When you think about taking care of your body, chances are it’s things like your bones, muscles, organs and skin that you’re aiming to look after and protect. But have you ever considered taking steps to support your body’s hormonal function? While leading a healthy lifestyle will generally ensure your hormones are working the way they should, you may need to take extra steps such as adding specific vitamins and supplements to your diet. When your hormones are out of whack your entire body and mind will suffer; these chemical messengers are responsible for sending signals into the bloodstream and tissues and affect more of your body than what you might realise. Here are some signs your hormones might not be working correctly, and what to do about it.
Mood
Mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety can have all kinds of causes. They may be a result of situational factors, they can be due to brain chemistry differences, but they can also be a result of hormonal imbalances. This is why in some cases, lifestyle changes such as improved diet, exercise and better sleep can make a massive difference and enable you to feel your best. While this won’t always be the case (and some people will need to be treated with medication and/or therapy) it’s something you could try yourself first if you find your mental health worsening, as these are factors that are within your control.
Reproductive Health
Good reproductive health is reliant on healthy, balanced hormones. For women, a complex system of hormones needs to be produced in order to release an egg for ovulation. This helps to maintain regular cycles, and enables you to conceive a baby if you’re trying to get pregnant. For both men and women, hormones affect libido; a low sex drive could impact your relationship with your partner so is an issue that’s worth resolving. In men, unbalanced hormones can lead to issues like erectile dysfunction, poor sperm quality and prostate enlargement too. Prostate issues are linked to hormonal changes as a man gets older, as the balance of hormones in your body changes with age. This may cause the prostate gland to grow and cause issues in the body. Click here to find out more about this.
Hunger
Do you struggle to control your appetite? Maybe you can’t stop snacking, or feel like you need to eat large portions to satisfy your hunger? You might have labelled yourself as just being a greedy person but this might not be the case. Appetite is strongly controlled by hormones, and disruption of these hormones can cause your body to send out signals for you to eat too much. Modern weight loss medications use synthetic hormones which mimic those your body produces to signal that you’re full. The hunger hormones leptin and ghrelin are largely affected by the amount of sleep you’ve had, when you’re sleep deprived this is why you tend to feel hungrier and find it harder to make healthy choices.
Have you ever considered the ways in which your mood or body may be affected by your hormones, and what you can do to improve them?
