The Adrenal Glands

 What Are They? 

The adrenal glands are small, triangular-shaped glands that sit atop your kidneys. The adrenal glands regulate our body’s response to stress in several ways. 

There are two main sections of the adrenal glands: the outer adrenal cortex and the inner adrenal medulla. 

The outer adrenal cortex is further divided into three layers. 

• Zona glomerulosa – the site of mineralcorticoid production (i.e. aldosterone), which helps to regulate sodium/potassium balance in the body 

• Zona fasciculata – the site of glucocorticoid production (i.e. cortisol), which helps regulate blood sugar balance 

• Zona reticularis – the site of sex hormone production (i.e. DHEA, androstenedione) 

The inner adrenal medulla, has a direct connection to the brain. In virtually all of the other hormone-producing glands in the body, the message to secrete a hormone is transmitted via a chemical messenger traveling through the blood stream. For example, TSH, a hormone, tells the thyroid to produce thyroid hormone. ACTH, a hormone, tells the adrenal cortex to secrete cortisol. Not so with the adrenal medulla. There is a nerve that goes directly from the brain to the adrenal glands. When you are in an acute stress situation, you want your body to respond quickly- the fight or flight response. 

Dysfunctional Adrenal Glands 

Adrenal function can be broken down into two categories: 

1. Overactive 

2. Underactive 

Overactive adrenal glands usually produce too much cortisol and possibly other adrenal hormones (i.e. epinephrine, aldosterone). Since cortisol plays a role in elevating blood sugar, this is often accompanied by an increased blood sugar level. Over time, this might end up leading to conditions like insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome. 

Underactive adrenal glands, on the other hand, produce inadequate amounts of hormones, especially cortisol, to maintain homeostasis in the body. A common clinical problem with underactive adrenal glands is hypoglycemic symptoms due to fluctuations in blood sugar. Normal, healthy bodies release cortisol to help liberate glucose to maintain the functions of our brain, organs and cells when blood sugar levels decline between meals, or overnight during sleep. When cortisol is unavailable, glucose levels get too low. The adrenal glands release epinephrine (aka adrenaline) as their back-up plan. 

This causes the lightheadedness, shakiness and irritability that people with low blood sugar experience, and is why people with low blood sugar commonly wake up during the night. 

What can cause dysfunctional adrenal glands? Unfortunately, a lot of things: mental/emotional stress, food sensitivities, blood sugar imbalances, infections (i.e. parasitic, bacterial), excessive exercise… basically anything that is a perceived stress on the body.