Balancing hormones naturally is one of the activities that anyone can do to have a healthy body. Hormones are the body’s chemical messengers, the balance of which is particularly important in their secretion. These powerful chemicals, which are produced in the endocrine glands, move around the bloodstream and tell tissues and organs what to do. Hormones have profound effects on mental, physical, and emotional health. These chemical messengers are among the main ones in controlling appetite, weight, and mood.
Typically, the endocrine glands produce the exact amount of each hormone needed for various processes in the body. Hormone imbalances can significantly endanger the body’s overall health, so it is important to use the proper methods to regulate the body’s hormones. Fortunately, a nutritious diet and other healthy lifestyle behaviors may help improve hormonal health and function better.
Symptoms of a hormonal imbalance
Hormones play an essential role in the overall health of the body. As a result, a wide range of signs or symptoms can indicate a hormonal imbalance. Hormonal imbalances that affect both men and women can cause the following signs or symptoms:
- Weight gain
- Unexplained, and sometimes sudden, weight loss
- Fatigue
- Muscle weakness
- Pain, stiffness, or swelling in joints
- Increased or decreased heart rate
- Sweating
- Increased sensitivity to cold or heat
- Constipation or more frequent bowel movements
- Frequent urination
- Increased hunger
- Decreased sex drive
- Depression
- Nervousness, anxiety, or irritability
- Infertility
- Thinning hair or fine, brittle hair
- Dry skin
Symptoms of a hormonal imbalance specific to females include:
- Heavy or irregular periods
- Excessive hair on the face, chin, or other parts of the body
- Hair loss
- Acne on the face, chest, or upper back
- Skin tags
- Vaginal dryness
- Vaginal atrophy
- Pain during sex
- Night sweats
- Headaches
- Darkening of the skin
Symptoms of a hormonal imbalance specific to males include:
- Breast tenderness
- Erectile dysfunction (ED)
- Decrease in beard growth and body hair growth
- Loss of muscle mass
- Loss of bone mass
- Difficulty concentrating
- Hot flashes
15 ways to balance hormones naturally
There are many ways to balance hormones naturally. Making some simple lifestyle changes can help restore proper hormone levels.
1. Eat enough protein
Getting enough protein is very important. Proteins provide essential amino acids that the body cannot make on its own and must be consumed daily to maintain healthy muscles, bones, and skin. In addition, protein affects the secretion of hormones that control appetite and food intake.
Research has shown that eating protein lowers the levels of the hormone-hungry (ghrelin) and stimulates the production of hormones that help you feel full.
Experts recommend eating at least 20-30 grams of protein per meal to optimize the health of hormones.
2. Engage in regular exercise
Physical activity can affect hormonal health. A major advantage of exercise is its ability to lower insulin levels and increase insulin sensitivity. Insulin is a hormone that has different functions. One is that cells can absorb sugars and amino acids from the bloodstream, then be used for energy and muscle maintenance. High insulin levels are linked to inflammation, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.
Various types of physical activity have increased insulin sensitivity and decreased insulin levels, including aerobic exercise, strength training, and endurance exercise.
Physical activity may also help increase levels of muscle-retaining hormones that decrease with age, such as testosterone, IGF-1, DHEA, and growth hormone.
People who are unable to do strenuous exercise, even regular walking, can increase this hormone level, potentially improving strength and quality of life. Although a combination of resistance training and aerobic exercise may work best, regular physical activity is beneficial.
3. Manage stress
Stress can affect the secretion of hormones. The two major stress hormones are cortisol and adrenaline. Cortisol is known as a stress hormone because it helps the body cope with stress in the long run.
Adrenaline is a hormone that provides a lot of energy for the body to respond to immediate danger. Unfortunately, chronic stress causes cortisol levels to stay high, leading to excessive calorie intake and obesity.
Increased adrenaline levels can cause high blood pressure, rapid heartbeat, and anxiety. Research has shown that stress-reduction techniques such as meditation, yoga, massage, and soothing music can lower your cortisol levels. Try to spend at least 10-15 minutes a day on stress-reducing activities.
4. Consume healthy fats
Including high-quality natural fats in the diet may help reduce insulin resistance and appetite. Medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) are unique fats that are taken directly by the liver to be used immediately for energy. They reduce insulin resistance in overweight and obese people as well as in diabetics. MCT is found in coconut oil, palm oil, and pure MCT oil.
Eating healthy fats in meals releases hormones that make you feel full and satisfied, including GLP-1, PYY, and cholecystokinin (CCK). On the other hand, trans fats have increased insulin resistance and increased abdominal fat storage. To optimize the health of hormones, consume a healthy source of fat in each meal.
5. Avoid sugar and refined carbs
Refined sugars and carbohydrates have been linked to several health problems. Avoiding or minimizing these nutrients may play a key role in optimizing hormone function and preventing obesity, diabetes, and other diseases. Consistent studies have shown that fructose can increase insulin levels and increase insulin resistance, especially in overweight, obese, pre-diabetic, or diabetic people.
In addition, diets high in refined carbohydrates, such as white bread, may boost insulin resistance in a large proportion of adults. In contrast, following a low- or moderate-carbohydrate diet based on whole foods may lower insulin levels in overweight and obese people with prediabetes and other insulin-resistant conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
6. Avoid overeating and undereating
Eating too much or too little can lead to hormonal changes. Overeating increases insulin levels and decreases insulin sensitivity, especially in overweight and obese people who are insulin resistant. On the other hand, excessive calorie reduction can increase stress hormone levels.
Eating within your personal calorie range can help maintain hormonal balance and a healthy weight.
7. Getting enough sleep
No matter how healthy your diet is and how much you exercise, your health will suffer if you do not get enough sleep. Lack of sleep is associated with an imbalance of many hormones, including insulin, cortisol, leptin, ghrelin, and growth hormone. In addition to the amount of sleep, the quality of sleep is also important. The brain needs uninterrupted sleep to go through all five sleep cycle stages. This is especially important for the secretion of growth hormone, which is mainly secreted at night during deep sleep.
8. Drink green tea
Green tea is one of the healthiest drinks. In addition to caffeine boosting metabolism, it contains an antioxidant known as epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), which has several health benefits. Research shows that consuming green tea may increase insulin sensitivity and decrease insulin levels in healthy people and people with insulin-resistant conditions such as obesity and diabetes.
9. Eat fatty fish
Fatty fish is one of the best sources of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, which have significant anti-inflammatory properties. They have beneficial effects on hormone health, including lowering stress hormone levels.
Increased consumption of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids may reduce obesity-related insulin resistance, polycystic ovary syndrome, and gestational diabetes. For good health, eat two or more servings of fatty fish a week, such as salmon, sardines, herring, and mackerel.
10. Stay away from sugary beverages
Consuming sugar in any way is unhealthy. Liquid sugars are the worst kind. Studies show that consuming large amounts of sugary drinks can lead to insulin resistance, especially in overweight and obese adults and children.
Drinking sugary drinks leads to excessive calorie intake because it does not stimulate the same satiety signals that eating solid foods shows.
Avoiding sugary drinks may be one of the best things you can do to improve your hormone balance.
11. Consume a high-fiber diet
Fiber, especially soluble, is an essential part of a healthy diet.
Studies have shown that it increases insulin sensitivity and stimulates the production of hormones that make you feel full and satisfied.
Although soluble fiber has the greatest effect on appetite and eating, insoluble fiber can also play a role. Both types of fiber reduce appetite. To protect against insulin resistance and overeating, be sure to eat fiber-rich foods daily.
12. Eat eggs
Eggs are one of the most nutritious foods on earth. Eggs affect the hormones that regulate food intake, lower insulin, and ghrelin levels, and increase PYY. They are very nutritious and may help reduce insulin resistance, suppress appetite, and make you feel full.
13. Avoiding too much light at night
Exposure to blue light, such as cell phones or computer screens, can disrupt sleep. The body responds to this light as if it were daylight and regulates hormones in response to it. Avoiding artificial light helps regulate hormones and restore normal circadian rhythms.
14. Quitting smoking
Tobacco smoke may disrupt the levels of several hormones. Smoke may alter thyroid hormone levels, stimulate pituitary hormones, and even increase stress-related levels of steroid hormones such as cortisol.
15. Take a high-quality probiotic
Taking a probiotic can help balance the gut microbiome and the number of good bacteria. The better bacteria there are, the easier it is to process food in the digestive system. Research has shown that estrogen-related imbalances can be reversed with probiotic supplementation by restoring the collection of bacteria known as estrobolome, which is responsible for estrogen metabolism. Probiotics can also relieve chronic stress on the pituitary-hypothalamic axis, so probiotics are starting to be a treatment for those dealing with depression and anxiety. Fermented foods, which also contain live bacteria, can help regulate intestinal bacteria.
How to test hormone health
If you are concerned about hormone health, hormone levels can be tested in the following ways:
- Saliva testing: Saliva test measures the number of hormones in the body at the cellular level. Saliva tests can measure estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, cortisol, and DHEA levels. Your healthcare provider can adjust for hormone changes by testing your saliva when you sample and testing multiple samples over time.
- Blood testing: This type of hormone test requires blood to be collected in a laboratory and then measured for hormone levels. A blood test can measure the level of free and total hormones, which saliva and urine tests cannot.
- Urine testing: Urine hormone testing requires collecting each drop of urine for 24 hours. Urine is then tested to determine the number of hormones present on that particular day. This is the most extensive hormone health test because it measures hormone levels throughout the day, while blood and saliva tests measure hormone levels in an instant.
The bottom line
Hormones affect a wide range of body functions, and even a small imbalance can have significant consequences. Hormones are involved in every aspect of health. Every person needs a certain amount of them for the body to function optimally.
Hormonal imbalances may increase the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and other health problems. Although aging and other factors are beyond the person’s control, there are many steps you can take to help the proper functioning of hormones. It is possible to balance hormones naturally. Eating nutritious foods, exercising regularly, and doing other healthy behaviors can go a long way in improving hormonal health.
Additional questions
- What causes hormonal imbalance?
Women often experience hormonal imbalances at predictable and natural times in their lives (menstruation, puberty, pregnancy, and menopause). Some medical conditions, lifestyle habits, environmental conditions, and malfunctioning endocrine glands can be other causes of hormonal imbalance in women. It is possible to balance hormones naturally.
- What are the 5 endocrine glands?
While many parts of the body make hormones, the main glands that make up the endocrine system are:
- Hypothalamus
- Pituitary
- Thyroid
- Parathyroids
- Adrenals
- Pineal body
- The ovaries
- The testes
- What food reduces ghrelin?
Eat plenty of healthy carbohydrates, such as whole grains, as well as lean proteins, such as chicken, fish, and tofu. These foods can reduce the level of ghrelin and make you feel full for a longer time.
- What does cortisol do to your body?
Cortisol, the primary stress hormone, increases sugars (glucose) in the bloodstream, increases the brain’s use of glucose, and increases access to substances that repair tissues. Cortisol also inhibits functions that are unnecessary or harmful in fight-or-flight situations.
- Is taking probiotic everyday good?
While there may be a few exceptions, the general answer is yes, taking them daily is safe and usually recommended. It is important to understand that probiotics are a natural supplement and not a medicine.
References
https://www.parsleyhealth.com/blog/hormonal-imbalance-symptoms/
https://maxliving.com/healthy-articles/how-to-naturally-balance-hormones/
https://www.healthline.com/health/hormonal-imbalance#treatment
https://draxe.com/health/how-to-balance-hormones-naturally/
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/balance-hormones#TOC_TITLE_HDR_2
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324031#tips-for-children