Does Adrenal Fatigue Cause Insomnia?

If you’ve ever found yourself staring at the ceiling in the middle of the night, exhausted yet unable to sleep, you know how frustrating insomnia can be. You worry about the toll it’ll take on your energy, focus, and mood the next day. While there are many potential causes of sleep disorders, one question we frequently hear is, “Does adrenal fatigue cause insomnia?” This connection underscores the importance of understanding the intricate relationship between our bodies, stress, and sleep.

What is Adrenal Fatigue

Let’s first take a look at adrenal fatigue. The term adrenal fatigue is not readily used in medical circles because it’s actually not a “fatigue” of the adrenal glands. It’s simply a misfiring of signals. This condition is more scientifically referred to as HPA axis dysregulation. That’s a mouthful, so for the ease of our writing and your reading, we’ll just stick with adrenal fatigue for easier understanding!  

The Role of Cortisol in Adrenal Fatigue

Adrenal fatigue is a condition in which your adrenal glands are not producing the right amount of hormones, noticeably the stress hormone cortisol because the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is not firing correctly. 

Cortisol has been given a bad rap in the past few decades, as it is most commonly known as the stress hormone that causes weight gain. But cortisol, when balanced, plays an important role in our health. It regulates our daily circadian rhythm. Our bodies produce cortisol on a 24-hour cycle, signaling wake time and sleep time so we naturally receive the rest we need each night and consequently, the energy we need to get through each day. 

Cortisol production reaches its peak mid-morning, around 10 AM, and then tapers off to its lowest point around 10 PM. In a healthy individual, this allows for a balanced sleep and wake cycle. 

Adrenal Fatigue and Insomnia

Unfortunately, some individuals experience a disruption in cortisol production, leading to a disrupted circadian rhythm. This disruption often stems from chronic stress, intensified by factors like menopause, demanding work environments, relationship difficulties, poor nutrition, or past trauma. The resulting stress keeps the adrenal glands in a state of constant alert, overproducing cortisol. This excess cortisol throws the circadian rhythm off balance, causing sleeplessness at night and exhaustion during the day.

So, the question becomes: how long does it take to heal from adrenal fatigue and restore healthy sleep patterns? Unfortunately, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. It depends on the severity of your condition and your commitment to addressing stress and lifestyle factors.

The good news? Our functional medicine approach at Five Journeys focuses on the root causes, not just symptoms. We can help you unravel this complex puzzle and find the path to optimal health and sleep.

Treatment for Insomnia from Adrenal Fatigue

So how can you reverse your adrenal fatigue and insomnia? 

First things first…see a functional medicine practitioner! It doesn’t even have to be us (although we’re pretty awesome at this, so why not?!), but we do suggest seeking help from someone who will look at the entire picture of your health and not just stick you on hormone medication to be done with it. While medication may be necessary in some instances, it’s imperative that you and your doctor work together to actually heal the issue at the source. 

How to fix your adrenal issues: 

• Eliminate cortisol-triggering foods, such as bad fats, sugars, alcohol, chocolate, caffeine, processed carbs, and conventional animal products. 
• Take supplements – fish oil, maca root, vitamin B, vitamin C, and others (get tested to know what you need!)
• Exercise daily, but at moderate intensity
• Meditate and practice breathing exercises
• Reframe your negative thoughts with positive, productive thoughts
• Go to therapy – sometimes the most stress-relieving thing is to talk to someone who has no agenda and no connection with your stress

Sleeping Tips for Insomnia

• Go to bed at the same time every night
• Don’t look at a screen for at least an hour before you wish to sleep
• Keep your room cool and dark
• Don’t drink anything too close to bedtime
• Try calming essential oils such as lavender, chamomile and marjoram
• Meditate right before bed, practicing mindfulness and acceptance

Help for Insomnia and Adrenal Fatigue

At Five Journeys, we deal with hundreds of individuals who are literally “about to lose their mind” due to a lack of sleep and compounding problems. We know how debilitating this can be. But there is hope! We’ve also helped those same individuals identify the underlying cause (or causes) and map out a plan to complete healing and recovery. 

Struggling with insomnia and seeking adrenal fatigue treatment near me? Talk to us today!