating regular meals to maintain stable blood sugar, including protein with each meal for sustained energy, emphasizing vegetables, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates, reducing caffeine which can further stress adrenals, and limiting refined sugars and processed foods.
Proper hydration and adequate salt intake also support adrenal function, as the adrenals play a role in mineral balance.
Supplement Support
Nourishing adrenal supplements are key factors in prevention and treatment of burnout. Commonly recommended supplements include adaptogenic herbs like ashwagandha, rhodiola, and holy basil, B vitamins for energy production and stress resilience, vitamin C which adrenals require in high amounts, magnesium for nervous system support, and adrenal glandular supplements in some cases.
The specific supplements recommended depend on individual test results and symptoms.
Bioidentical Hormone Support
When adrenal hormones are significantly depleted, bioidentical hormone replacement may be appropriate. DHEA supplementation, cortisol support in severe cases, and comprehensive hormone balancing can help restore function while the adrenals recover.
Lifestyle Modifications for Adrenal Recovery
Beyond supplements and diet, lifestyle changes are essential for adrenal recovery. These include prioritizing seven to nine hours of sleep nightly, practicing stress reduction techniques like meditation or yoga, engaging in gentle exercise without overtraining, setting boundaries around work and obligations, and spending time in nature and practicing relaxation.
Twenty minutes of relaxing meditation per day can help reduce stress hormones. Various apps and devices can assist with developing a consistent meditation practice.
The Connection Between Adrenals and Other Hormones
Adrenal health affects and is affected by other hormone systems. Thyroid function often declines alongside adrenal dysfunction. Reproductive hormone imbalances may worsen with chronic stress. Blood sugar regulation becomes more difficult when cortisol is dysregulated.
Comprehensive treatment addresses these interconnections, supporting the entire hormonal system rather than just the adrenals in isolation.
Working Toward Adrenal Recovery
Adrenal recovery takes time, often several months to a year depending on severity. Regular monitoring and treatment adjustments ensure progress continues. With proper support, most people experience significant improvement in energy, stress resilience, and overall wellbeing.
Practitioners can help regain adrenal health by initially testing where you sit in the spectrum of adrenal fatigue and then recommending dietary and lifestyle changes, orthomolecular supplements, herbal supplements, and bioidentical hormones depending on specific needs.