The adrenal glands are part of what is called the HPA (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal) axis, which controls how your body reacts to stress. When faced with a stressful situation, your adrenal glands release a cascade of hormones, including adrenaline, DHEA, and cortisol as part of your fight-or-flight response. Once the threat has passed, your body processes normalizeyour heartbeat and breathing slow to their usual rate, your muscles relax, and your adrenals turn off production of those hormones until they are needed again.

In cases where stress becomes chronic, there can be a seemingly constant flow of stress hormones, that in turn, overwhelm your body and contribute to brain health/mental health issues. Chronically high cortisol levels also cause your blood sugar and insulin levels to spike. This can lead to harmful changes in the brain, including a drop in the calming neurotransmitter serotonin. High levels of cortisol are linked to mental health conditions, such as anxiety, depression, and PTSD.

In the brain, chronic stress produces more white matter and fewer neurons (gray matter) than normal, skewing their balance and disrupting communication within the brain.

More:
Hormone Evaluation and Replacement Therapy | Amen Clinics

Comments are closed.