If you’re talking about adrenal health, the term “adrenal fatigue” might come up. Trying to define it, on the other hand, is a little trickier. According to some experts, it’s not even a real thing.
The adrenal glands are part of the endocrine system. They’re responsible for producing various hormones that the body needs to keep functioning. There are specific problems that can affect your adrenal glands, mostly because they’re producing too much or too little of a certain hormone. These are things like Addison’s disease and Cushing syndrome. It’s highly unlikely a doctor will diagnose you with adrenal fatigue.
That’s because there are no formal diagnostic criteria for adrenal fatigue. There are no scientific studies to prove its existence, let alone how to deal with it. The man who first coined the phrase “adrenal fatigue” was a chiropractor by the name of James Wilson. He thought that a certain combination of symptoms could be caused by the adrenal glands becoming exhausted.
For the most part, adrenal fatigue is pretty self-explanatory. It’s based on the theory that when you become extremely tired (fatigued) because of long-term stress, whether it’s physical, mental or emotional, it causes various parts of your body to become worn down. That includes the adrenal glands, which become so exhausted that they no longer work properly.
Adrenal fatigue has been around as a concept since 1998. There are lots of supplements that claim to be able to treat it, though, as you might imagine, there’s no more scientific evidence supporting them than there is supporting the existence of adrenal fatigue in general. Some of these supplements are harmless or may even have other health benefits, but some may be downright dangerous. As always, be very careful where you buy, and always check the ingredients list.
Doctors worry that if someone thinks they have adrenal fatigue, it may discourage them from investigating if they have a diagnosable medical condition that can be treated. Symptoms like tiredness, insomnia and cravings can occur as a result of a variety of illnesses, or even just as part of daily life. Taking medication to improve adrenal function when your adrenal glands are already working could also cause a whole new set of problems.
No one can say with 100% certainty that adrenal fatigue doesn’t exist, but it’s probably not something you should be worrying about.
