3 Things To Know About Chronic Stress & Thyroid

Our exploration of why you might be feeling knackered all the time continues with three things to know about chronic stress & thyroid. Last time we talked about blood sugar regulation, and now it’s time to look at the very often misunderstood subject of your adrenals and the effects of chronic stress on your thyroid and energy levels.

Firstly, let me say this: Adrenal fatigue does not exist and we should stop using this term. It is way more complex than that, and I am will be unpacking this for you today!

3 Things To Know About Your Adrenals

1. What adrenals are, and why you should care

Adrenal glands sit on top of your kidneys (think of them as little cute hats 👒 ) that produce the stress hormone cortisol.

Cortisol is actually pretty handy in stressful situations but when stress becomes chronic it can affect us a lot and not in a good way.

It can lead to:

elevated glucose levels leading to insulin resistance and difficulty with losing weight
increased TSH and decreased conversion – Hello FATIGUE
lowered immunity
Reproductive health issues- missing periods and issues with conception low progesterone
higher osteoporosis risk
changes in how we see the world – emotional dysregulation

And you might be thinking … Aggie, I am not stressing about anything now so why would that affect me?

Our bodies can get stuck in the stress response even if the stressor is gone.

One unprocessed traumatic event (and more of this next week) can ‘live’ in our body for years, keeping us stuck. Also, a series of smaller events can also over time produce similar effects.

I see a degree of adrenal issues in most of my clients. It’s like a dance between thyroid, heightened stress response, and imbalanced glucose that is responsible for most of the peskiest symptoms that I see in my practice every day.

2. Adrenal fatigue is an outdated term

The adrenals don’t get exhausted or fatigued.

We used to think that due to chronic stress, the adrenals would continuously produce excess cortisol which in time leads to them getting fatigued and cortisol levels flatlining.

Now we know it’s not that simple and understand the mechanisms a little better.

The more correct term would be adrenal dysfunction or HPA axis dysfunction, as the entire process is very much dependent on our brain and its ability to tell danger from safety.

HPA stands for Hypothalamus Pituitary Adrenal axis. The Hypothalamus is our brain’s stress command centre. The Hypothalamus senses danger and activates the stress response via our nervous system (again more on that next week) and via the hormone pathway.

In the hormone pathway, our adrenals are instructed to pump the stress hormone cortisol, increasing the heart rate, blood pressure, and blood sugar and basically getting us ready to deal with the danger. When the danger is over it sends our brain the signal that it’s safe to chill again.

3. When things go wrong

It is all good when things happen and our body can return to a regulated state.

But what if the stressor happens again and again (i.e. every time you go to your GP or think about your thyroid or look at your results)?

What if our body doesn’t know how to get back to balance?

This is when the HPA axis dysfunction develops. It can lead to high cortisol levels. It can lead to low cortisol levels if the HPA axis becomes desensitised to the stress signals or it can lead to a mix of both.

I often see low cortisol levels throughout the day, high cortisol with some clients, or a variation of both.

It presents with fatigue, un-refreshing sleep, weight gain (especially around the middle), salt cravings, cravings in general, intolerance to exercise, brain fog, low blood pressure, emotional dysregulation, feelings of overwhelm, and more…

Are you still certain your symptoms are due to your thyroid?

So how do we untangle this?

I’m not going to say it’s easy, but it’s one of the key pieces of the thyroid healing puzzle.

The good news is- everything you do on your thyroid healing journey will support your adrenals… regulating your blood sugar levels and working on reducing inflammation will help so much.

And if you make nervous system regulation your number one priority or consider an adrenal support supplement, before you know it your energy levels will start returning.

2 Questions To Ask Yourself

1. What do you do before sleep?

The number one thing you must prioritise when addressing adrenal issues is your sleep.

Make sure to use blue-light-blocking glasses 3-4 hours before sleep and stop using any electronic devices/ tv two hours before bed.

Have your last meal at least two hours before going to bed and make it protein rich and low-ish in carbs.

Buy black-out curtains. Listen to a sleep relaxation track. Read a light fiction book. Do quick extended exhale breathing exercises when the lights are out.

Make it an evening ritual you look forward to every evening.

2. What do you do straight after waking up?

Create a ritual that grounds you and sets the tone for the day each morning.

Don’t use your phone for at least 1 hour after waking up. Move your body in a way that feels respectful to your energy levels. If you can try incorporating some basic strength exercises every day.

Put a pinch of Himalayan salt in your water and drink immediately after waking up. Open the curtains and put some sun on your face (that might be tricky for those of us in the UK!).

Only drink coffee after breakfast.

1 Supplement To Try

Ashwagandha.

This is my favourite go-to supplement. Ashwagandha is not only wonderful at balancing cortisol production but also has thyroid-supporting, antibody-reducing properties.

I really like Time Health Ashwagandha and you can now buy it here with a 15% discount using the code AGGIE 15.

I hope you gained some clarity from this. I know how challenging it can be. I know as I have been there. Please know I am here if you have any questions.

PS. If you’re looking to support your adrenals and regulate the heck out of your nervous system (gently), BLOOM, my 3-month group programme was made for you!