Question

Do you produce the same amount of growth hormone, insulin,epinephrine,estrogen,cortisol,thyroxine every hour,every day,every month?

Answer 1

Growth hormone-Growth hormone secretion increases during sleep and stress.The level peaks in childhood and gradually decreases with increase in age.

Insulin-Insulin is secreted at a low level in basal rate .Its level is low in early morning and it reaches a peak in afternoon.It is increased after food consumption to enable the uptake of glucose by the cells.

Epinephrine-There is low level secretion of epinephrine in the basal state but it is increased in any fight or flight situation.

Estrogen-The secretion of estrogen varies according to the stage of the life cycle.It is not secreted prior to puberty.At puberty; estrogen secretion starts and it undergoes cyclicak changes during the menstrual cycle.After menopause ; its level falls.

Cortisol-There is a diurnal variation in the secretion of cortisol.The cortisol level in blood is lowest around midnight and highest in the morning.Moreover; its production increases at the time of stress.

Thyroxine-The secretion of thyroxine remains around the same level and do not show diurnal variation and variation from day to day.