Your Circadian Rhythm Is Off
The pineal gland is a small endocrine gland that is located in the brain. It produces melatonin, which affects circadian rhythm and the levels of other hormones in the body. A pineal cyst is a disorder of the pineal gland that may not produce any symptoms. If the cyst is large, it may produce symptoms including water on the brain , headache, eye problems, and vision problems. Large pineal cysts that cause problems usually affect women who are in their second decade of life.
You Can’t Get Rid Of Breakouts
This is often a sign of cortisol imbalance. Cortisol imbalance is linked to higher intakes of sugar and higher blood glucose levels in general. One of the main jobs of cortisol is to increase your blood glucose levels. This cascade of reactions leads to increased inflammation throughout the body, including increased breakouts.
Side story ~ I have a good friend who was working a very high stress job that was emotionally and physically taking a toll on her body. At the time, she was also experiencing cystic acne that no amounts of facials or dermatologist appointments could get rid of. Within two weeks of leaving her job and switching to one she loved, her acne completely vanished. This isn’t to say that stress was the ONLY cause, but it was a major contributing factor.
Hormone balance is something that your body wants. It doesn’t want to have high cortisol, low melatonin, high ghrelin or all over the place insulin. It WANTS to feel GOOD! All we have to do is remove the barriers and provide the tools it needs in order to get there.
Take Care Of Your Mental Health
Stress unlocks the adrenaline and cortisol hormones in your body. Being stressed all the time wreaks absolute havon on your hormones. That is why, taking care of your mental health should become a priority. Managing your stress levels and working on issues you might have will be extremely beneficial and you will start noticing the difference in your body right away.
Getting a good nights sleep is also very important not just for your mental, but for your physical health as well
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What Influences Appetite And Weight
When Estrogen Drops, Hunger Increases
A decrease in estrogen levels during a woman’s monthly cycle may trigger mood changes in some women. Some females may reach for comfort foods that are high in fat, calories, sugar, and salt in an effort to feel better. Sadly, eating these foods backfires and makes women feel worse. Sodium increases water retention and bloating. Sugar, excess fat and calories will lead you to pack on the pounds. Falling estrogen levels also affect leptin, a hormone that inhibits hunger. Combat hormonal weight gain by adopting a healthy diet and exercise plan. Stick to lean meats, healthy fats, complex carbs, whole grains, and fresh fruits and vegetables to help prevent PMS and encourage healthy blood sugar levels and weight loss.
What Is A Hormonal Imbalance In Men
Hormonal imbalances occur when there is too much or too little of a hormone present in the body. Hormones, which are chemicals produced by glands in the endocrine system, play an essential role in the body. These chemicals travel through the bloodstream to deliver messages to tissues and organs. They regulate major body processes like metabolism and reproduction.
A hormonal imbalance can affect a number of bodily functions, including:
- Metabolism
- Mood
- Body temperature
Hormone levels may fluctuate over time, but symptoms of a hormone imbalance can also occur due to stress, injury, illness, poor nutrition, or a lack of exercise. This can occur at any time, but its more likely to occur as a person grows older.
Both men and women can experience imbalances in hormones such as growth hormones, insulin, and adrenaline. Men are more likely to experience hormonal imbalances in testosterone levels.
A drop in testosterone is also known as hypogonadism, or male menopause.Low testosterone can result in decreased strength, energy, stamina, and sexual function. Studies have found that low testosterone in men may increase their risk of developing coronary artery disease, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes.
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Major Hormones + Functions
There are many textbooks that just cover hormones and hormone imbalances, says Lynn Westphal, MD, FACOG, a reproductive endocrinologist at Kindbody. The vast literature indicates how complex hormones truly are.
For a quick guide, heres a brief overview of some of the main players in the human endocrine system and their primary functions.
- adrenaline: a crucial part of the bodys fight-or-flight response
- cortisol: helps control blood sugar levels, regulate metabolism, reduce inflammation, and assist with memory formulation
- estrogen: influences female physical features and reproduction
- insulin: allows cells in muscles, fat, and liver to absorb glucose in the blood, which serves as energy for these cells
- luteinizing hormone : controls the function of ovaries in females and testes in males
- melatonin: signals relaxation and lowers body temperature to aid sleep
- oxytocin: plays a crucial role in childbirth and assists male reproduction
- progesterone: prepares the endometrium for pregnancy potential after ovulation
- testosterone: controls male physical features
- thyroid hormones: regulates weight, energy levels, internal temperature, skin health, and the growth of hair and nails
What Are The Types Of Hormonal Imbalance In Men
Testosterone is considered the primary male hormone, along with other hormones like cortisol, insulin, and thyroid hormones. Imbalance in any of these hormones may result in any of the 4 main types of hormonal imbalance in men.
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You Have Erratic Cravings And Crazy Binges
Everyone craves certain foods now and then, but if your cravings are out of control and you find yourself bingeing at various times of the month, your hormones are the likely culprits, and a diet heavy on sugar is the probable root cause. If you consume too much sugar, whether it’s in the form of pasta, bagels, candy, or colayour body has to churn out a hormone called insulin to break it down. Spikes in glucose and insulin can disrupt ovulation, shutting down your production of progesterone and setting you up for the troublesome effects of estrogen dominance.
Try: Limiting your sugar intake and eating lots of fiber-rich foods that will help detoxify your liver and create more of a specific hormone called FGF21 that has been found to prevent sugar cravings.
Your Skin Is Breaking Out Like A Teenager’s
When I was in the throes of polycystic ovary syndrome , I battled severe cystic acne. It took me 30 minutes daily to camouflage the spots and bumps, and it significantly affected my confidence. Whether pimples crop up every time your period approaches or you’re coping with the kind of severe acne I had, your hormones are the source of the issue.
Try: Magnesium. Your body’s C-reactive proteins are responsible for causing inflammation. Taking a calcium-magnesium supplement can help lower the amount of C-reactive proteins in your body, and calcium is also part of our tissue matrixbones, cells, and skinand very important for skin cell renewal.
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Hormonal Imbalance In Women
Symptoms of Hormonal Imbalance
Bloating, fatigue, irritability, hair loss, palpitations, mood swings, problems with blood sugar, trouble concentrating, infertility — these are just a few symptoms of hormone imbalance. These compounds affect every cell and system in the body. Hormone imbalance can debilitate you. Some hormonal shifts are normal, like monthly fluctuations of sex hormones responsible for menstruation and ovulation or the changes that occur during pregnancy. Menopause is another time for a normal hormonal shift in a woman’s life. Many women may experience weight gain, mood swings, night sweats, and diminished sex drive during this time. Other times these fluctuations may be due to a medication or a medical condition.
Balance Your Cortisol
Cortisol is an important hormone that may become imbalanced with stress or illness. Cortisol is secreted by the adrenal glands that lie on top of the kidneys. Low intensity exercise can help lower elevated cortisol levels. Stress impacts adrenal function and hormone levels. Get acquainted with hormone imbalance symptoms and signs so you can notice when things in your body and mind don’t seem right.
How To Address Hormonal Imbalance
The good news is that treating hormonal imbalance is both possible and in many cases, simple enough. If the case isnt too severe, Dr. Westphal says medical professionals can usually treat symptoms easily.
The earlier you identify a hormonal imbalance, the better you can remedy it. However, you can improve your symptoms even in the case of long-term issues.
Heres how to start.
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Progesterone Helps You Sleep Better
If you can’t sleep or you don’t get good quality sleep, hormone balance may be to blame. Progesterone is one compound released by the ovaries that helps you sleep. Low levels may make it difficult to fall and stay asleep. A small study in postmenopausal women found that 300 milligrams of progesterone restored normal sleep when sleep was disturbed. Estrogen levels decrease in perimenopause and after menopause. This may contribute to night sweats and hot flashes, which often disrupt a woman’s ability to sleep. See your doctor if you believe an imbalance in hormones is contributing to sleep problems.
Causes Of Hormonal Imbalance
Everyone experiences a natural fluctuation or imbalance in hormones over time. However, it can also be a result of the endocrine glands malfunctioning. The endocrine system is responsible for producing, storing, and releasing hormones into the bloodstream.
Other causes of hormonal imbalance can include:
- Stress
- Cushings syndrome
- Addisons disease
- Congenital adrenal hyperplasia
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Conventional Medicines Approach To Hormone Imbalances
Conventional medicines answer for most hormone imbalances is synthetic hormone medications in the form of birth control pills or HRT, hormone replacement therapy, prescribed as pills, patches, gels, or creams.
However, these medications can increase your risk for reproductive cancers, heart disease, and liver toxicity. They can also disrupt thyroid dysfunction and lead to Candida overgrowth.
Moreover, they do nothing to actually address the underlying cause of the imbalance and instead leave you dependent on potentially harmful pharmaceuticals.
It is also important to note that balanced hormones are essential for various aspects of your health from supporting your immune system and preventing cognitive decline to having a comfortable and healthy sex life.
Hormone Replacement Therapy is a treatment we will utilize in some women with amazing results. But you want to make sure the hormones are Bioidentical which means they are structurally identical to your own hormones and derived from natural substances like yams, not horse urine which is where many synthetic hormones come from.
It is also essential to continually assess how your body tolerates hormones not only with how you feel, but also through the proper testing to see how you are metabolizing the hormones. Remember, we are all unique being which is why each person needs an individualized approach.
Natural Remedies And Supplements
There are many nutritional supplements on the market that claim to treat menopause and hormone imbalance. However, few of them are backed up by scientific evidence.
Many of these supplements contain plant-derived hormones. These are sometimes called bioidentical hormones because they chemically resemble the bodys natural hormones. Theres no evidence to suggest that they work better than regular hormone therapy, though.
Some people find that yoga helps treat symptoms of hormonal imbalance. Yoga is excellent for your strength, flexibility, and balance. It may also aid in weight loss, which can help regulate your hormones.
You can also make the following lifestyle changes:
- Lose weight. A
The primary cause of acne is excess oil production, which leads to clogged pores. Acne is most common in areas with many oil glands, including the:
- face
- upper back
- shoulders
Acne is often associated with pubescent hormonal changes, but theres actually a lifelong relationship between acne and hormones.
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You’re Gaining Weight Around The Belly
This is a classic high cortisol sign. One of cortisol’s main jobs is to increase your blood glucose level so that you have energy sent to your muscles in order to run away from whatever threat it thinks you’re experiencing. However, when you don’t utilize this energy to sprint from a tiger, your body immediately stores it – and it stores it specifically around the belly.
Cut Back On The Alcoholic Beverages
Ive often been told Im the bearer of bad news, but I promise that laying off the liquor will be a game changer.
A glass of alcohol is like consuming a handful of sugary cookies, just via another delivery method. It immediately hits your bloodstream, sending your blood sugar levels on a roller-coaster ride.
Alcohol also raises estrogen levels, because it creates a whole lot of extra work for your liver, so it cant effectively detox estrogen, which is one of its main jobs. This estrogen excess can trigger heavier, longer periods, breast pain, headaches, and raging PMS.
See the connection between what we eat and drink and our period problems?
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Consider How Caffeine Is Affecting You
When I talk to most women about caffeine, I usually hear something like, Ill do anything you want me to, but dont make me give up coffee.
I get it. Life is nuts, and most of us need to mainline caffeine just to get by. As I said above, though, this could be really problematic, especially if you experience anxiety on the regular, feel like you cant get out of bed in the morning, have energy crashes in the day, or have trouble falling asleep at night.
If youre not ready to ditch the joe, then just observe how you feel 30, 60, and 120 minutes after youve had coffee. If youre wanting to call it quits, ease into it with half decaf and half regular, replace a cup a day with decaf, or experiment with matcha.
Life is full-on for so many of us these days, which is why I hope that you have a clearer picture of what a hormone imbalance actually looks like and how to start to reverse it. Hormones exist in a hierarchy, so its important to take a top down approach to addressing problems that arise from a hormone imbalance.
Hormones are also talking to each other all day long, so once you work on one hormone, the rest will start to fall in line. Thats the beauty of hormones. Theyre working together to support you, always.
Bottom Line: Small Lifestyle Changes Help
If you want to reduce any hormonal imbalance symptoms, its definitely possible. All you have to do is make small changes to your lifestyle.
Eating the right foods, working out regularly, and getting enough deep sleep are quick, simple ways that will make a big difference. So start implementing these tips now to alleviate the side effects of hormonal imbalance and feel good again.
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You Have Zero Interest In Sex
There are a lot of reasons your sex drive may have taken a nose-dive, but stress is a major factor that wreaks havoc on your hormones and in turn depletes your libido.
Try: Spicing it up. Research has linked spicy food to higher testosterone levels in men, and testosterone is just as important for a woman’s sex drive.
Weight Gain Or Difficulty Losing Weight
Why do so many people struggle with weight loss and maintenance? Usually, its because they are eating nutrient-poor foods and working too hard. The body processes this hard work as stress and when the body is stressed, it goes into survival or fight or flight mode, producing cortisol. When youre chronically stressed, your cortisol is always high and in an effort to protect itself from whatever danger it senses, your body holds onto fat as a form of energy.
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Make Eating Into A Mindful Practice
What you eat is just as important as when and how you eat.
In order to maintain whats known as balanced blood sugar which means youre keeping your blood sugar in a rather straight line versus having big spikes and dips throughout the day you should be eating every three to four hours.
Please dont wait until youre starving, have the shakes, feel like youll throw up, or faint. In addition, follow these rules at mealtime. Slooowww it down, girlfriend.
Sit down while eating , chew your food 20 to 30 times , and focus on something positive while eating. When youre stressed out, your gut cant easily absorb the nutrients youre consuming, so it doesnt matter how much broccoli you eat!
Appetite And Weight Gain
You may gain weight during hormonal shifts, such as menopause. But hormone changes donât directly affect your weight. Instead, it likely happens because of other factors, like aging or lifestyle. For example, when youâre feeling blue or irritated, as you can be when your estrogen levels drop, you may want to eat more. It can also impact your bodyâs levels of leptin, a hunger-revving hormone.
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