Adrenals, Thyroid, And Stress Response
Adrenals, Thyroid, And Stress Response
It's difficult to imagine a world where we could be completely free from stress. It is to some extent, unavoidable, and when you have issues with your thyroid or adrenals, life can feel extra difficult. The first step to fixing this is to understand the adrenal-thyroid connection and how stress impacts the function of these essential organs.
How Chronic Stress Impacts Thyroid Function
The thyroid and adrenals are part of the endocrine system. The thyroid is located in your neck and the adrenals are on top of the kidneys in your abdomen. Both of these organs produce hormones - and hormones regulate everything. Even though the adrenals are most known for producing adrenaline and dealing with fight or flight response, it also produces other important hormones such as cortisol, and helps regulate blood pressure, blood sugar, immune response, digestion, and electrolyte balance.
It all starts in the hypothalamus - when you experience something physically, mentally, or emotionally stressful, your hypothalamus sends a message to the pituitary gland. The pituitary gland then tells your adrenal glands to produce a variety of stress hormones, but most notably, cortisol.
The presence of cortisol and other stress hormones change your body's functioning, an overdrive of sorts. The purpose of this is to focus on the stressor and to prioritize alleviating it. There are body-wide effects of this shift, including the slow down of digestion, suppression of immune response, and the slowing of thyroid hormone production and thyroid hormone distribution. If this is an acute stressor, the body should return to normal after the event is over.
However, due to our society and the way we experience life under various oppressive structures, we experience chronic stress. This is stress that is continuous, or compounded by other stressors. Well our evolutionary biology does not respond well to this much continuous stress - and that impacts our adrenals by overworking them and their ability to continue making more hormones becomes impaired. This is known as adrenal fatigue. Adrenal fatigue causes hormone levels to plummet and this has a direct impact on your thyroid function.
Cortisol feedback loops
Cortisol functions in a negative feedback loop with the hypothalamus and pituitary gland. When cortisol rises in the bloodstream, the pituitary and hypothalamus hear the message to slow down their production of additional stress hormones and this includes the thyroid hormone production as well.
Stress Affects Available Thyroid Hormone
Stress hormones affect the enzymes that convert T4 thyroid hormone (not ready to be used) to T3 thyroid hormone (ready to be used). Stress also means we convert more of our active thyroid hormone (T3) to reverse T3, an inactive version of the hormone that cannot be u sed by the body. Essentially, stress creates this cascade where all your metabolic processes become slowed down. This is where your symptoms are coming from.
Cellular Resistance to Thyroid Hormone
The stress response tells the body to release inflammatory immune cells (cytokines) which have the effect of making your thyroid receptors less sensitive to incoming thyroid hormone. This cellular resistance means that you are still suffering from slow thyroid symptoms even if you take more thyroid hormone in the form of medication.
Shortage of Unbound Thyroid Hormone
Prolonged cortisol elevation increases estrogen accumulation. Estrogen increases levels of thyroid-binding globulin (TBG), which is the carrier protein that taxis your thyroid hormones to travel through your bloodstream. When thyroid hormones are attached to TBG they remain inactive, so T4 can’t be stored in your tissues or converted to Free T3. When you use hormonal contraception that contains estrogen, you also have this same issue.
Suppressed Immune System
Your body evolved so that you could overcome acute stress. This means your immune system will become temporary suppressed so you can focus on fixing the problem, and also to curtail inflammation. A suppressed immune system leaves you more open to infections and even auto-immune disorders.
Leaky Gut Issues
While the immune system is suppressed, cortisol actually weakens the primary barriers of the immune system, such as the blood-brain barrier, lungs, and gut barrier. High cortisol can cause breakdown of the gut walls and leaves you open to more serious chronic conditions like autoimmune disease.
Charting and Testing for Adrenal Fatigue
Your adrenal function is intimately connected to the effectiveness of your thyroid hormones. It is very important to determine if adrenal stress is an underlying cause of your thyroid dysfunction. That way you can treat them both.
Unfortunately many patients with adrenal-related thyroid problems are just put on thyroid medication without adrenal support. These are the people who are most likely to get worse. They can experience a racing heart, shaky hands, and other side effects as their body is forced to ramp up from the sudden rush of thyroid hormones.
Blood tests are not super accurate because of how much your stress hormones fluctuate every day, and a one time test will only be so helpful, but your symptoms are usually the most obvious indicator that you are dealing with adrenal fatigue.
Using fertility awareness can be an asset for tracking your adrenal fatigue and determining the best course of action. In the custom categories section of your chart, start charting
energy levels (how often are you tired)
stressful days
mood or emotional events such as panic attacks, crying spells, frustration, rage
headaches
exercise
erratic sleep
cravings for sugar or salt
sugar intake
libido
caffeine
These categories can help you get a handle on how much support you need to be giving your endocrine system.
How to Support Your Adrenals
The best way to support your adrenals and thyroid problems is to learn to manage the stress in your life. This may mean you need to learn tools and practices to remove yourself from a stressful situation, and this is complex depending on each person's needs.
Stress-Relieving Tools to Support Your Adrenals
Ways to reduce stress:
Infrared Sauna Therapy
Relaxing Hot Bath with Lavender Oil
Light to Moderate Exercise, like a walk through a nature trail, a walk down the beach, simple yoga flows
Helpful Supplements for Adrenal-Thyroid Health
Adaptogenic herbs help the body adapt and cope with stress. I like Rhodiola rosea, Panax ginseng, Eleuthero senticosus, Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), and Maca root (Lepidium meyenii), Sarsparilla root (Smilax regelii), Prickly Ash Bark (Zanthoxylum clava-herculis).
B Vitamin Complex
Omega 3 fatty acids- Cod liver oil or oil from anchovy, sardine, mackerel. Must be oxidation tested (important!) - if you can get your omega 3's from fresh seafood, that is preferred to supplementation.
Magnesium glycinate