Adaptogens or Nervines? Why So Many People Get This Wrong (and How to Know What Your Body Is Actually Asking For)
Somewhere along the way, we were taught that feeling tired means we need more energy.
More supplements.
More stimulation.
More “support.”
And so people reach for adaptogens because that’s what the internet told them to do... and then they quietly wonder why their anxiety gets worse, their sleep falls apart, or their crash hits harder than before.
This isn’t because adaptogens are bad herbs.
They’re brilliant, actually.
But they’re often given to the wrong system.
What most people are dealing with isn’t adrenal burnout. It’s nervous system dysregulation. And those two states, while deeply connected, ask for very different plant kin.
Let’s talk about it.
First: What Adaptogens Actually Do
Adaptogens are not calming herbs.
They are not relaxing herbs.
And they are not “anti-stress” in the way most people think.
Read those 3 sentences again.
Now that's not to say that some adaptogenic herbs are not also nervines. As we know, a lot of herbs have crossover properties. It isn't always black and white, but for the sake of education, let's move on as if there is a hard line between adaptogens and nervines.
Adaptogens work primarily through the endocrine system, especially the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis. Their role is to help the body adapt to stress by increasing resilience, stamina, and stress tolerance over time.
They do this by:
- modulating cortisol output
- supporting adrenal signaling
- improving metabolic and immune resilience
- increasing the body’s capacity to respond to stressors
Adaptogens are incredibly helpful when someone is:
- depleted
- collapsed
- foggy
- unable to get going
- struggling with blood sugar instability
- experiencing true long-term burnout
They help the body say, “I can handle this.”
But here’s the key nuance:
Adaptogens assume the nervous system is capable of resting when given the chance.
And for many people… it isn’t.
What Nervines Do (and Why They’re So Often Overlooked)
Nervines work through the nervous system, especially the autonomic nervous system, which is the part that governs stress response, digestion, sleep, muscle tone, emotional reactivity, and sensory processing.
Nervines don’t increase capacity.
They increase safety.
They help the body:
- downshift out of fight/flight/freeze
- soften chronic vigilance
- release muscle guarding
- restore parasympathetic tone
- re-establish rhythm between activation and rest
This is why nervines are often the missing piece for people who feel:
- wired but tired
- anxious yet exhausted
- unable to sleep but unable to function
- overstimulated by small stressors
- tense even at rest
Nervines help the body remember how to rest; not by force, but by reassurance.
The Core Confusion: Energy vs. Regulation
Here’s where things go sideways for many people.
When someone feels exhausted, they assume they need more energy.
But exhaustion can come from two very different places:
1. True Adrenal / Endocrine Depletion
This is slower, deeper, and more structural.
It often follows years of stress without recovery.
Signs include:
- difficulty getting going at all
- low blood pressure
- blood sugar crashes
- reliance on stimulants just to function
- feeling better with gentle stimulation
- a sense of collapse rather than anxiety
This is where adaptogens shine.
2. Nervous System Dysregulation
This can happen quickly — sometimes in months, weeks, or even days.
Signs include:
- feeling constantly “on”
- hypervigilance
- anxiety
- insomnia
- muscle tension
- digestive shutdown under stress
- emotional reactivity
- fatigue that worsens with stimulation
This is where nervines are essential.
Giving adaptogens here is like turning up the volume on a system that’s already too loud.
It’s important to say this gently: adrenal burnout and nervous system dysregulation rarely exist in isolation. They are in constant conversation. The adrenals respond to the nervous system’s perception of safety or threat, not the other way around. When the nervous system lives in prolonged vigilance, the stress response is activated again and again... and eventually, the adrenals are asked to keep up without adequate recovery. In that way, nervous system dysregulation often comes first, even if adrenal symptoms are what finally get named.
Where these two states diverge is not only in physiology, but in felt experience. Adrenal burnout tends to feel like collapse: low stamina, difficulty initiating action, dependence on stimulation just to function. Nervous system dysregulation feels different. The body is tired, yet unable to rest. Muscles stay guarded. The mind remains alert even in stillness. Sleep doesn’t restore because the system never truly powers down. When these states are confused, people reach for herbs that increase capacity when what they actually need is permission to stand down. People who can already rest and recover do well with adaptogenic herbs, because they just need more capacity. People who cannot rest well don't need more capacity. They need more rest and recovery, so nervines are a better choice.
I cannot stress (pun intended) this enough: Chronic nervous system dysregulation is one of the quietest and most costly energy drains of modern life. Living day after day in fight or flight demands an extraordinary amount of fuel. Muscles stay primed. Digestion slows. Sleep becomes shallow. Cortisol and adrenaline are called upon again and again, not for true emergencies, but for emails, deadlines, relational strain, constant noise, and the subtle pressure to always be available.
Over time, this relentless demand doesn’t just exhaust the nervous system — it taxes the adrenal glands that are responding to those signals. This is often how dysregulation slowly turns into adrenal burnout. And this is where nuance matters. Because when the body is spending most of its energy on vigilance, herbs that increase output can feel overwhelming, while herbs that restore regulation can feel like relief. Sensing which system is asking for support (capacity or safety) can make or break someone’s experience with any given herb.
Why Adaptogens Sometimes Make People Feel Worse
This is one of the most important conversations we’re not having.
If the nervous system is already overstimulated, adaptogens can:
- increase alertness without restoring rest
- deepen anxiety
- disrupt sleep
- push the crash further down the road
- create a cycle of “borrowed energy”
People often say:
“I felt better for a few days… then I felt worse.”
That’s not failure.
That’s mis-matched medicine.
In many cases, the nervous system needs to feel safe enough to rest before adaptogens can do their job properly.
A note of care: If you’ve already been working with adaptogens and feel worse, this isn’t a failure — and it doesn’t mean your body is broken. It often means the nervous system hasn’t been given enough support to feel safe resting yet. In those cases, adding nervines first can help reestablish rhythm, after which adaptogens may become supportive rather than overstimulating.
How to Discern What You Need
Instead of asking, “What herb should I take?”
Try asking, “What is my body asking for?”
Here’s a simple way to differentiate:
Choose nervines if:
- you feel wired but tired
- rest doesn’t restore you
- your mind won’t shut off
- stress lives in your muscles, gut, or chest
- you feel emotionally raw or easily overwhelmed
- caffeine worsens anxiety
Choose adaptogens if:
- you feel collapsed or depleted
- you struggle to get going at all
- stimulation helps (without anxiety)
- blood sugar and stamina are unstable
- stress feels heavy rather than sharp
And often... and, this is the hard truth of it all... nervines come first. Adaptogens come later.
They’re Not Opposites. They’re Sequential.
Nervines and adaptogens aren’t enemies.
They’re collaborators.
But the order matters.
Nervines help establish regulation and safety.
Adaptogens help build capacity once regulation exists.
When used together thoughtfully and sequentially, they can be profoundly supportive.
When used interchangeably… they confuse the body.
Herbalism is not about taking the strongest herb.
It’s about choosing the right relationship.