What Exactly Is a Hormone?
Hormones are chemical messenger molecules that are produced by the endocrine glands (pituitary, thyroid, adrenal, parathyroid, pineal, pancreas, and ovaries). These molecules send signals and information to all the cells and glands of the body, and they regulate most processes that relate to growth, metabolism, reproduction, energy, mood, and much more.
You can think of hormones like the gas and battery in a car. The body of the car can be perfect, but if the gas is low and there is no charge on the battery, it won’t run well. When our hormones get out of balance, we can be technically healthy but still not functioning at our very best.
What Are Symptoms of Hormone Imbalance?
The symptoms of hormonal problems are extremely prevalent in women today. What is considered “normal” is often based on the average population, and the average population is becoming more and more unbalanced due to poor diet, chronic stress, toxins, infections, and other lifestyle factors.
Symptoms of hormonal imbalance can include fatigue, anxiety, depression, insomnia, weight gain, frequent illness, PMS, irregular menstrual cycles, fibroids, ovarian cysts, infertility, hot flashes, memory issues, headaches, migraines, digestive issues, and immune problems. Really, the hormones can affect almost everything in the body.
Causes of Hormonal Imbalance
Even when we’re not dealing with global pandemics and countless other serious crises, modern day life is not conducive to a healthy hormonal balance. Chronic exposure to environmental toxins and daily stressors can have a great impact on hormonal health. Here are a few common ways that our lifestyles can cause hormonal disruption.
Stress is perhaps one of the most important factors in hormonal health. While some stress is normal and unavoidable, chronic stress that continues for long periods without relenting is problematic. This causes the adrenal glands to secrete high levels of the stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol. In order to make cortisol, the body commandeers the raw material used for progesterone. This results in lower progesterone which can cause stress headaches, migraines, PMS, insomnia, depression, anxiety, and infertility. Chronic stress and burnout can also deplete our levels of dopamine, serotonin, and adrenaline. Given the pace of modern life, it can be hard to determine if your stress is normal or not. A hormone test can help you figure out how stress is affecting your internal balance.
Poor Sleep is another important factor in hormone regulation. While we sleep, our bodies go into a deep state of repair and rejuvenation during which they produce a hormone called melatonin. This hormone, which is also an antioxidant, helps our brains detoxify and keeps our cortisol in check. If we don’t get enough deep sleep, then elevated levels of cortisol can’t be processed out of our systems. The engine of the car must turn off in order to fill the gas tank and charge the batteries. Similarly, the endocrine system cannot regenerate and refuel if we are not getting enough sleep.
Toxins in our food, water, and air are huge contributors to hormonal imbalance. When toxins get into our bodies, they must be eliminated through the liver and gut. These are the same places where our hormones are metabolized. If we are exposed to a high level of toxins, the body has a harder time processing our hormones leading to imbalance. There is a category of toxins called endocrine-disrupting chemicals (or EDCs) that wreak havoc on our hormones by producing a toxic estrogen-like substance. These endocrine disruptors include pesticides, plastics, and petroleum and can be found in beauty products, body care, non-organic foods, cleaning products, and more. When these culprits get into our bodies, they can cause a host of health problems.
Infections can also disrupt our endocrine system and hormones. In order to fight acute or chronic infections, the body must send the troops to war. The troops are our antibodies and cortisol serves as the alarm system. Infections can cause our cortisol to go up and our progesterone to go down. High cortisol suppresses the immune system, while the lower progesterone may activate autoimmune diseases in some people.
Poor Diets that are low in high-quality omega-3 fats, protein, and phytochemicals will make it difficult for the body to produce hormones. Diets high in sugar and carbs and low in protein and fats may also disrupt blood sugar. Blood sugar dysregulation can strain cortisol production and lead to chronic inflammation and immune deficiency. It can also disrupt our menstrual cycles and hormonal balance.