When there’s a hormonal imbalance, it means the production is low or too high. Some fluctuations are considered normal part of aging; however, other changes can have a negative impact on the overall health.
Hormones are the chemical messengers in our body and they’re produced in the endocrine glands and travel through the bloodstream and “tell” the tissues and organs what to do. And, they also help control different bodily processes, including reproduction and metabolic rate.
This is why it’s pivotal to pay attention to the symptoms of hormonal imbalance and consult our physician.
Why We Need to Have Balanced Hormones?
Hormones play a pivotal role in the regulation of the major processes in the body, including the appetite, metabolism, heart rate, body temperature, growth, development, reproductive cycle, sexual function, mood, and stress levels.
Both men and women can be affected by insulin, steroid, adrenaline, and growth hormone imbalance whereas only women are influenced by imbalances in the progesterone and estrogen whereas men have a higher risk of testosterone imbalance.
Women & Hormonal Imbalances
Throughout their life, women will naturally experience periods of hormonal fluctuations, including puberty, menstruation, pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause.
They’re also at risk of having hormonal imbalance disorders more than men because of the different endocrine organs and cycles.
Symptoms of Hormonal Imbalance in Women
- Sudden weight gain
If you’re constantly gaining weight, despite following a healthy and balanced diet and exercising on a regular basis, you may be dealing with a hormonal imbalance.
In such cases, the metabolic rate is crucial and can dictate the amount of lost weight. When the metabolism doesn’t work optimally, the body’s ability to burn calories reduces and the chance for weight loss minimizes. As a result, you end up storing surplus fat in the middle part of the body.
- Increase in appetite
If you’ve been noticing an increase in your appetite, especially the cravings for some foods like sweet stuff, there may be an underlying hormonal imbalance.
If you feel that you’re unable to control how much you eat, there may be a hormonal imbalance related with the appetite regulating hormone known as ghrelin.
- Frequent mood swings
Even though it’s normal to experience changes in mood, abrupt ones, like feeling happy and then suddenly you become sad without an apparent reason or getting mad and easy irritable, may be a result of a hormonal imbalance.
For women, mood changes are common pre-menstrual symptom as well as a symptom of menopause. But, if they’re happening constantly, not just in these periods, it may be caused by an imbalance of some hormones.
- Tiredness
Have you been feeling exhausted even after good night’s sleep or a nap? If yes, it may be time to check your hormones- tiredness can happen because of high cortisol levels, a hormone that regulates stress.
As the stress increases, so does the cortisol and its high levels cause you to feel tired all the time.
- Sleeplessness
If you’ve been having a hard time falling and staying asleep at night and you’re tossing and turning for hours, even though you feel tired and need sleep, there may be an issue with the hormones.
- Low sex drive
People struggling with hormonal imbalance may often experience low libido to that extent that it’s the last thing on their mind.
Even though it’s completely normal to have other things that are more important to you than your sexual activity, experiencing a reduction in your sex drive may be triggered by some hormonal imbalance.
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