Your adrenal glands, in addition to managing fight or flight responses, produce hormones crucial for metabolic processes, similar to your thyroid.

Stress prompts your hypothalamus to signal your pituitary gland, which then instructs your adrenal glands to release stress hormones like cortisol, forming the Hypothalamus Pituitary Axis (HPA axis).

During stress, cortisol redirects bodily functions to prioritise immediate needs, pausing digestion, immune response, and thyroid hormone activity until the stress subsides.

Chronic stress can lead to adrenal fatigue, overwhelming the adrenals with continuous cortisol release, negatively affecting thyroid function.

1. Reduced Thyroid Hormone Production: Cortisol slows down the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and thyroid hormone production.

2. Reduced T4 to T3 Conversion: Stress hormones inhibit T4 to T3 conversion, leading to metabolic slowdown and hypothyroid symptoms.

3. Thyroid Hormone Resistance: Stress-induced cytokines reduce thyroid hormone sensitivity, causing symptoms despite normal hormone levels.

4. Oestrogen Dominance and Thyroid Hormone: Elevated cortisol can cause excess oestrogen accumulation, affecting thyroid hormone transport and activity.

Testing adrenal function is crucial for addressing thyroid issues effectively, as adrenal health influences thyroid hormone effectiveness.

Conventional cortisol testing may not provide accurate results due to hormone fluctuations throughout the day

Thanks for reading.

Louise xx