How To Deal With Hormonal Imbalance

Hormones are chemical messengers in our endocrine system. These messengers control our bodily functions from simple basic needs like hunger to complex systems like reproduction and even our emotions and mood. Hormonal imbalance means your body is going through a major havoc due to malfunction of one or more hormones in the body.

Hormones regulate digestion, metabolism, respiration, tissue function, sleep, stress, growth, movement, reproduction, and mood. They also inform your body whether you are hungry, sleepy, stressed or groggy. However, an imbalance will make you hungrier and stressed, less sleepy and change your digestion strength which will lead to no growth and a reduced metabolic rate.

These chemical messengers do endless jobs and disturbing them can be taxing for your body. Some of the symptoms that might be indicative of hormonal imbalance include –

• Weight gain especially around the abdomen
• Irregular cycles, heavy bleeding/painful periods
• Mood swing, PMS, depression
• Decreased libido
• Thyroid dysfunction
• Insomnia and poor eating habits
• Fatigue, tiredness
• Cravings
• Infertility

If you are wondering why your beloved hormones are creating a mess inside your body, let us tell you who the culprit is. It’s you! And the many reasons why you are responsible for the hormonal change are –

• Consumption of junk food
• No physical workout or a sedentary lifestyle
• High level of stress
• A sudden gain in weight or a sudden loss in weight
• Crash dieting

Fortunately, a nutritious diet and other healthy lifestyle behaviors may help improve your hormonal health and allow you to feel and perform your best. Here are some changes that could reap you benefits –

1. Consume adequate Protein

Hormones contain various amino acids that are the simplest form of protein. Therefore, an inadequate amount will lead to disturbance in their production. Also, Protein regulates thyroid function, increases metabolism and burns fat.

2. Workout

If you are going through a hormonal imbalance, a combination of strength training and cardio is the way forward for you! Physical exercise can help with the sleep disorder, improve insulin sensitivity, increase muscle mass and bone density and manage stress which will eventually bring down cortisol levels and balance your hormones.

3. Good Fats

Fats aren’t bad. However, you must be wise enough to eat good fats in the right amount such as PUFA, MUFA and not trans-fat or saturated fat. Like Protein, Fats play an important role in the formation of your hormones. We recommend you eat your fish, nuts, seeds, coconut oil, and avocado.

4. A Nutrient Dense Diet

A diet with empty calories and highly processed food which is absent in nutrients put you at a higher risk of developing a hormonal imbalance. We recommend you get your vitamins and nutrients from food and compensate the deficiencies with supplements.

5. Sleep

Sleep has always been given less importance in managing health. However, it is the other way around. Sleep holds the highest position if you take up the responsibility of improving your health. It is essential to get 8-9 hours of sleep and wake up feeling fresh and ready to take on a new day.

Hormonal balance is vital to a healthy mind and body but can be disrupted in many ways. Hormone fluctuations occur naturally, such as in puberty, menopause, and perimenopause. Hormone imbalance may also be caused by toxins or an unbalanced lifestyle. Understanding the causes of hormone imbalance empowers us to prevent them, and at the same time, feel better, think better, and prevent health issues.