How Our Adrenal System Affects Anxiety

By Ryan Light, Anxiety/Life Coach

The adrenal glands’ job is to produce the primary hormones that control our response to stress. If stress levels get out of control over an extended period of time, we might start feeling subpar. Adrenal fatigue may result.

Dr. Robin Berzin, the founder of Parsley Health, says adrenal fatigue is “characterized by a disruption of your adrenal glands’ ability to make cortisol in the right amounts at the right times in response to stress. The adrenals are the “body’s hormonal powerhouse.”

Let’s take a look at the adrenal system and a few of the various hormones that have an effect on our mood, energy levels, and overall health.

What are adrenal glands?

The adrenals are small glands that sit just above each kidney, located in the middle of your lower back. Our adrenal glands release chemicals called hormones directly into the bloodstream. Hormones help regulate your metabolism, immune system, blood pressure, response to stress, and many other important functions.

 What do the adrenals do and why are they are important?

The adrenals are involved in producing over 50 hormones that dictate almost every bodily function militant to life. Here are three types of major and important hormones: adrenaline, norepinephrine, and cortisol.

Adrenaline is commonly known as the “fight or flight” hormone. It is produced by the adrenal glands after getting a message from the brain that something stressful has immediately happened. The fight-or-flight response is an acute stress response and refers to a psychological reaction that occurs in the presence of something terrifying or dangerous, either mentally or physically. You may find yourself breathing faster, sweating, and feeling tense. Along with an increased heart rate, adrenaline gives you a surge of energy that is designed to make you run away or fight in a dangerous situation. Adrenaline is also called epinephrine.

Norepinephrine is a similar chemical messenger to adrenaline, so it can be confusing. Without getting down to the nitty-gritty, norepinephrine is mainly mediated by the sympathetic nervous system, and adrenaline is brought about exclusively by the adrenal medulla. If your adrenals are not working well, you want one of those chemicals to save you from short-term catastrophe. We have both hormones as a type of backup system.

Cortisol is the main stress hormone. It’s involved not only in fight-or-flight circumstances, but plays a part in many things your body does, including how your body manages carbohydrates, fats and proteins; keeps inflammation at bay, regulates blood pressure; controls your sleep cycles and boosts energy so you can deal with stress and restore balance after something stressful happens. Cortisol also regulates bodily functions that aren’t vital at the moment, like immunity, digestion, and reproductive drive.

How adrenals play a role in anxiety

People often think that anxiety is solely a mental health problem that’s all in our mind. But there’s probably more going on physically than meets the eye. Anxiety is the activation of the fight-or-flight system which is designed to keep you safe from harm.

“Anxiety is essentially a flight response that is malfunctioning,” according to an article on CalmClinic. “It’s when you experience this reaction to danger chronically, even when no danger is present. The system itself is incredibly important, but the malfunction is what causes people so much distress.”

The system of glands in the body — the endocrine system — releases hormones that trigger anxiety’s effects. Not every symptom of anxiety is caused by the endocrine system, but keep in mind that stress and anxiety affect almost every gland in the body. Alcohol abuse, for example, affects the nervous, endocrine and immune systems, and causes hormonal disturbances that lead to serious consequences on a behavioral level and contribute to anxiety in a big way.

The ability to respond to stress effectively is related to how well your adrenal glands are functioning. When we are stressed out, the adrenals produce cortisol. With prolonged stress, the adrenal glands become overworked and can no longer respond appropriately to stress.

In addition to high anxiety and panic attacks, other symptoms that indicate adrenal support may be needed are low energy, exhaustion, hormonal imbalances, increased menopausal discomfort and thyroid problems.

 How can we support our adrenal glands?

There are many ways to promote good adrenal health and heal from adrenal fatigue, many of which have to do with diet:

Dr. Axe’s adrenal fatigue treatment plan includes adopting a healthy diet, avoiding certain foods, taking adrenal supporting herbs and supplements, reducing stress by exercising and getting enough sleep, etc. For a more comprehensive look, visit the website Dr. Axe: Food Is Medicine.

1. The Adrenal Fatigue Solution website is another good source of information. It focuses on eight key elements of an adrenal fatigue diet, such as eating at the right times of day, eating more protein and fat, identifying food sensitivities and eating less sugar.
2. Check out a website called Stop the Thyroid Madness (also a book of the same name).

However, you should directly consult a physician who specializes in adrenal fatigue or is experienced in treating it before jumping into a new health plan or taking supplements and medications.