Chapter 3
What Causes Adrenal Fatigue

Adrenal fatigue, in all its mild and severe forms, is usually caused by some form of stress. Stress can be physical, emotional, psychological, environmental, infectious, or a combination of these. It is important to know that your adrenals respond to every kind of stress the same, whatever the source.

Life’s stresses at their worst come in the form of such cataclysmic events as the death of a loved one, an automobile accident or a serious illness. But stress can also take its toll in less obvious ways, like an abscessed tooth, a bout of the flu, intense physical exertion, a severe quarrel with a loved one, pressure at the workplace, an unhappy relationship, environmental toxins, poor diet, etc. If these smaller stresses occur simultaneously, accumulate or become chronic, and the adrenals have no opportunity to fully recover, adrenal fatigue is usually the result. Its symptoms are clear, distinct and sometimes, uncomfortably familiar.

The illustration “Factors Affecting the Adrenals” gives some examples of common causes of adrenal fatigue. In short, adrenal fatigue occurs when the amount of stress overextends the capacity of the body (mediated by the adrenals) to compensate and recover from that stress or the combined stresses. Once this capacity to cope and recover is exceeded, some form of adrenal fatigue occurs.

Often the causes of adrenal fatigue are not obvious because the combined stresses look so different. Our bodies may not even tell us when we are under stress. In one study, hospital workers in a pediatric nursing care unit (a workplace noted for its high stress and burnout) were totally unaware of being under stress, but their cortisol levels were elevated by 200-300%. The level of the adrenal stress hormone cortisol is a common measure of stress. It is important to remember that all stresses are additive and cumulative. That is, the number of stresses, whether or not you recognize them as stresses, the intensity of each stress and the frequency with which it occurs, plus the length of time it is present, all combine to form your total stress load.

Although it is impossible to exactly quantify the total stress load, your body does it every day, minute by minute, making instantaneous adjustments as these stresses change. It is when the body becomes unable to make the appropriate changes to these stresses that adrenal fatigue begins. The worse the overload relative to the ability of the body to respond, the worse the adrenal fatigue. Each person has a different capacity to handle the total stress load, and the capacity of each person varies over time and events.

One of the commonly overlooked sources of stress and resistant adrenal fatigue is chronic or severe infection. Adrenal fatigue is often precipitated by recurring bouts of bronchitis, pneumonia, asthma, sinusitis, or other respiratory infections. The more severe the infection, the more frequently it occurs or the longer it lasts, the more likely it is that the adrenals are involved. Adrenal fatigue can occur after just one single episode of a particularly nasty infection, or it can take place over time as the adrenals are gradually fatigued by prolonged or recurrent infections. If there are other concurrent stresses, such as an unhappy marriage, poor dietary habits or a stressful job, the downhill ride is deeper and steeper. The reciprocal is also true; people suffering from low adrenal function often have a propensity toward respiratory illness. The next chapter will show you who is most susceptible to adrenal fatigue, and why.