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How Cortisol Affects Thyroid Function
In today’s lesson, “How Cortisol Affects Thyroid Function” from the Thyroid Balance course, we explore how chronic stress and cortisol imbalances can impact your thyroid health.
Just like insulin, cortisol — produced by your adrenal glands — plays a key role in thyroid function. Chronic high or low cortisol can lead to insulin resistance, which in turn can contribute to hypothyroidism. Cortisol also affects hormone receptors, TSH levels, and the conversion of T4 to T3, sometimes increasing reverse T3 (the inactive form), which lowers your body’s active thyroid hormone levels.
Acute cortisol responses can be helpful — for example, during illness, your body naturally slows metabolism to conserve energy and support healing. But when stress is chronic, this system can get dysregulated, leaving you feeling constantly run down, tired, and struggling with thyroid-related symptoms.
✨ The takeaway: Supporting adrenal health and managing stress is essential for proper thyroid function. Addressing cortisol imbalances can help your body produce and use thyroid hormones more effectively.
Check out today’s lesson in the Thyroid Balance course for practical tips on testing cortisol levels and supporting adrenal and thyroid health.
