How many glands in the body

It produces the hormone melatonin, which helps the body know when it's time to sleep. The pituitary gland is located below the brain. Usually no larger than a pea, the gland controls many functions of the other endocrine glands.

Thyroid and parathyroid. The thyroid gland and parathyroid glands are located in front of the neck, below the larynx voice box. The thyroid plays an important role in the body's metabolism. The parathyroid glands play an important role in the regulation of the body's calcium balance.

The thymus is located in the upper part of the chest and produces white blood cells that fight infections and destroy abnormal cells. Your thyroid gland is located in the front of your neck, just below your larynx. It measures approximately two inches and has a shape similar to a butterfly. It secretes hormones that affect virtually every tissue in your body. Thyroid hormones regulate your metabolism, heart, and digestive function.

They also play a role in your brain and nerve development, muscle control, and mood. Your thyroid function is controlled by your pituitary, which is a small gland at the base of your brain. The pituitary gland is a pea-sized gland at the base of your brain, just behind the bridge of your nose.

The pituitary gland is often called the master gland because it controls a number of other hormone glands, including the:. The hypothalamus functions as a communication center for your pituitary gland, sending signals and messages to the pituitary to produce and release hormones that trigger the production and release of other hormones.

Your pineal gland is located deep in the center of your brain. Its function is not completely understood, but we do know that it secretes and regulates certain hormones, including melatonin. Melatonin helps regulate your sleep patterns, which are also known as circadian rhythms.

The pineal gland also plays a role in the regulation of female hormones, which affect the menstrual cycle and fertility. Your adrenal glands are located at the top of each kidney. They produce various hormones, some of which include:. The hormones produced by your adrenal glands have several important functions. They help your body:. The pancreas — a long, flat organ located in your abdomen — is made up of two types of glands: exocrine and endocrine.

The pancreas is surrounded by the small intestine , stomach , liver , gallbladder , and spleen. It does this by producing digestive enzymes that are released into your small bowel to break down and digest food. It also makes hormones that control your blood glucose levels. Your skin is covered in sweat glands of which there are two types: eccrine and apocrine.

Your eccrine glands open directly onto your skin and regulate your body temperature by releasing water to the surface of your skin when your body temperature rises. Apocrine glands open into the hair follicle and are found in hair-bearing areas, such as the skin, armpits, and groin. These glands secrete a milky fluid, usually as a response to stress. Your body also contains modified apocrine glands:. Sebaceous glands are located throughout your skin, though there are few on your hands and feet and none on your palms and soles.

They secrete an oily substance called sebum that lubricates your skin. Your salivary glands are located in your mouth. You have hundreds of small glands located throughout your:. Salivary glands produce saliva and empty into your mouth through ducts.

Saliva serves a few important purposes, including moistening your food to help you chew, swallow, and digest it. Saliva also contains antibodies that kill germs to keep your mouth healthy. Mammary glands, which are a type of sweat gland, are responsible for the production of breastmilk.

Males also have glandular tissue in the breasts, but estrogen produced during puberty triggers the growth of this tissue in females. Hormonal changes during pregnancy signal the ducts to produce milk in preparation for the baby. Pancreas, testes, and ovaries perform both exocrine and endocrine functions. For example, the pancreas acts as an endocrine gland and secretes insulin. It also acts as an exocrine gland and secretes pancreatic juice into the pancreatic duct.

Source: www. The endocrine system also helps in coordinating the activities of our body. The endocrine glands present in our body are the pineal gland, hypothalamus gland, pituitary gland, thyroid gland, parathyroid gland, thymus, pancreas, adrenal gland, testes, and ovaries. The nervous system controls the working of endocrine glands. The hormones act as a messenger between the nervous system and organs of the body. Hypothalamus and pituitary gland are main centres for the coordination of the nervous system and endocrine system.

The hypothalamus helps in collecting information from the regions of the brain and from blood vessels passing through it. The information is then passed on to the pituitary gland which by its secretions regulates the activities of all other endocrine glands. In the human body, hormones help in growth, metabolic activities and reproduction. This gland is present in the brain and produces releasing hormone and inhibitory hormone.

Hypothalamus regulates the secretions of hormones from the pituitary gland. This gland is present just below the brain and secretes a number of hormones. One of the hormones secreted by the pituitary gland is growth hormone. This growth hormone controls the development of bones and muscles. A person having a deficiency of growth hormone becomes very short and the person having too much growth hormone becomes very tall.

The thyroid gland is attached to the windpipe and makes a hormone called thyroxin which contains iodine. The function of this hormone is to control the rate of metabolism of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins in the body. The deficiency of iodine in the diet can cause a deficiency of thyroxin hormone in the body. This causes a disease called a goitre. There are four parathyroid glands that are embedded in the thyroid gland.

The parathyroid gland secretes a hormone called parathormone which helps to regulate calcium and phosphate levels in the blood.