Updated: Nov. 10, 2024
- Symptoms can’t always be tied to a specific diagnosis
- Adrenal function and thyroid function are closely connected
- The adrenal glands and thyroid each produce essential hormones
- Stress impacts both thyroid and immune system function
- Stress reduction for adrenal and thyroid health includes diet, environmental stress, and lifestyle changes
When Mia started working with me, she’d already been to see numerous other practitioners and specialists. They’d prescribed various medications for a range of diagnoses, but she was still feeling, as she described it, a little “off”.
When I asked which symptoms were bothering her most, the first thing she said was “I’m tired all the time.” I wasn’t surprised; this is one of the most common complaints I hear from women. And Mia was a mom with a full time job – she had a lot on her plate!
Mia chose to come to me because she’d recently started to learn about adrenal fatigue. When talking about how tired she felt, she said that she wasn’t sure whether it came from the adrenal fatigue she suspected she had, the hypothyroidism she had recently been diagnosed with, or the anxiety disorder she’d had for years.
She was shocked when I said it was probably all of the above. Conventional medicine has trained us to see all of our health concerns, diagnoses, and parts of the body as separate entities, so when symptoms arise, we try to match them to a specific condition. But the reality is, we can’t pinpoint which symptoms go with which diagnoses – they’re all connected!
People don’t immediately think about the connection between adrenal fatigue and the thyroid, but the relationship is very real, and important to understand if you are working on healing from issues in either (or both) areas.
The adrenal fatigue & thyroid connection
The adrenals and the thyroid are both part of the endocrine (hormonal) system. The adrenal glands sit on top of the kidneys and are best known for their essential role in our stress response system, releasing hormones like cortisol and adrenaline that help us cope with dangers large and small. The hormones they produce also play a role in regulating blood sugar, immune system response, digestion, blood pressure, and more.
The thyroid gland is found in the front of the neck, and is also responsible for producing essential hormones that our bodies need in order to function properly.
Adrenal fatigue, or dysfunction, is a result of chronic stress. Our stress response starts to struggle and hormone production is dysregulated. We produce too much or too little cortisol, as well as have difficulty producing enough DHEA. That leads to feeling exhausted and run down, headaches, cravings, insomnia, depression, brain fog, and other issues, and we are likely to lean on stimulants like coffee to get us through the day.
The thyroid and adrenals glands work together, and in combination with other glands, to produce and deploy necessary hormones. When adrenal function is low, thyroid function is likely to suffer too.
Fatigue, brain fog, and mild or moderate depression are common symptoms of both hypothyroidism and adrenal fatigue. For those who are diagnosed with hypothyroidism but do not feel better with treatment, it is likely that there is also some adrenal dysfunction or another underlying imbalance present.
The effects of stress on thyroid hormone production
Understanding how stress and adrenal function affect the thyroid is the first step towards solving the problem and achieving balance and optimal health.
Our endocrine (hormonal) system is a team that works together, and when something changes with one component, everything can be affected. When the adrenal glands release cortisol in response to stress, it’s a signal for certain other endocrine functions to take it easy. This includes the production of thyroid hormones.
Stress hormones released by the adrenal glands also affect how much we convert the T4 hormone into free T3 or reverse T3. The increased presence of stress hormones means that we produce more reverse T3, which basically puts the brakes on all kinds of important functions and processes within the body.
A dysregulated stress response can also lead to thyroid receptors becoming less sensitive to thyroid hormones. This means those hormones can’t carry out their function, and your body may not adequately respond to thyroid medications.
The combination of adrenal dysfunction and decreased thyroid function can disrupt our metabolism in major ways, often leading to issues with blood sugar regulation, insulin resistance (which can lead to type 2 diabetes), and weight gain.
Adrenal fatigue, the immune system, and thyroid Disorders
Stress and adrenal fatigue suppress immune function so that the body can focus more energy on coping with the stressor. That’s fine in the short term, but chronic interference with the immune system can lead to all kinds of problems, including a leaky gut and autoimmunity. So, how does this relate to the thyroid?
The most common thyroid disorder in the US by a long shot is Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism, which is an autoimmune condition. The body is attacking its own healthy cells and tissues; in the case of Hashimoto’s, that is the thyroid.
When it comes to Hashimoto’s, it’s really not the thyroid gland that’s the issue, it’s the immune system– which is greatly influenced by the adrenal glands, the HPA axis, and our stress response.
Hashimoto’s accounts for about 90% of thyroid issues in the US, and is much more common in women than in men. The trouble is that most doctors focus on treating the low thyroid production by prescribing thyroid hormones to boost levels. This doesn’t address the underlying cause, which is immune system dysfunction– often caused, at least in part, by chronic stress and adrenal fatigue.
It’s no coincidence that the more stressful our world becomes, the more chronic disease, thyroid dysfunction, hormonal imbalances, and autoimmune conditions we see. These illnesses don’t just come out of nowhere! Chronic diseases of all kinds are influenced by what’s going on inside of us, and stress is a major player.
As I said before, stress suppresses many functions and processes to deal with stressors. In addition to immune system function, this includes less emphasis on taking care of the gut lining, a process that requires way more energy than you might think. When the gut lining becomes compromised, foods and other substances can leak into the bloodstream (we call this “leaky gut”, or intestinal permeability). This causes inflammation, and can lead to autoimmunity.
The other problem here is that inflammation and autoimmunity themselves are stressors, just like challenging life events and toxic chemicals. So when our bodies are in a state of dysregulated inflammation or autoimmunity, the adrenal glands and the rest of our stress response system become even more burned out, and it becomes a vicious cycle.
How to Restore Adrenal and Thyroid Function
Because adrenal dysfunction often underlies thyroid dysfunction, including autoimmune thyroid disorders, a comprehensive treatment plan should involve working to reduce stress and regulate adrenal function. Remember, we may not be able to change the stress but we can learn to deal with the stress differently.
An adrenal fatigue treatment protocol is largely diet and lifestyle based, and can be followed in conjunction with other thyroid treatments as necessary.
Here are some of my top tips for healing from adrenal fatigue and restoring thyroid function:
- Reduce dietary and environmental triggers. Think of everything your body takes in as either helping or hurting your adrenal and thyroid function. Step-by-step, work on going through your fridge, your bathroom cabinet, your house, and your life, and clearing out the things that fall into the category of “hurting”. You can think of dietary and environmental triggers as sort of the low-hanging fruit when it comes to stressors. It can be a long-term process and challenge to decrease perceived stress, heal from trauma, and walk away from toxic relationships and situations– all extremely important, but gradual. You are also likely to find more energy and strength the more you can limit your intake of toxins and inflammatory foods, which will help you to make additional, long term changes for the benefit of your health.
- Follow an anti-inflammatory or autoimmune focused diet. Removing inflammatory foods like sugar, processed foods, gluten, and dairy from the diet is important. You also want to make sure that you are consuming enough of the good things that nourish you and contribute to your healing. Focus on clean sources of protein, lots of vegetables, nuts, seeds, and anti-inflammatory herbs and spices. The Autoimmune Paleo Diet is one option for a general framework to follow.
- Make time for self-care and stress management. I always work with my patients on strategies for enhancing mindfulness, stress management strategies, and making room for “me” time. Some of my patients tell me that they’re just not into meditation, and that’s fine! You may find more peace by walking in nature, listening to calming, classical music, or taking long hot baths. As long as your strategy isn’t introducing more stress or toxins into your body, there is no right or wrong way to practice self-care and mindfulness! Find what works best for you, and make time for it.
- Balance your blood sugar. When adrenal and thyroid functions are suppressed, metabolic functions like blood sugar regulation suffer. Give your system a helping hand by making an effort to keep your blood sugar balanced. Eat regular, nourishing meals including plenty of clean protein and healthy fats, and keep nourishing, high protein snacks around in case of emergencies. You can now get a continuous glucose monitor to see how the food you are eating and the lifestyle you have are affecting YOUR blood sugar.
- Try adaptogenic herbs. Adaptogens are a powerful category of herbs that help to regulate the stress response, and I’ve found them to be very helpful for many of my adrenal fatigue and hypothyroid patients. Examples include rhodiola and ginseng.
- Work on sleep habits. The more nights of good, long, refreshing sleep you can get, the better chance you will have of improving your adrenal and thyroid function, and feeling better. I don’t know anybody who gets a perfect, uninterrupted 8 hours of sleep every single night, but we can all take steps to get closer to this goal. A lot of it comes down to setting up the right environment for sleep: a very dark room, lightweight and breathable PJs and bedding, limited caffeine and stimulants in the afternoon, and limited use of screens at night. Herbal teas including chamomile can also help to relax you before sleep.
- Consider supplementation. There are a number of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that can help to boost adrenal and thyroid function, including B vitamins, vitamin C, magnesium, and omega 3 fatty acids.
Making connections is a crucial part of my functional medicine approach. I talk about the links between major systems and conditions not to make things more complicated but in order to provide a little bit of clarity. The more we can fit the puzzle pieces together, the more likely we are to truly heal the body as a whole.
