Needing a Charge: How Adrenal Fatigue May Help Explain Why We Are So Tired

Photo credit: Heidi Kaden

“Your body is an absolute mirror of your mind.” – Abraham Hicks

Our physical body is a powerful window into our mental health. The direct connection between our mind and body has long been of interest to me… just apparently not enough to make working out a regular habit! 😖Intellectually, we know that our biology sets the pace each day for our energy, both physical and emotional. We all want more energy: the good kind we can tap into throughout our day. That said, even with the best of intentions (cue familiar refrains such as “I’ll work less hours”, “I’ll get more sleep”, “I’ll drink less coffee and alcohol”, “I’ll workout more”), burnout and chronic fatigue can creep in.

We’ve likely all been there. I know I have. The potential lasting effects of this – energy deficiency, depression, anxiety, low sex drive, difficulty producing cortisol – are serious and the sooner we begin to heal the better.

What’s happening inside?

What is the source of this burnout and how does it show up? One possible answer is adrenal fatigue. Often the culprit of physical and emotional burnout but rarely discussed, especially among clinicians, this is powerful knowledge to achieving optimal wellness. 

The concept of adrenal fatigue first came to me last year at a visit to Dr. Sanger at Clayton Wellness Center. I explained my symptoms of fatigue, irritability and anxiety and she immediately suggested it could be adrenal fatigue. 

This sparked my curiosity and – because the universe often conspires with us – I came across a virtual webinar hosted by Palm Health last month which delved much more deeply into this phenomenon. A physician, Dr. Jamison, and three awesome female health & wellness experts with Palm Health discuss in very easy-to-understand terms how adrenal fatigue works. I highly recommend listening to this webinar if you suspect you might have adrenal fatigue. The adrenal glands are small organs near your kidneys that manage stress (and serve many other important functions) through production of cortisol. These glands may be small but they are mighty. Who knew? Cortisol works with our brain to control our mood, motivation and fear, reduces inflammation, manages how our body uses carbs, proteins and fats, regulates sleeping and waking cycles, reduces blood pressure and helps boost our energy levels to allow us to handle stress (and restore balance afterward.) 

I hadn’t realized until listening to these experts, that we experience adrenal fatigue in phases. And that the more severe your fatigue, the more lasting the negative impact can be. Another key takeaway: cortisol is one of our body’s superpowers. We can help cortisol do its job by paying attention to where we place our attention and energy. When stress is prevalent, the adrenals can’t create enough cortisol to effectively manage that stress and keep us thriving. Even if we are among those people who say, “I thrive on stress!”. This may seem the case in the short term, but this attitude will always catch up to us. Understanding what energizes and recharges you is powerful. The valuable practice of understanding and managing your energy will provide a reservoir of renewal that you can tap into again and again.

Energy Management 

I relate 100% to what one of the health experts, Sarah Bird, say she hears often from her clients: “I can’t handle stress the way I used to.”. Sarah offers great insights on ideal cortisol levels throughout the day and, specifically, that adrenal fatigue is often an indicator that our cortisol levels are way out of balance.

This definitely resonated with me. So how do we unpack this and improve our energy? We all probably conceptually know which activities calm us down, stress us out, and drain us. It’s worthwhile to take inventory of those moments and create patterns that we can weave throughout our lives.

I’m a builder, a creator. I like to put ideas in motion and the people in place to execute. I’m driven by the desire make a difference and manifest a positive result. I am at my best when I am taking inspired action. When I am no longer building but in maintenance mode (“rinse and repeat”), I tend to grow weary and experience low energy.

For you, it could be gardening. For someone else, it could be a long bike ride. Or working on that thing—that book, home renovation project, business plan…you’re in your “zone”. You’re feeling your best, making progress, you’re engaged, and it just flows. When you’ve done that thing, you’re so thankful you did and it shows in your cortisol level. You know it when you feel it.

We can turn this knowledge into the life we want by listening to our bodies. Asking ourselves, “what about this experience inspires me, energizes me?”. Is it creating something that never existed before? Breathing new life into old things? Is it trying something new and different? You may be energized because you’re connecting with others, solving a problem, or sharing knowledge. Perhaps you’ve found renewed energy because you’ve taken the time to care for yourself… acting in alignment with the type of person you want to be. This has been especially hard to practice in this period of quarantine when many of the activities we rely on to regulate our stress (time with friends, alone time without children, a date night) are not as readily available to us.

When you figure out what brings you joy and fills your bucket, you can begin to do more of these things. As a builder, I notice my energy and engagement levels increasing when building a new development program for my team, creating a system of chores and rewards for my kiddos, strategizing about a new service offering for the company, starting a new book, or even writing this post. What fills you up? Find your charge and plug into it everywhere you can.

Don’t Hesitate to Make a Lifestyle Change

Once we determine which activities and environment that bring us energy, it’s important that we seek these out to recharge. A few areas we can control, as suggested by these experts, include practical steps such as:

Better Sleep - Reduce use of technology an hour or two before bedtime (whoa; this would require major lifestyle change for me)

Adopt Sleep Rituals - Epsom bath, incense on bedside, read a book.

Move Your Body - Even a walk, tai chi, yoga. High impact exercise will have an inverse effect and is not recommended.

Conscious Diet - Avoid fatty and/or sugary foods and alcohol before bed. Supplement diet with nutrients to stave off adrenal fatigue (Ashwagandha, B Complex, Magnesium - all available at Target!).

Regular Acupuncture - I have benefitted so greatly from acupuncture for calming the nervous system and can tell when I let too much time pass between sessions.

An a-ha moment I had after listening to the Palm Health wellness experts is that if we get too far down the path of stress-induced adrenal fatigue, many of the techniques to bring us back to center will no longer work. For example, telling someone to workout who is already depleted, stressed and depressed will actually make things worse. So take it one step at a time. For me this will mean trying to turn my devices off an hour earlier every night, getting back to regular acupuncture sessions and attempting to consume alcohol only on weekends (wish me luck!). These may not seem difficult but bad habits are hard to break and will require discipline.

When we can really do more of what fills our cup – the energizing, inspiring things we are happiest doing — that’s where the sweetest fruit grows. As Abraham Hicks’ message beautifully illustrates: managing our energy is just as much a physical exercise as a mental one. I am the first to admit that I am prone to burnout and need this reminder; especially in this challenging period in our lives. If not just for my own well-being, then for my team members, clients, kids and husband who will experience a more energetic and engaged version of me. Will you join me?