If your high school biology class is a distant memory, you might be surprised to hear that your body produces more than 60 different hormones and that those hormones influence every aspect of your mental, physical, and emotional health.
These powerful little messengers zip through your body nonstop, telling your organs and tissues what they need to do to keep all your systems running smoothly.
For example, they’re responsible for regulating whether you feel hungry or full. How energetic you feel. Whether you’re too cold or too hot. They regulate your mood, how well you sleep, and how stressed you feel. They also regulate whether you’re feeling frisky.
Your body typically produces just the right amount of each hormone your system needs to function well. However, sometimes a hormone goes rogue where it over or underproduces. This lack or surplus can throw your hormone levels out of balance — or, out of what is considered a healthy range — which in turn topsy-turvies your other systems, often leaving you feeling tired, cranky, puffy, and sluggish, and just wanting to curl up in your favorite chair and eat cookies and chips all day.
Out of Balance
Although some factors that cause hormone imbalances are completely out of your control to manage — think aging, lifecycle changes, certain medical conditions —other factors, specifically lifestyle choices, are more within your control.
Everyone experiences fluctuations in their hormones, and while an occasional imbalance is not harmful, a major one can increase your risk for developing life-threatening conditions such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease, as well as keep you from feeling and performing your best.
Women and men are both susceptible to hormonal imbalances and the accompanying symptoms, which can include fatigue, mood swings, body temperature changes, low libido, trouble sleeping, acne, and weight gain or loss. Signs specific to women include irregular periods, PMS, vaginal dryness, and fertility challenges. In men, the list includes reduced sex drive and inconsistent erections, loss of hair and muscle mass, and increased thirst and urination.
Because the body’s hormones are always in flux, no one action or diet can balance them all and serious imbalances might require medical attention, such as medication or surgery. However, the first best step to hormonal harmony is one you’re probably already familiar with … lifestyle changes.
Getting Back in Balance
Improving your hormonal health is a multifaceted process that includes consuming a balanced, nutritious diet while minimizing the consumption of alcohol, sugar, and caffeine; exercising regularly; engaging in activities that help you reduce stress (yoga, meditation, deep breathing); and getting enough sleep.
The SENS Solution® Wellness Program was founded on these four critical pillars of health. Browse the entire website to learn more about each.
Diet. The energy and nutrients you get from food provide the raw materials for making hormones, so what you eat and how much greatly influences how you feel.
Data published in the International Journal of Food Science and Nutrition suggested that people who follow the Mediterranean diet saw an improvement in their hormone health. The renowned diet promotes the consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, and heart-healthy fats.
If following any one diet feels too restrictive to you, consider starting with the foods you like to eat, then adding as many healthful, hormone-benefitting foods to your meals as possible. According to research, these foods can include:
Here are a few examples of food influences hormones:
Fast. Research shows that intermittent fasting can help regulate the production of certain hormones as well as positively affect gut health, hunger and satiety cues, and metabolic health.
Exercise. Exercise regulates blood sugar levels and prevents insulin resistance, stimulates the production of human growth hormone (which aids in muscle development and metabolism), lowers cortisol levels, and triggers the release of dopamine, the feel-good hormone, which can improve your mood, libido, and energy levels.
Manage Stress. When you’re stressed, your body releases the stress hormone cortisol. Research has shown that practicing stress reduction techniques such as yoga, meditation, deep breathing, massage, listening to relaxing music, and being in nature can lower cortisol levels.
Sleep. A lack of sleep affects hormones related to stress, growth, and hunger, which means it can spike your appetite (usually for salty, sugary, or fatty foods) and cause you to eat more, resulting in weight gain. For the highest benefit, aim for at least seven hours of sleep a night.
Avoid chemicals. Chemicals that interfere with hormone function abound in personal care products, plastics, and cleaners. Avoiding these chemicals entirely is impossible, but various websites, including The Filtery, offer tips on reducing toxins in your home and body.
Take vitamins. Vitamins support hormone production and balance. You can get them from your food or a supplement. Here’s the A team:
Get checked. Regular medical checkups and blood tests can monitor your hormone levels and help detect imbalances early. Your physician will be able to provide guidance on whether you would benefit from taking medication to help balance your hormones and to relieve symptoms that are keeping you from living your best life. Common medications include birth control pills, hormone replacement therapy, and insulin-sensitizing medications.
Takeaway
Balancing your hormones isn’t an easy task, nor does it respond well to a one-size-fits-all approach. However, the better you understand the ins and outs of your hormones — what they do and how they work— the better prepared you’ll be to take the actions that can help them function at their best so you can perform at your best … actions like the lifestyle changes described in this article.
If you suspect you have a hormonal imbalance, talk with your physician who can conduct tests and recommend ways to address any issues that arise. For help creating a healthy lifestyle plan that addresses your specific health needs and goals, tap into the expertise available at no cost to you in the SENS Solution® Wellness Program.
References
Endocrine Society, Hormone Guide, https://www.endocrine.org/-/media/endocrine/files/patient-engagement/misc_other/hormone_guide_5x5_grid_25x25_english.pdf
National Library of Medicine, Omega-3 supplementation and stress reactivity of cellular aging biomarkers, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33875799/
Healthline.com, 10 Natural Ways to Balance Your Hormones, https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/balance-hormones#takeaway
Healthline.com, Mediterranean Diet 101, https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/mediterranean-diet-meal-plan
National Library of Medicine, Health Benefits of the Mediterranean Diet, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7190876/
International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, Effects of a dietary intervention with Mediterranean and vegetarian diets on hormones that influence energy balance, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09637486.2019.1658723
Eatingwell.com, The Best Foods for Hormone Health, According to a Dietitian, https://www.eatingwell.com/article/7917059/best-foods-for-hormone-health-according-to-a-dietitian/
HUM Nutrition Blog, 7 Symptoms of Male Hormonal Imbalance You Should Know, https://www.humnutrition.com/blog/male-hormonal-imbalance/
Eatingwell.com, Hormones and Our Health: How What You Eat May Affect How They Work, https://www.eatingwell.com/longform/7915557/hormones-spotlight/
MSN.com, Vitamins for Hormones: Balancing Your Body Naturally, https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/nutrition/vitamins-for-hormones-balancing-your-body-naturally/ar-AA1dWF1Y?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=065389b0e6f8446f89759b8feae7b154&ei=62
The Filtery, An Educational Hub for Non-toxic Living, https://thefiltery.com/about/