Your hormone balance is an interconnected web that affects your whole body. Everything from genetics, stress levels, to diet can play a role in your unique hormone balance. Because hormones are interconnected, if one hormone is out of whack, it can affect your whole body in different ways. Feeling sluggish, run down, or somehow off? Find out what you need to know about hormone imbalance.
1. Low Libido
Having a low sex drive should be taken seriously whether you are sexually active or not. And if you are partnered up, it affects both of you. If you have a pretty good idea of your regular sex drive, a lowered libido will be noticeable—and hormone imbalance could be to blame.
The hormones at play are dopamine, estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, serotonin, and prolactin. But libido isn’t all about hormones, it’s also a mental process that can be affected by stress.
Focusing on stress relief to increase libido is a healthy place to start. Try our favorite stress-relief techniques and see what a huge difference it can make.
2. Changes in Mood or Depression
Mental health is a complicated and deeply personal issue. If you notice you’re feeling down more often, it could be due to mental stress affecting a multitude of hormones.
To balance things back out, it’s important to focus on self-care. Practicing yoga may be able to reduce the impact of stress. Plus, it’s great exercise that releases endorphins that lift your mood. You can also try incorporating more ginseng in your diet and lowering your sugar intake.
3. Fatigue
Needing a cup of [linkbuilder id=”3696″ text=”coffee in the morning”] may feel pretty standard. But if you’re so fatigued that you are having a hard time getting out of bed or you can’t do as much during the day, something is off. Having an underactive thyroid may be your cause of fatigue. An imbalance in your estrogen and progesterone levels could also be a cause.
Try increasing your intake of Ashwagandha, an adaptogenic herb that has been proven to affect the thyroid and progesterone levels. This can help to level things out without that third cup of coffee.
4. Changes in Hair Health
Having a long, lush, healthy mop of hair isn’t just style goals, it can also be an indicator of hormonal health. Keep in mind your hair grows out from the root, so if you’re seeing dull ends it may just mean that you’re due for a trim. If your hair growth slows, your roots are becoming brittle, or you’re experiencing more hair loss than usual (keep in mind, some hair shedding every day is normal) your hormones may be imbalanced. The major hormones at play are androgens (such as testosterone) or the problem could be related to a thyroid imbalance.
Safely increasing testosterone levels can help with female hair loss. You can boost testosterone with high-intensity workouts. Plus, you get those feel-good endorphins going on! You can also try a daily scalp massage to relax and promote thicker hair.
When You Should See a Doctor
Having hormone imbalance isn’t something to ignore. If you notice a very sudden change (as in overnight) or if making different lifestyle choices does not fix a more gradual issue, it is important to see a doctor. Every one of the above symptoms could be an indicator of a more serious health problem that should be treated with the help of a doctor.
Hormone-related disorders include many different thyroid diseases, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), adrenal disorders, and more.
Getting your hormones back in balance can be the key to feeling (and looking) great. A few simple steps to relieve stress, improve your diet, and build an exercise routine can make a big difference in your hormone balance.