Overview of endocrine system

There are many glands in our body and endocrine glands are the ones that are very important for many things among which is our psychological state as well. These glands release hormones directly in our bloodstream and different hormones travel to their receptors throughout the body. Here we will mention some of the most important endocrine glands in our body.

Pineal gland is a small endocrine gland situated in the brain and it is egg shaped. It releases melatonin, a hormone that plays a great role in sleeping functions and sexual development. Pituitary gland is also located in our brain and it is a gland that controls the work of all other glands in the body, which is why we also call it the master gland. This gland secretes adrenocorticotrophic hormone that has an impact on the adrenal glands, thyrotrophin that influences on the thyroid gland, and follicle stimulating hormone that affects the gonads. There is one very important hormone that this gland releases and that is the growth hormone. In some cases, especially when someone suffers from the brain tumor, this gland releases too much of this hormone and that causes gigantism. Thyroid gland is placed in the neck and it has a shape of a butterfly. It releases thyroxin, a hormone that is very important for metabolic processes in our body. When the thyroid gland releases low levels of thyroxin, a person can gain weight due to slow metabolism and feel tired and weak. If the gland releases too much of this hormone, a person will be hyperactive and unable to gain weight. These days a great number of people suffer from under active thyroid gland and that can be one of the explanations for the increased number of people who are overweight. As for the adrenal glands, we have two of them and they can be found right above our kidneys. These glands secrete adrenalin, as the name says, and corticosteroid. Adrenalin is also called epinephrine and it is very important hormone that is secreted in stressful situations. It enables us to react fast and its purpose is initially existential. That is why this kind of response is called fight or flight. Although, it is very useful in situations that are endangering our existence, this hormone can be the cause of different ailments and even death, if a person is under stress for a long period of time. Gonads are sexual glands and they are different in men and women. Men have testes and women ovaries that secrete sex hormones. Ovaries are responsible for the production of estrogen, while testes secrete testosterone. These hormones are important for secondary sexual characteristics like growth of hair on different parts of the body.