Our body is well equipped to deal with and often benefits from short-term stress. However, our body does not deal well with prolonged stress of any kind, and will often start to break down.
The adrenal glands are part of your endocrine system, and along with the hypothalamus and pituitary, make up the HPA axis. The HPA-axis (hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis) is the main system involved in your body’s stress response. This system is also directly involved in the production and regulation of many other hormones, including hormones that regulate metabolism, growth and development, sexual function, reproduction, sleep, mood, repair and regeneration of cells and tissues, and it helps maintain fluid and mineral balance, and glucose control.