Hormones and How to Balance Them in 12 Easy Ways!

Hormones and How to Balance Them in 12 Easy Ways
It’s a balancing act!!

 

 

Does just the word “hormones” make you think about things like acne, mood swings, irritability weight gain, or low libido? We will go through hormone changes from the day we are born till the day we die but there are things we can do to make our hormones happier along this journey we call life.  Stress, lack of sleep and bad eating habits are some of the things that can contribute to throwing your hormones out of whack.  Getting your hormones in balance can go a long way when it comes to a sense of “well being” and better health.   When your hormones are in  balance you will have better moods, more energy, it will lift the libido, and give you glowing skin.  Feeling balanced is a desirable thing and why not, it feels good to have your game together so you feel like you can face the day.  So…………..go get yourself a cup of tea and read on to see what things you can “tweak” to help you get those hormones happy again.

 

 

 What Are Hormones???

 

Hormones are chemical messengers in our bodies that are secreted from the all important endocrine glands ( pituitary, pineal, thymus, thyroid, adrenal, pancreas, ovaries, testes). These chemical messengers are secreted into the blood and from there go to the tissues and organs so they can perform their function. These chemical messengers have a very important role in that they control a lot of major body functions like hunger, reproduction, our moods and emotions growth and development,etc…

 

 

 

 ARE YOUR HORMONES ALL OVER THE MAP?

 

What symptoms do you have that indicate you may be unbalanced?

1. depression
2. anxiety
3. insomnia
4. low libido
5. weight gain
6. fatigue
7. pms
8. bloated
9. tender breasts
10. facial hair
11. thinning hair

 

 

 THINGS THAT CAN UPSET THE APPLE CART

 

Hormone imbalances can be caused by a combination of factors.

 

1. lack of proper sleep
2. poor diet
3. ongoing stress ( mental and physical )
4. toxicity
5. gut problems
6. obesity

 

 

 HELP MAKE YOUR HORMONES HAPPY CAMPERS

 

There are 12 things you can do to get those hormones singing the happy song again.

 

1. Stress reduction-  Be careful to not over commit yourself and don’t be afraid to say no sometimes.  Everyone gets to a point when they have to “flip off some switches” in life.
2. Get better sleep-  You need at least 7-8 hours of sleep each night.  A lack of sleep really messes with your circadian rhythm ( your sleep /wake cycle).  Here’s an example, you have a stress hormone called cortisol.  Cortisol is regulated at midnight.  Guess what happens when you get to sleep late, like close to midnight or past midnight?  Your sympathetic (flight/fight stress response) never gets a break.  This can contribute to high cortisol levels which leads to belly fat and also adrenal fatigue.   Lack of sleep = physical stress+ mental stress+ anxiety+depression+weight gain and decreased immunity.  So……..you see how important getting proper sleep is?  Try to get to bed by 10 pm to help improve hormone function.  One thing that can majorly affect sleep and hormones is having wi-fi radiation in your home.  That causes physical stress and is affects the endocrine system.  Something you may want to reconsider having if you want better hormones, and sleep.
3. Ease up on the coffee-  some research shows that women who drink large amounts of coffee had higher levels of estradiol ( the bad estrogen).  You don’t want higher levels of estrogen if you have hormone related health issues such as breast and ovarian cancer, and endometriosis.  If you have to drink coffee, limit your intake and listen to your body.  Oh, and choose organic coffee since it is one of the heaviest sprayed crops in the world.  Pesticides are a BIG NO NO if you want better hormone balance or for that matter, better over all health.
4. Eat the “good” fats.-  Stay away from the nasties like partially hydrogenated oils and eat butter and coconut oil and olive oil.  Do not cook with olive oil though, it is unstable under high heat, instead, add it to your salads.  Why eat good fat?  Your body needs fat to create hormones.  Avocados have good fat and in my opinion are a girl’s best friend.  It is my “go to” mood food.  So, how about some more guacomole!
5. Adaptogens like Maca and Holy Basil Tea-   Holy Basil is also known as Tulsi Tea.  This is an adaptogenic herb.  Simply put, adaptogens help your body adapt to stress while helping your body maintain bodily functions.  Holy Basil is  a herb that is used to improve the health of your adrenals, you know, those little glands that help your body respond to stress.  This tea  helps lower elevated cortisol levels.  Holy Basil is also an antioxidant.  It has numerous health benefits.   Maca is another excellent adaptogen that nourishes the pituitary and hypothalamus glands.  These are the master glands that help the other glands in the body like the adrenals, thyroid, pancreas, ovarian and testicular glands.  These glands play a role in helping to balance hormone levels. Other great adaptogens are  medicinal mushrooms, ashwaganda, and ginseng.
6. Improve gut health- Try to avoid gluten and sugar. Take a probiotic or eat fermented foods daily. Learn more about probiotics here.  Digestive enzymes are also a good idea for optimizing digestion.
7. Eliminate toxins- Never drink out of plastic water bottles.  Eat organic foods as much as possible.  Try to use natural cleaning products in place of the chemical laden ones.  Another biggie is to use natural face and body products.
8. Exercise-  exercise is great stress reduction, helping a slow metabolism,  and a great anti-depressant  🙂
9.  Better diet-  Start eating more whole foods.  Some of my favorite things to eat are stir frys, soups, salads, and smoothies.  Get those fruits and veggies in, nuts, good fats and oils, organic chicken, wild caught fish, etc….oh, and make lots of guacomole  🙂
10. Get some sunlight-  sunlight has been shown to boost endorphins and serotonin.  These are happy hormones!
11.   Progesterone- There are some cases where natural progesterone is needed.  If that is the case, use a natural bio identical progesterone that does not have other questionable ingredients, none, zero, nada, zippo, NONE.  This is the progesterone I use because I am super picky about ingredients.
12. magnesium – This mighty mineral goes a long way to help with hormone balance.  It helps to keep cortisol in check, calms the nervous system, helps control insulin levels, helps with production of thyroid hormone, helps with better sleep, anti-aging, helps support adrenals, etc….  Magnesium glycinate is the one I prefer because it’s easily absorbed by the body and does not have a laxative affect like other kinds can have.  I also use the magnesium oil because it’s highly absorbable as well.  I use the oil when I need an added magnesium boost, again it doesn’t have a laxative effect as well.     On going stress causes us to be depleted of magnesium.  You don’t want that because it will affect your adrenals and have a cascade effect on your hormones.  My husband likes a hot magnesium drink when he has had a hard day at work and wants to have a good night sleep.  It also helps relieve sore muscles and cause deep relaxation, a great de-stressor! There, as you can see, magnesium is definitely one supplement my house is well stocked up on and for good reason.

 

 

So many times people take short cuts when it comes to their health and eventually it catches up with them.  Make some investments in your health and you will reap the benefits.  You have to be willing to make some changes.

 

Note****** There is a handful of books on hormone health I have read through out  the years that have been a wealth of good information.  They are: What Your Doctor May Not tell You About Pre-Menopause ,  What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause,  Natural Hormone Balance For Women

 

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