Exhausted All the Time? The Truth About Adrenal Fatigue (and How to Fix It)
Discover the hidden causes of your burnout and simple steps to reclaim your energy and balance.
Welcome to My Journey and Yours!
Hello all! For those of you new to my Substack, I’m Kimberly Anne. I want to say a huge thank you to everyone for being part of this adventure! I started writing on Substack in 2022 to share my journey but as with most things… my focus has shifted to help others achieve their dreams of moving abroad. I also have a separate publication “An Unscripted Life” for whatever is not specifically travel related, which is where this article will live. But I believe you will find what I have to offer in this arena helpful as well.
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Why Adrenal Fatigue?
I am qualified to talk about this topic because I was a licensed, practicing acupuncturist and herbalist for fifteen years. Additionally, I suffered from adrenal fatigue myself and seem to have it again 🥺 😳
You may be suffering from Adrenal Fatigue if:
You wake up feeling exhausted.
You rely on coffee or other caffeinated beverages to start your day and/or keep you going throughout the day.
It takes you an hour or longer after waking to feel like you can mentally function.
You have more energy at night than you do in the mornings.
You are tired and dragging all day long.
In a society of go, go, go it’s no surprise that many people suffer from Adrenal Fatigue, which in layman’s terms is “tired all of the time or tired at the wrong times” or as one of my past patients so eloquently labeled it “wired tired.”
Adrenal Fatigue ranges from mild to severe. The good news is that it’s not permanent. There are ways to combat it, which I’ll talk about further on in this article.
Adrenal Fatigue: The Hidden Energy Thief
In a nutshell, the adrenals are glands (sitting atop our kidneys) that release cortisol, among other hormones. Cortisol is key to controlling our circadian rhythm. It is also the stress hormone, helping you to regulate your stress. If your adrenals are run down they may not be able to release enough cortisol or they may release too much at the wrong time. Once they are exhausted, they will need time to recover in order to function properly again.
Constant intake of caffeine will burn your adrenals out. You may be on that endless loop that happens to so many people (myself included). You wake up exhausted so you drink a caffeinated beverage. That gives you a boost of energy but it’s not real energy. Still, it gets you going for your day. You are able to accomplish your morning routine and tasks but hit a wall again a couple of hours later or after lunch. So you drink more caffeine to rev your motor once again. By evening you’ve got your “second wind” and find it difficult to fall asleep. Or maybe you’re just dragging through each day feeling like you could sleep for a thousand years but never having the time to do so. Perhaps you’re like me: I go to sleep between 11pm and midnight to wake up between 3am and 5am every day. I can’t go back to sleep. I accomplish a great deal in the early morning hours but then hit the exhaustion wall sometime during the day and have to take a nap. After napping, I often drag for the remainder of the day. Some night (very few) I get the requisite eight hours of sleep but feel utterly exhausted all day long, no matter what I do or don’t do.
Caffeine: Friend or Foe?
When we’re worn out to the point of exhaustion (adrenal fatigue) our bodies aren’t producing enough cortisol in the morning. So what do we do? We turn to false energy.
But caffeine robs our adrenal glands of cortisol giving us less of what we need, not more. When we drink caffeine, our brain sends a message to the pituitary gland which releases a hormone that tells our adrenals to release cortisol and adrenaline, as though we are in a fight or flight situation. Random intake of caffeine will not tax your adrenals but constant intake will. You’re not alone, I am 100% guilty of this.
Last month I weaned myself off coffee and on to green tea, which is a healthier caffeine intake since it also provides the amino acid L-theanine. Theanine, actually has calming effects. *It can also help boost and sharpen your mental focus according to studies.
Caffeine itself does not actually provide your body with more energy, it doesn’t “give” something to your body that it can use in a constructive and healthy way. Instead it “mimics”. The actual mechanism of caffeine is that it changes the way your brain works.
Adenosine: The Science Behind Your Exhaustion
We have a chemical that is present in our cells called adenosine. In the brain, adenosine is utilized as an inhibitory neurotransmitter to promote sleep. Caffeine mimics adenosine, binding to the adenosine receptors, so that the actual adenosine neurotransmitter cannot bind.
Caffeine does not give us energy, it tricks our brain into thinking we are not tired. Unfortunately our bodies and brain remain without the rest they need to properly heal.
If your adrenals are stressed, your circadian rhythm (your body’s twenty-four hour sleep/wake clock) may be completely off; telling your adrenal glands to release cortisol at night instead of in the mornings. It’s a vicious roller coaster and if you don’t get off the ride it can eventually lead to full blown Adrenal Fatigue, which if untreated can land you in bed for months. I had a friend with this issue. She is a bright and talented, young artist who could not function for almost a year; until she addressed and fixed the problem.
Much of our society is suffering from some form of adrenal fatigue. If you are tired during the daytime, if you wake up in the morning (after 8+ hours of sleep) not feeling rested and/or if you are wired at night – you may have an adrenal problem.
A normal circadian rhythm is when your cortisol is high in the morning and low at night. Your melatonin should be high at night and low in the morning. But many people have unusual spikes and valleys of cortisol.
The reason so many people have issues with cortisol levels is because this is the hormone secreted by the adrenals in response to stress.
Stress can be perceived by the body whether it’s real or imagined and sends our central nervous system into fight or flight mode which releases cortisol. This is great when we’re dodging a stampede of caffeinated squirrels. But it’s not so great when we’re stuck in traffic and angry at the cars around us because we’re late for work, or when we get in a fight with the boss.
Your body doesn’t know the difference and responds to even minor issues as though they were life and death situations by releasing cortisol. Eventually your adrenals tire out and can’t release enough cortisol = enter adrenal fatigue.
The good news is that this can be resolved through time and effort.
The Quick and Easy Adrenal Fatigue Test
One great way to test your adrenal response is to shine a flashlight along your eye while standing in a dark/ish room in front of a mirror. Watch your pupil and see how long it takes to constrict from the light. It should only take seconds but people with adrenal issues will have a problems with constriction.
Your pupil may initially constrict, but then it will dilate, attempt to constrict again, and continue alternating between dilating and constricting. A good way to keep track of your adrenal fatigue is to time how long it takes for your pupil to finally fully constrict without dilating again.
Personal Story:
I took an adrenal fatigue lab test, testing my cortisol levels and was diagnosed with adrenal fatigue. I had very low levels of cortisol in the morning (below the lowest recommended) and quite high levels at night. Then I did the above mentioned test and couldn’t even wait out the time for my pupils to stay constricted. I gave up after several minutes.
However, once I started on the protocol to heal my adrenals, the time that it took for my pupils to stay constricted eventually shortened.
Thus, when you start your adrenal protocol you can use this test each month to see if the protocol is working.
Your Adrenal Recovery Toolkit
You don’t have to do every single one of these things. Try a few and see what works best for you.
Supplements
My favorite supplement if you choose only one is licorice. Do not use if you have hypertension/high blood pressure. I’ve had past patients who were able to cure their adrenal fatigue after only a couple of months by substituting coffee for licorice tea in the mornings and getting adequate amounts of sleep.
Another favorite supplement of mine is ashwagandha. Ashwagandha can regulate your cortisol levels. So if your cortisol is high, it lowers it and if your cortisol is low, it raises it. I take ashwagandha at night but it can be taken in the morning or at night. However, please note that prolonged use may have adverse effects on your liver so if you have any liver disease, I advise against it.
Rhodiola – good for fatigue and anxiety. This is also a great mood stabilizer to help with depression. Do not take at night.
Vitamin C with Bioflavonoids (make sure the brand you choose is GMO-free and organic, as most Vitamin C is now made from GMOs). Can take morning and night though some people notice increased energy with Vitamin C.
Vitamin B Complex with B5 – Pantothenic Acid – do not take at night.
Important to Note: If you go the route of supplements be sure to take a break from them every once in a while. I say this because I took supplements for years and after my last blood test, I had levels that were far too high of K, Calcium, B vitamins and selenium. So I stopped all of those for eight months. I continue to take D3 which is great for the immune system and vitamin C because it’s water soluble but I get tested for all vitamins every six months.
Lifestyle Changes That Support Adrenal Healing
Limit your coffee intake to 1 cup or less per day. Coffee puts a lot of stress on your adrenals. Or better yet, switch to green tea!
Eliminate stress – stress causes the fight or flight response = cortisol release. Easier said than done yes, but stress truly is a killer and responsible for a myriad of health issues. Watch this documentary for free: Stress, Portrait of a Killer.
Eat every 3-4 hours (ideally: protein, complex carbs and fat) – a little bit is fine: ie: nuts, or a protein shake.
Exercise - (cardio) 3x a week for 20-30 minutes.
Sleep - Try to get 9-10 hours of sleep each night. The adrenals like to be asleep by 10:30pm (and you get your second wind by 11pm so it’s best to be asleep before then) and they like to wake up at 9am. If you can’t do this just get as much sleep as you can. Taking a rest (even laying down flat without sleep during the daytime) for 15 minutes can rejuvenate your adrenals.
If you wake up during the night and can’t go back to sleep eat a little protein before sleep OR when you wake up.
Here’s a great meditation from Leo Babauta: The simplest cure for insomnia: “get comfortable and close your eyes, and then replay your day in your head, in every detail possible, from the moment you woke up. Start from the moment your eyes opened, and replay every movement — getting out of bed, starting the coffeemaker, going to the bathroom, washing your hands, or whatever. Don’t summarize — leave nothing out.”
Conclusion
In conclusion, adrenal fatigue is a challenging but manageable condition that many of us unknowingly struggle with in today’s fast-paced world. Healing your adrenals takes time, patience, and small, consistent changes to your daily habits. Whether it’s cutting back on coffee, prioritizing sleep, or incorporating supportive supplements, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution—just find what works best for you and stick with it until you’re better.
Remember, your body is resilient, and with the right support, you can restore balance and feel like yourself again. Thank you for taking the time to read this article, and I hope it empowers you to take the next steps toward healing. As always, I’m here to support you on your amazing adventure!
Resources
Footnote: Theanine
Information on Cortisol
Circadian Rhythm
Central Nervous System
Vitamin B Complex with B5
Stress: Portrait of a Killer Documentary (free)
Leo Babauta Zen Habits
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But I love black coffee sooooo much. But I have cut back to one large cup most mornings.
This is great information. Thank you.