How to Balance Your Hormones Naturally
Do you have symptoms of hormone imbalance?
Did you know that an estimate of 80% of women experience hormonal imbalances in their lifetime? Difficulty sleeping, irregular periods, mood swings, and unexpected weight gain—if these are common symptoms you're experiencing, it could be a hormonal imbalance! Today's article goes over what hormonal imbalances are and how to balance them naturally. Keep reading to learn more!
What are hormones?
Cortisol, insulin, testosterone, and estrogen are all common hormones that you may have heard of one time or another. But, what exactly do they do?
Hormones are produced from the endocrine glands in both male and female bodies. They are your bodies chemical messengers that travel in the bloodstream to tissues and organs. These chemical compounds are used to affect different biological processes in the body.
Correspondingly, the major endocrine glands in the body are the pituitary gland, pineal gland, thymus, thyroid, adrenal glands, pancreas, testes, and ovaries. Although these organs produce microscopic amounts, they all produce just enough hormones to bring significant changes in the body.
If your body has too much or too little hormone production, it can lead to serious changes and unpleasant symptoms in the body. Keep scrolling to see if you have any of these signs or symptoms!
What is a hormonal imbalance?
A hormonal imbalance is when there is too much or too little hormones being produced in a certain gland or organ in the body.
These powerful chemicals are released in the bloodstream and serve as messengers to tell tissues and organs what to do. When these chemicals are imbalanced, the body cannot function as it should and also may cause serious effects throughout the entire body.
Some hormone levels fluctuate throughout life and decline with age, so it's important to understand the causes of imbalanced hormones and what you can do to reverse them.
Causes of a hormonal imbalance
It's important to understand that your hormones play a very important role to your overall health. There are many signs and symptoms that may occur when your hormones are imbalanced. Imbalances all depend on which hormones are producing too much or too little and symptoms will quickly follow. Below is a list of common hormonal signs and symptoms:
Weight gain
Weight loss
Difficulty sleeping
Irregular periods
Fatigue
Muscle aches, weakness, and stiffness
Sweating
Frequent urination
Increased thirst & hunger
Decreased sex drive
Depression and anxiety
Puffy or rounded face
Dry skin
Keep scrolling to learn 8 natural ways to balance your hormones!
8 Ways to Naturally Balance Hormones
1. Eat enough protein at every meal
There's a reason this way of balancing hormones is at the top of the list. Getting enough protein at every meal is essential for optimizing hormone health.
Proteins essentially provide amino acids that your body cannot make or produce on its own. These amino acids are needed to produce peptide hormones that are responsible for regulating several physiological processes, muscle growth, energy metabolism, appetite, stress, etc.. (W4W, 2023).
Not only does protein help you feel fuller for longer, but it also influences the hormones (ghrelin and leptin) that control appetite and food intake. Adequate protein is essential for hormone health as it can help reverse hormone imbalances due to not enough protein consumed.
According to the Mayo Clinic, it is recommended to eat a minimum of 15-30 grams of protein per meal. If you are not used to eating enough protein, a good tip to increase intake is to slowly increase protein portion sizes at every meal. Aim for high protein foods such as eggs, chicken breast, plant-based proteins, fish, or a protein powder supplement!
2. Engage in daily exercise
Daily exercise is highly recommended for balancing hormones. Not only does physical activity improve blood flow to your muscles, but it also increases hormone receptor sensitivity. This means that the exercise essentially enhances the delivery of nutrients and hormone signals (Healthline, 2023).
Another way in which exercise improves hormone health is its ability to reduce insulin levels and increase insulin sensitivity. Insulin is a hormone that goes throughout your blood stream and allows cells to take up sugar to use for energy (Healthline, 2023). If hormones are imbalanced and insulin is not producing as it should, cells may not effectively react to insulin and may put you at higher risk for diabetes, obesity, and heart disease.
Exercise such as HIIT, weight-lifting, swimming, hiking, and other cardiorespiratory activities can help prevent insulin resistance and balance hormonal activity.
3.Maintain a healthy weight
Maintaining a healthy body weight is not only critical for keeping your health in check, but also for hormone health. This is because weight gain is directly associated with hormonal imbalances that may lead to complications in insulin sensitivity and reproductive health (Healthline, 2023).
Obesity is a common disease that is strongly associated with the development of insulin resistance. Correspondingly, obesity is also detrimental to females hormonal health as it relates to a lack of ovulation (W4W, 2023).
Additionally, if your hormones are imbalanced you may experience hypogonadism, a hormonal condition also associated with obesity that ultimately reduces hormone secretion from the testes and ovaries.
Rest assured, maintaining a healthy body weight may reverse this condition. If needing to lose weight, it is advised to take your approach in a healthy manner and configure your daily caloric needs to help maintain a healthy body weight and healthy hormones.
4. Limit added sugars
Did you know that the simple sugar "fructose" is present in many types of sugar such as refined table sugar, high fructose corn syrup, agave, and even honey?
So how does sugar affect hormones? Sugar fructose has been shown to promote insulin resistance (a hormonal function) and without being mindful, can lead to weight gain (Taskinen, 2019).
Additionally, fructose has been linked to disruptions in the gut microbiome, which ultimately leads to hormonal imbalances. Needless to say, sugar also fails to stimulate your hunger and fullness hormones, which may lead to increased calorie intake and decreased calorie burning (Cheng, 2021).
It's important to minimize added sugar intake to optimize hormone function and to essentially avoid obesity, diabetes, and many other diseases.
5. Increase healthy fats
It's no secret healthy fats are a hormone-balancing powerhouse among the macronutrients. MCTs, otherwise known as "medium-chain triglycerides" are unique fats found in these healthy fats that are less likely to be stored in fat tissue. These fats are also likely to be taken up by your liver, which immediately is used as energy to promote increased calorie burning (Healthline, 2023)
A 2021 studyindicates that omega-3s (found in healthy fats) may also prevent cortisol levels from increasing and an also increase insulin sensitivity. Omega-3 fatty acids are found in foods like fish, flaxseed, and fish oil supplements.
Other healthy fats to add to your diet are foods such as avocados, almonds, peanuts, fatty fish, olive oil, and MCT oils. Increasing these healthy fats may help balance your hormones naturally and help you start feeling your best!
6. Prioritize getting enough sleep
Having a consistent and adequate sleep schedule is crucial for hormone health. Poor sleep has been linked to imbalances in hormones such as insulin, cortisol, leptin, gherlin, and HGH (1, 2). Have you ever noticed a connection between sleepless nights and increased hunger the next day? This is because your hormones are thrown off!
Additionally, sleep deprivation also impairs insulin sensitivity, which is associated with a 24-hour increase in cortisol levels that can lead to insulin resistance (4.).
Not only is this time used to repair and grow muscle, but it is also a time to restore your hormones. Another interesting study concludes that during sleeping hours, the release of the growth hormone (GHRH) is at it's peak. This is why it is important to get a consistent sleep schedule going with at least 7-9 of quality sleep!
7. Reduce/limit stress
Stress is a major trigger to our hormones. In fact, the hormone cortisol is known as the stress hormone that is released throughout our. This hormone helps your body cope with long-term stress, but can be triggered with an increased amount of stress put on the body.
"Chronic stress impairs the feedback mechanisms that help return your hormonal systems to normal," says Amanda Kallen, MD. (Healthline, 2023). When chronic stress is at play, elevated cortisol levels are present. This hormonal imbalance may cause alterations to your appetite and cravings. You may turn toward more sugary and high fat foods compared to healthful cravings when cortisol levels are high.
It's essential to engage in activities or strategies that help lower cortisol levels. Activities such as meditation, yoga, stress reduction techniques and journaling are all ways in which you can help lower your cortisol levels and get your hormones back to balance!
8. Consider supplementary help
Supplements are an excellent way to aid your body in balancing its hormones. Of course, supplements are used and there to supplement your health, not replace, treat, or prevent issues pertaining to the body.
They can help you provide your body with intended and specific ingredients that you might be lacking and will help keep your hormones regulated and under control!
AstroFlav'sEmbrace is our newest hormonal supplement used to support and help balance female hormones. Our formula is designed to manage stress levels and help increase libido. Plus, it can improve skin complexion. Embrace® is made with natural ingredients, and is vegan, gluten and dairy free, making it a great choice for those with dietary restrictions!
Consider Embrace when looking for a safe, all-natural hormone balancing supplement!
This formula is designed to manage stress levels and help increase libido. Plus, it can improve skin complexion. Embrace® is made with natural ingredients, and is vegan, gluten and dairy free.
KSM-66® Clinically shown to relieve stress, improve brain health, as well as decrease body fat in conjunction with resistance training.
Maca increases natural energy, promotes healthy hormone balance and helps stimulate and support libido.
7-Keto-DHEA speeds up the metabolism and heat production to promote weight loss. 7-Keto-DHEA is also used to improve lean body mass and build muscle, increase the activity of the thyroid gland, boost the immune system, enhance memory, and slow aging.
DIM aids in estrogen metabolism and prevents drastic increases or decreases in estrogen. Prevents conversion of testosterone into estrogen.
Embrace®, our all-natural supplement designed to help improve your energy levels, mood, skin complexion, stress levels and libido. Embrace is also vegan and gluten-free, making it a great choice for those with dietary restrictions.
This formula is designed to manage stress levels and help increase libido. Plus, it can improve skin complexion. Embrace® is made with natural ingredients, and is vegan, gluten and dairy free.
KSM-66® Clinically shown to relieve stress, improve brain health, as well as decrease body fat in conjunction with resistance training.
Maca increases natural energy, promotes healthy hormone balance and helps stimulate and support libido.
7-Keto-DHEA speeds up the metabolism and heat production to promote weight loss. 7-Keto-DHEA is also used to improve lean body mass and build muscle, increase the activity of the thyroid gland, boost the immune system, enhance memory, and slow aging.
DIM aids in estrogen metabolism and prevents drastic increases or decreases in estrogen. Prevents conversion of testosterone into estrogen.
Embrace®, our all-natural supplement designed to help improve your energy levels, mood, skin complexion, stress levels and libido. Embrace is also vegan and gluten-free, making it a great choice for those with dietary restrictions.
At AstroFlav, we want the best for our customers. It is our goal to help everyone achieve their fitness goals and steer them in the right direction with trust-worthy advice AND trust-worthy supplements!
RESOURCES
U.S. National Library of Medicine. (n.d.). Hormones | endocrine glands. MedlinePlus. https://medlineplus.gov/hormones.html Mosavat, M., Mirsanjari, M., Arabiat, D., Smyth, A., & Whitehead, L. (2021).
The role of sleep curtailment on leptin levels in obesity and diabetes mellitus. Obesity facts. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8138234/
How to balance hormones - women for WOMEN OBGYN. Women for Women Obstetrics & Gynecology. (2023, June 22). https://women4womenobgyn.com/how-to-balance-hormones
