Weight fluctuation, breaking out, and digestive issues. Most of us will experience these symptoms at some point in our lives.
Quick question though…
Have you noticed these symptoms always appear when you’re feeling stressed? It can be frustrating to deal with, especially if you feel like you take good care of your health.
The thing is, stress tends to bring out underlying health issues in a lot of us. Health issues including a hormonal imbalance.
Want to connect the dots and get to the bottom of your symptoms? We’re about to do a deep dive into your hormones and why stress is such a big factor when it comes to hormonal imbalance.
So, get ready to become an expert on hormone function, symptoms, and whether supplements for hormonal imbalance are helpful (or not!).
How Do Hormones Work?
Most of us only think of our hormones in relation to reproduction and teenagers going a little wild. But there’s a lot more to them than that.
Our bodies work hard to avoid a hormonal imbalance and keep things in harmony.
Endocrine glands make more than 50 chemicals called hormones. Those hormones are released straight into the bloodstream.
You can think of hormones as chemical messengers. They communicate with certain areas of the body. Once in the bloodstream, hormones head towards their target cell to bring about a change in the body.
Some of these changes include:
- Growth
- Sexual reproduction
- Repair
- Digestion
- Homeostasis (keeping things internally balanced in our bodies)
What Can Cause a Hormonal Imbalance?
A hormonal imbalance can stem from a number of issues.
Top of the list are menopause and perimenopause. Both can disrupt the delicate balance of your hormones. Other factors include poor diet, medication, birth control, and inadequate sleep. Plus, a number of medical conditions.
BUT if you Google it, the number one contributor to a hormonal imbalance is STRESS!
Hormonal Imbalance and the Impact of Stress
We’ve all felt stressed before. Maybe it’s an impending work deadline. Or too many household chores or an unexpected bill we need to pay.
Feeling some stress in our day-to-day lives is perfectly normal and healthy. When we feel stressed, our adrenal glands increase the level of our stress hormones, cortisol and adrenaline.
This triggers our flight or fight mode and helps us deal with the ‘threat’ or issue at hand. Once the threat disappears, our stress hormones decrease.
Our body also uses cortisol to regulate our:
- Metabolism and blood sugar levels
- Blood pressure
- Central nervous system including our mood, memory, and cognition
- Immune system and our response to injury and inflammation
When it comes to cortisol, a small amount is helpful. However long-term cortisol production can cause a hormonal imbalance.
Chronic Stress
So, what happens if the feeling of stress never disappears?
Maybe you’re going through a divorce or are stuck in a deeply unsatisfying job.
If we’re constantly stressed, levels of cortisol stay high. This means we’ve got a problem…
The ongoing presence of cortisol in our bodies causes other hormones to decrease. This can leave a hormonal imbalance in place. Chronic stress and a hormonal imbalance can also cause other symptoms to arise. Let’s break them all down.
Hormonal Imbalance Symptoms
It’s important to remember that symptoms are different for everybody. Some people with a hormonal imbalance may experience multiple or more severe symptoms.
Here are the top 7 symptoms of a hormonal imbalance caused by stress:
#1 Weight Changes
Unexplained weight changes often go hand in hand with a hormonal imbalance. This might mean you’re experiencing weight gain or weight loss.
For example, stress and cortisol causes testosterone and estrogen levels to drop, which can often result in weight gain.
But cortisol can also impact thyroid function, metabolism regulation and blood sugar levels, conditions where weight change also plays a role.
#2 Hair and Skin Problems
Progesterone and estrogen are responsible for clear skin and shiny, lush hair. However, too much cortisol in the body reduces their levels, disturbing the natural balance.
Are you breaking out a lot? Is your shower drain clogging up?
This might indicate your other hormones aren’t able to do their jobs properly.
#3 Menstrual Changes
If you’re looking out for hormonal imbalance symptoms in women, this can be an obvious one. High levels of cortisol are also responsible for suppressing ovulation hormones!
If these hormones are disrupted, you might experience:
- Absent or a missed period
- Heavier flow with large clots
- Irregularity or an unpredictable cycle
#4 Sex-Related Issues
Let’s talk about sex drive!
Not in the mood?
Both men and women can experience a lowered libido. Women may also experience symptoms such as pain during sex or vaginal dryness while men can experience erectile dysfunction.
#5 Mood
Are your emotions going up and down a lot?
This is another common symptom of a hormonal imbalance. Serotonin levels are closely related to estrogen levels and when estrogen drops…so does serotonin.
You might find yourself feeling a little:
- Anxious
- Low or depressed
- Irritable
Mood can fluctuate over a woman’s monthly cycle. But drastic and uncharacteristic changes may indicate you’re dealing with a larger issue.
#6 Sleeping Patterns
Having difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep? Researchers have found that the glands responsible for cortisol production and sleep are linked by the same pathway.
Therefore, the overproduction of cortisol means a disrupted sleep cycle. Broken sleep or insomnia can all be symptoms of a hormonal imbalance.
#7 Digestive Issues
We’ve all dealt with gut issues at some point. But has it occurred to you that your tummy troubles might actually be due to a hormonal imbalance?
Excess cortisol can cause stomach cramps, inflammation, and decrease blood flow to your stomach.
Chronic stress can also impact intestinal permeability, impairing the absorption of nutrients.
Are you dealing with constipation or diarrhea? Or any of the symptoms above? Enough is enough – it’s time to get to the bottom of it.
If you’re experiencing these symptoms and have tried fixing them with no results, book in a consultation today. You’ll get the answers you’re looking for!
How to Minimize Stress
For those of you wanting to minimize stress and address your hormonal imbalance, here are our top 3 tips.
Regular Exercise
People love to talk about their gym routines and how much weight they’re benching. But if you’re struggling to find time to work out, it might be better to simplify things.
Try fitting a daily walk into your routine. Thirty to forty-five minutes is a great starting point.
High-intensity exercise can also be counter-productive for women. It can increase cortisol, making it more difficult to lose weight. Low-impact exercises such as walking, yoga, and pilates are the perfect alternative.
Diet and Sleep
These go without saying. But it can be helpful to re-evaluate whether you’re getting enough nutrients and sleep at night. Are you including protein, whole foods, and healthy fats in your diet?
Cutting out processed foods, dyes and preservatives can also be positive for hormone health.
What about sleep? Are you getting at least 8-9 hours per night? Cleaning up your bedtime routine can be helpful for getting more sleep.
Get All the Support You Need
A busy life and uncertainty around the cause of symptoms can make it challenging to improve your health.
But forget Googling ‘supplement for hormonal imbalance’.
The Synergy Integrative Health and Wellness team knows how to treat hormonal imbalance in men and women through all stages of life. We’re here for those of you dealing with challenging symptoms including weight gain, gut issues and irregular monthly cycles.
Need support managing your stress levels? Our health coach has effective and tailored strategies for decreasing stress and improving the quality of your sleep.
Want to finally overcome your hormone related gut issues? Our integrative and functional registered dietitian has helped so many people optimize their nutrition to enhance their mood and feel more energized!
Think your symptoms might be due to a different health issue altogether? Our expert team looks after a wide range of medical issues using an integrative and functional approach.
We’ve got you covered, so book a consultation today and watch your symptoms disappear!