Hormones are a mode of communication in the body. Technically, hormones are the chemical reactions in the body that traverse all through the body and to an extent has control over the physical and mental state of the body. In a way, hormones administer and take care of the body.
For instance, does this happen with you that you feel like crying for no reason at times or have you heard of people say things like the “hormones are acting cranky” and at times it so happens that you put on weight for no good reason. This is all because of the messages that are communicated all through your body. Have you witnessed this ever?
It is not something that can be denied that it feels miserable to have these hormones toggle and get disturbed. Your physical and mental reactions are a sign that your hormones are disturbed. That said, this article aims at educating women about hormonal imbalance and the ways to cure that imbalance.
What Is Hormonal Imbalance?
Hormones are produced, they do not naturally exist. They are formed and produced by organs known as glands, each hormone produced has a specific communication through what its secretion. Example, Hormone thyroxine is released by the thyroid gland in order to take care of the metabolism in the body.
Hormones have the authority to regulate several activities in our body such as taking care of the general growth of the body, monitoring the blood glucose level, blood pressure and keeping a check on the water content in the body.
Hormones are even produced through the Hypothalamus that is located in the pituitary glands and they get into the blood monitoring and instructing the organs to accomplish their tasks.
Hormones get imbalanced when the instructions given to the organs are not processed correctly or this is a change in the functioning of one of the organs in the body.
Signs And Symptoms Of Hormonal Imbalance
Signs and Symptoms In General
When you notice that your body is functioning in a certain manner and all of a sudden you see that there is a change for a reason that’s beyond your understanding it is a sign indicating that there is a disturbance in your hormones.
Initially, you might not be able to figure out but in time if you notice that the below mentioned changes have occurred, it means these are clear indications, signs and symptoms clearly stating that your body is experiencing a hormonal imbalance.
- Losing weight for no reason
- Putting on weight for no reason
- Swelling in your face
- Experiencing weakness in your muscles
- Body getting affected by rashes
- You tend to feel hungry all the time
- You feel low and depressed
- You get anxious really quick
- Your joints start to ache
- You are having a major hair fall concern
- You tend to sweat too much
- You have problems with your vision
- You resistance power to bear cold and heat gets low
- The texture of your skin gets dry
- You have lost strength in your muscles
- The urge to have sex comes down
Signs and Symptoms Of Hormonal Imbalance In Women
Talking about the hormonal imbalance in women it usually happens when there is a diversion of one phase of her life into another. That said, most women have a hormonal imbalance in the below mentioned scenarios
- When she becomes a teenager
- When she is carrying
- When a woman breastfeeds
- When her periods come to an end
What is the outcome of these signs that a woman experiences?
No 1 – Periods Is A Tough Task
Here are the different problems women go through during periods
- Periods do not come on time
- A woman rarely gets her periods
- A woman tends to over bleed during periods
- A woman gets her periods but does not bleed well
- A woman experiences too many menstrual cramps and tends to feel nausea
No 2 – Problems In The Genital Parts
There is a repercussion of the hormonal imbalance on her genital parts
- A woman experiences pain in her vagina during sex
- The vagina dries up
- A woman tends to start sweating in the night
- The color of her skin starts to change at her underarms, groin and near the breasts
No 3 – Unexpected Changes In the Body
A woman witnesses abnormal changes in her body
- Excessive hair growth on the chin and face
- Develops acne on her chest and face
- She loses control over putting on and losing weight
Thus, these were some of the symptoms of hormonal imbalance in the body. However, when you repeatedly experience any of these or all of these signs and symptoms you should get it checked by your doctor and go ahead to find out what can be done.
Read: 12 Reasons For Being Cranky All The Time (5 Ways To Overcome It)
What Causes Hormonal Imbalance In Women?
Usually, a person would experience hormonal imbalance because of some changes in the body. Given the fact that women go through most of the physical changes, hormones of women get more disturbed than that of a man’s
Here are the listed out causes of hormonal imbalance in women. Take a look at them! Most of the imbalance in women is caused because there is a lot of transformation happening with the reproductive parts.
- Cause No 1 – if a woman has PCOS.
- Cause No 2 – When a woman is pregnant, her body changes too much
- Cause No 3 – If a woman takes birth control pills it can have an effect on her body causing a disturbance in the hormones
- Cause No 4 – When a woman experiences menopause at an early age, her hormones are bound to get disturbed.
- Cause No 5 – Post pregnancy when a woman starts to breastfeed there comes a change in her body
How to Treat Hormonal Imbalance? Learn About The Natural Ways Of Doing It!
Hormones get balanced on its own in time. However, one has to develop patience and let it pass through. In the meantime, you can try natural and healthy ways to take care of the hormonal imbalance.
If a woman does not focus on taking care of balancing the hormones in her body she can fall into a lot of trouble. Follow the below mentioned natural ways of treating hormonal imbalance and set right all the imbalance that women go through mentally, emotionally and physically
Way No 1 – Do Not Disturb Your Hormones Before Periods
You would be aware of your period’s cycle, isn’t it? If you want to avoid cramps and feel much better during periods you need to be well hydrated, eat healthily, keep your workout on and sleep well. If you disturb the pattern you are adjusted to it would all the more aggravate your hormones and you would have to face troublesome periods.
While some women feel nausea during periods because a hormone called prostaglandin is triggered, it enters the blood unknowingly causing trouble to the body, few women feel nausea while the others get a terrible headache or they get constipated.
Look at some of the tips to take care of yourself during periods
Way No 2 – Get A Hormone Check Done
The first step in knowing a problem is by analyzing the possible causes. Here are three ways of analyzing your hormones. Take a look!
1. Examining the Reproductive Organs
- Estrogen
- Progesterone
- Testosterone
2. Examining the Adrenal Glands
- DHEA
- Cortisol Imbalance
3. Examining the thyroid glands
- Testing the Pituitary glands
- Testing your Liver
4. Examining Vitamin D3 levels, these are synthesized by the liver
5. Examine the fasting glucose levels(what causes PCOS) – this examination of the blood has to be done to understand PMS symptoms, infertility symptoms and hormonal symptoms.
Therefore, examining different hormone imbalances can help us figure out the level of hormonal imbalance in our body, every detail can be looked into.
You can get a hormonal check done by your doctor. The points mentioned above just give you a picture about how the hormones are checked.
Way No 3 – Detox Liver When Estrogen Levels Are High
When estrogen levels are too high they can affect your moods and body. You do not want it to go down to do that to your body, follow these steps to detox liver and take care of the hormonal imbalance.
1. Eat only organic food – The foods are fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, meat, nuts and seeds.
2. Restriction on eating estrogen foods – There is an imbalance in the hormones so the estrogen has gone high, it now has to be controlled. As per the Journal Of Medicinal Food, if there are phytochemicals in the food it can help in balancing the estrogen levels in the body. That said, these phytochemicals are found in no-estrogen foods
3. Make a Cleansing Drink – It is necessary that your liver gets cleansed to balance the hormones as the liver is responsible in taking care of most of the hormones, only if it is cleansed it can do its task. Make this juice and drink it thrice a week. You will need to do the following
- Take a ½ lemon, squeeze out its juice
- Add 1 tsp of honey
- Add 1 tsp of Aloe Vera
- Add 1 tsp of salt
- Stir this mixture and then add ½ a cup water to gulp this down.
Way No 4 – Eat Healthy Fats To Balance Hormones
It is recommended to eat healthy fats as they has the ability to stabilize all the hormonal imbalance in your body.
Two reasons for why is it recommended, one is because your appetite hormone comes in control by eating fats, two is because your insulin resistance reduces and with this people tend to put on weight. That said, when both of these factors are looked after, your hormones get balanced. It is easy for this to happen when you eat foods such as avocado, olive oil, nuts and seeds.
Thus, eat a nutritious diet, eat healthy fats so that insulin resistance decreases and appetite is sustained.
Way No 5 – Adding Protein To Your Diet Is A Must
At any cost make sure to add protein to your diet, the protein comprises of several essential nutrients that are good to make your skin, hair and muscles healthy.
Proteins do have a link with balancing the hormones because when you give your body enough protein it makes you feel full. As hormonal imbalance has a direct relationship with being obese, this problem can come to an end because there are no chances of over-eating and putting on weight as protein becomes one of the major aspects of your diet.
Way No 6 – Resort To A Good Workout
In regards to hormonal imbalance, exercising and sweating out can help solve one of the issues that causes a hormonal imbalance.
Every hormone is assigned a purpose. That said, one of the hormones that is responsible to take care of the energy in the body gets disturbed and there is a term called insulin resistance that adds to this. If the insulin levels in the body drop down risks of heart diseases, diabetes and cancer can come down.
When insulin resistance comes in control it can keep your progesterone balanced as well. Try running, jumping, cycling and dancing to get over these hormonal hassles and sustain the strength in your body.
Way No 7 – Send Away All The Stress From your Mind
Stress can toggle your physical health and completely mess with it, you want to be healthy! Don’t you? Taking care of the stress levels and getting over it is essential otherwise it will create issues by first hitting on two hormones cortisol and adrenaline.
Each of them has their specific task failing at which will cause several other health issues you would have to witness. Further, cortisol manages your mood whereas adrenaline is the hormone that helps your body withstand danger. When you stress too much these two hormones lose track and the problems you get to witness are getting obese, high blood pressure, anxiety etc.
Therefore, dedicate ten minutes of your day meditating or pick on an activity that makes you all happy and you enjoy doing the task as it would help you manage stress better.
Way No 8 – You Can Afford Cutting Down On Fewer Carbs
No harm in cutting down on certain foods if it stands as a barrier and hits on your hormones. Cut down on sugar consumption and refined carbs. For instance, pasta, pastries, white bread and soda. Reduce these foods as much as you can.
The sugar content(fructose levels) in these foods have the tendency to spike insulin levels which can further cause other health concerns. One such health issue would be diabetes. If the insulin resistance continues to go high there are chances for women to have PCOS.
Control your consumption on these foods to avoid further complications. Instead of eating refined carbs you can eat healthy food such as nuts, grains and vegetables.
Way No 9 – Eat Adequately – Don’t Go Extreme
If you want to treat imbalanced hormones naturally you need to keep a balance on how much food you eat. Do not eat too much and do not eat too less. How would help in treating imbalanced hormones?
It is obvious that eating too much would add up to insulin levels and cause problems to people who are obese. On the contrary, eating less will trigger cortisol and this, in turn, will help you gain weight. Eating fewer increases insulin levels as well.
Thus, keeping a balance with the quantity of food you eat stabilize your hormones. Further, give your body the maximum calories it needs.
Way No 10 – Gulp On Some Green Tea
Have you heard of theanine? It is a compound that is present in green tea, consuming which the cortisol hormone does not get released too much, which means that your stress is in control and if that’s happening your hormones are in control.
Apart from this, green tea is known to better your metabolism and keeps the insulin levels in control, if the insulin is in control there are no chances for one to put on weight excessively. This is not just applicable to people who are already obese, it is good to save people who are not obese from putting on weight.
Green tea has other health benefits given the fact that it has rich antioxidants. One can have green tea twice a day. Have green tea and treat the hormonal imbalance naturally.
Way No 11 – Eat One Of The Sources Of Omega-3 Fatty Acid
Talking of omega-3 fatty acids, fatty fish should be eaten to naturally treat any kind of hormonal imbalance, cortisol and adrenaline come in control if you eat fatty fish.
Studies suggest that consuming fatty fish has successfully brought down insulin levels in women with gestational diabetes and PCOS. Women get gestational diabetes during pregnancy and this can be taken care of by fatty fish.
Besides fatty fish being good in controlling insulin resistance and stabilizing insulin sensitivity it has other health benefits ad it is recommended to eat fatty fish for good health twice a week.
Way No 12 – Get Your Beauty Sleep
Everything with our health is got to do with eating and sleeping habits. Ensure to sleep 7 hours at night so that the growth hormone performs its function and does not get affected.
It is studied that not getting enough sleep can target 6 hormones and cause imbalance. The hormones are ghrelin, leptin, cortisol, insulin and the growth hormone.
Why do you want any hormone to get disturbed? Sleep is one of the major aspects in balancing your hormones. Sleep sufficiently to save yourself from any further complications, co-operate with your hormones so that it co-operates with your body.
Read 20 Ways To Fall Asleep Early! Science Says These Work Like A Lullaby
Way No 13 – Add Fibrous Food To Your Diet
There can be nothing as natural as adding good nutrition to your diet. Having said, fiber is just like how protein works on your body. It fills you up.
When your stomach is full you would not find the need to go ahead and overeat. How would this help? This would help in keeping the insulin resistance low and increase insulin sensitivity which is good for you.
Therefore, choose to eat foods rich in fiber if you want the hunger hormone to come in control. Some of the foods rich in fiber are salads, oranges and nuts. Eat a certain amount of fiber every day.
Way No 14 – Fluids Is A Good Formula To Control Estrogen Levels
Every day after your breakfast or maybe after you have an evening snack see to it that you add at least one fluid to your diet.
It is mandatory that you have to drink sufficient water, above that make it a habit to drink a vegetable or fruit juice. These juices would have certain antioxidants that would immediately relieve your body from stress. Make the most of this tip naturally treat imbalanced hormones.
Way No 15 – Keep Your Phone Away Before Going To Bed
It is surprising to mention that a hormone called melanin gets dominated and disturbed if there is too much radiation from artificial or blue lights from the phone.
As it is the radiations from the phone is not good for our brain, now that we are aware that it affects the hormones as well it is better to avoid having phones beside you while you sleep.
Melatonin is one of the hormones that take care of your sleep and it gets affected if there is light close to your brain and eyes.
To summarize it all, to cure hormonal imbalance in women, every woman must pay attention to her health and take care of her diet, sleep well and learn how to manage stress levels. This is because every obstacle encountered during pregnancy, periods, the time frame before menopause and during menopause becomes slightly easier.
When we go against nature and take our health for granted the hormones get disturbed and at times it is not our habits that trigger hormones, hormones get imbalanced naturally.
For women, the side effects of hormones are seen when she is going through a major transition such as pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding or menopause. Nevertheless, there are several natural ways to treat hormonal imbalance and find the right cure for it.
Balanced Through The Imbalanced Hormones And Stay Healthy!
