Hormones often take some of the blame for changes in our wellness, whether it’s associated with our mental, emotional, or physical health. After all, hormones are chemical messengers that are heavily involved in processes related to things like weight maintenance, mood regulation, and appetite.
Under optimal conditions, your body is able to maintain hormonal harmony as part of its everyday functioning. But with all the factors constantly influencing our hormones, it’s no wonder why so many of us experience imbalances.
Fortunately, we have more control over what’s happening with our hormones than you might think. Sometimes getting things back into balance is simply a matter of lifestyle. Let’s talk about how hormones become imbalanced in the first place and what you can do about it.
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How Do Hormones Become Imbalanced?
A number of things can interfere with our body’s ability to maintain hormonal harmony. Think about everything your body is exposed to as part of your daily routine — such as environmental factors, food, and personal care products.
Some of the most common players in hormonal imbalances can include:
- Stress
- An inflammatory diet
- Certain medications
- Hormone replacement therapy
- Tumors, both cancerous and benign
Hormonal imbalances may also be triggered or worsened by certain conditions, such as type 1 or 2 diabetes, hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism, Cushing syndrome, Addison’s disease, or hypogonadism.
Symptoms of Hormonal Imbalance
Because hormones are so deeply intertwined in your physiology, an imbalance can lead to a wide range of symptoms.
Some of the most common include:
- Unintentional weight changes
- Changes in bowel habits and regularity
- Fatigue
- Muscle weakness
- Changes in heart rate
- Stiffness or swelling of joints
- Increased sensitivity to temperature changes
- Increased sweating
- More frequent urination
- Changes in appetite
- Increased thirst or hunger
- Blurry vision
- Changes in fertility
- Mood changes
- Reduced sex drive
- Puffiness or rounded face
- Thinning or brittle hair
- Increased irritability or anxiety
- Dry skin
Most of these are nonspecific symptoms and could relate to any number of health conditions. If you experience any unexplainable changes in your health or have symptoms that otherwise concern you, it’s always best to speak with your healthcare provider.
The 6 Pillars of Hormonal Harmony
Generally speaking, when the body is given the right conditions, it will do everything it can to heal itself. This includes rebalancing hormones that may be out of balance. In order to achieve hormonal harmony, there are six main pillars I like to discuss.
1. Blood Sugar Control
Your endocrine system uses several hormones to help regulate your blood sugar, such as insulin and glucagon. When your blood sugar is chronically dysregulated or high, it can affect mechanisms involved in maintaining hormone balance in a few ways.
First, you can develop insulin resistance, which leads to excessive production of insulin and ultimately disrupts other hormone levels in the body, like thyroid hormones, estrogen, and testosterone. When estrogen or testosterone are imbalanced this can lead to irregular menstrual cycles, reduced fertility, low libido, erectile dysfunction, and low sperm count.
Additionally, high blood sugar can prevent the ability of the body to convert inactive thyroid hormone (T4) to active thyroid hormone (T3), triggering low T3 syndrome that can further drive hormonal imbalance. Finally, high blood sugar can promote inflammation and cause adrenal gland dysfunction, leading to high cortisol levels.
If you have diabetes, it’s important to manage your blood sugar levels through lifestyle and any prescribed medications. A combination of physical activity and a healthy diet are key to blood sugar regulation.
2. Nutrition
What you eat plays a critical role in the overall function of your body, including hormone production, regulation, and metabolism. A diet high in refined carbohydrates, saturated fats, and added sugars can promote insulin resistance.
The types of beverages you consume also matter. For instance, caffeine can affect adrenal glands and cortisol levels, and alcohol can interfere with liver function and hormone metabolism.
A diet based on minimally processed and whole plant foods is best for optimizing hormone balance. Emphasize choices like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts seeds, legumes, and lean proteins. This variety, along with supplements as needed, helps ensure that you’re getting enough nutrients important for hormone health, such as vitamin D, fiber, omega-3, and phytoestrogens.
3. Exercise
Regular physical activity offers numerous health benefits and influences the production, release, and regulation of hormones. Exercise stimulates endorphins, which help improve mood, reduce stress, and support hormonal harmony. It encourages insulin sensitivity, which promotes healthy blood sugar regulation.
While prolonged high-intensity exercise may raise cortisol levels, moderate-intensity exercises may help reduce cortisol levels. Resistance training helps stimulate growth hormone, which promotes muscle repair, fat burning, and hormone balance. Staying active can also help support healthy sex and thyroid hormone levels, as well as hormones involved in appetite regulation.
Aim to be active most days of the week for at least 30-60 minutes of intentional movement. Rotate activities you enjoy, such as a combination of swimming, bicycling, strength training, yoga, running, interval training, and playing tennis.
4. Stress & Sleep
Sleep is a designated time for your body and brain to rebalance, repair, and rejuvenate. Inadequate or interrupted sleep can interfere with the production of growth hormone, lead to increased cortisol, disrupt appetite hormones, impair insulin sensitivity, and alter reproductive and thyroid hormones. Good sleep helps regulate melatonin, a hormone that regulates your sleep-wake cycle.
Sleep experts recommend that adults get between 7-9 hours of sleep each night. Try to follow a similar sleep-wake cycle every day of the week. Create a sleep-promoting environment, such as the use of blackout curtains, a noise machine, and comfortable pajamas and bedding.
Adequate sleep can help manage stress, but make other stress management practices a regular part of your routine as well, such as art, music, spending time outdoors, and leaning on your social circles.
5. Gut Health
Your gut is home to trillions of bacteria known as your microbiome, which is heavily involved in all areas of health, including hormone harmony. For example, the gut-brain axis is a bidirectional communication pathway in which the nervous, immune, and digestive systems work together to manage things like neurotransmitter and hormone balance.
Imbalanced gut bacteria can disrupt estrogen levels, gut peptides involved in appetite regulation, insulin secretion, satiety, and the production of thyroid hormones. Gut bacteria also produce short-chain fatty acids, which help support appetite hormones and insulin sensitivity.
Support your gut health by eating a fiber-rich diet that incorporates a wide variety of plant foods. Incorporate fermented foods that are natural sources of probiotics, like tempeh, miso, sauerkraut, and kimchi. Limit the use of antibiotics, get enough sleep, stay hydrated, and minimize your added sugar consumption.
6. Avoiding Xenoestrogens
Xenoestrogens are either natural or man-made substances that disrupt or mimic estrogen in the body. They can be found in plastics, personal care products, and industrial and agricultural chemicals. Xenoestrogens may disrupt normal estrogen pathways and lead to excessive estrogenic activity, promoting hormonal imbalances. They can also interfere with the function of your overall endocrine system.
Look for personal care products that are natural and organic and replace plastics with stainless steel or glass. Thoroughly wash fresh produce and choose certified organic produce whenever possible to minimize pesticide exposure. Consider adding a filtration system to your drinking water at home, whether it’s a sink attachment or a pitcher you keep in the fridge.
Work with a Professional
Rather than jumping on the latest hormone balance supplement bandwagon, consider working with a professional to help balance your hormones.
Achieving hormonal harmony requires intentional reflection of your current lifestyle habits and identifying where you might be able to make some positive changes. Your diet, exercise habits, stress management techniques, sleep pattern, gut health, and blood sugar regulation, all of which can not only improve hormone balance but also overall wellness.
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