5 Signs of Hormone Imbalance

Balance is the key to life. The actual definition of balance is “an even distribution of weight enabling someone or something to remain upright and steady” as well as “a condition in which different elements are equal or in the correct proportions.” This is true about so many aspects of our lives, including our hormones. When our hormones are balanced, our whole body is able to operate optimally. The first step is to determine if our hormones are out of balance or not.

Many factors go into our hormone balance. Below we will discuss some of these factors. If you are struggling with any of these, I highly recommend reaching out to your medical provider for further guidance and creating a plan of action. If you are unsure if you are affected by any of these, please feel free to reach out to me and we can discuss it as well.

1. Exhaustion and Fatigue

Are you always tired and have little energy to do anything? This can be a big indicator of unbalanced hormones. When there is an abnormal release of cortisol along with other adrenal hormones in the body, you feel stressed. You may feel sad and extremely tired even when you do nothing. If you often have a foggy head, low mood, and extreme depression, your body might have a hormonal imbalance. Your thyroid, lowered estrogen, or too much progesterone may be to blame.

2. Weight Gain

In addition to your daily intake of food and exercises that you participate in, your hormones also have a significant role in determining your body weight because they impact the metabolic rate. If your hormones are out of balance, you will have difficulty in shedding extra body weight despite all your efforts and dieting, this is called “weight loss resistance”.  Due to this, there is no point in doing heavy exercise and severe dieting if your hormones are not balanced. Consult a professional first, get your hormonal balance back in line and then follow a healthy lifestyle for enjoying an improved quality life.

3. Cravings

Cravings for sugar or carbohydrates can indicate low serotonin or blood sugar levels. Hormone imbalance and issues with digestion can trigger lowered serotonin. This sends a signal to your brain that you need something for an energy boost. However, once your levels drop back down, or “crash”, the lowered serotonin levels return and the cycle continues.
When we eat a diet that is not full of nutritious foods, it can cause us to crave foods that will not sustain us. Eating a balanced diet is so important to help keep these levels balanced and break the cycle of cravings.

4. Mood Swings

Do you suffer from PMS? Often times irritability, anger, and anxiety is more than just your period starting. It indicates your hormones are off balance and should be checked by your doctor. Estrogen levels affect the neurotransmitters in your brain to trigger these reactions. Some women are more susceptible to these changes.

5. Low Sex Drive

Low sex drive can be more than just not feeling attracted to your spouse. Lowered testosterone can be the reason for your lowered sex drive. While testosterone is often thought to be a man’s hormone, women also produce testosterone. Estrogen, stress (cortisol), progesterone or DHEA could also be contributing factors to a lowered libido issues.

Many lifestyle changes can help improve our hormone balances and keep things running smoothly. Avoid caffeine, sugar, and alcohol, while fueling our body with nutrient-rich food, managing stress, among other balanced lifestyle habits can help manage or eliminate these symptoms. It can also help keep our hormones in a healthy state.

There are more indicators of imbalanced hormones that can affect your life. Not everyone will have these that I mentioned above so it is highly important to stay in tune with your body. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me to discuss.

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