When you’re trying to manage your overall health, it’s easy to focus on the things that you can see and feel directly, such as your diet, exercise, and even your mental health. However, there’s a lot more going on under the surface at any given time, and a lot of it is influenced, both directly and subtly, by your hormone balance. This becomes increasingly important as we get older, so here, we’re going to look at why your hormonal balance is so important, as well as what you can do about it.
Hormones’ Role In The Body
When we think of hormones, we tend to think of things like puberty, pregnancy, and menopause, often in relation to our libido and sexual health. However, hormones go a lot deeper than that, regulating just about every physiological process in the body, from reproduction to sleep, mood to metabolism, energy levels to sleep, and much more. Even small imbalances can produce widespread effects. For example, excess cortisol from chronic stress can cause weight gain, fatigue, and anxiety, while low thyroid hormones may lead to sluggishness and depression. Even hormones that you may think are tied specifically to one thing, such as sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone, can also impact other aspects of your health, like bone density, muscle mass, and emotional wellbeing. As such, if you have reason to believe that your hormone balance is “off”, then you have a lot of reasons to get things back on track.
How Do You Know If Things Are Off-Balance?
As wide-reaching as the effects of hormones can be, there are also a lot of potential symptoms that can indicate some level of imbalance. Many of them might be chalked up to changes due to stress, aging, or lifestyle, but, in reality, these are all so closely tied to our hormone levels that we should take note of them anyway. Common signs of hormonal imbalance include chronic fatigue, unexplained weight gain or loss, brain fog, mood swings, low libido, poor sleep, anxiety, and depression. Men can also experience reduced muscle mass, decreased motivation, and erectile dysfunction as a result of low testosterone.
What Is Hormone Replacement Therapy? In some cases, the decline of hormones like testosterone and growth hormone may be pronounced enough that a clinical approach may be warranted. If you’re experiencing the symptoms mentioned above and lifestyle changes aren’t enough to get things back to how they should be, then hormone replacement therapy, or HRT, may be the best strategy. With the guidance of your doctor, you can get either bioidentical or synthetic hormones directly to help bring your hormone levels back to where they need to be. This is a long-term approach, however, as regular bloodwork and symptom tracking are needed to ensure that you avoid side effects or even overcorrecting.
The Rise Of Biohacking
Aside from direct hormone treatments, some have been looking into biohacking as a means to naturally address the imbalance, such as by making your body produce more hormones itself. One potential solution is found in MK677, also known as ibutamoren, which mimics the hunger hormone ghrelin and, as a result, stimulates the pituitary gland to increase levels of growth hormone and IGF-1 production. This, in turn, can address the lack of muscle growth, slow metabolism, and poor sleep that can all be caused by shortages in these hormones. This is of particular interest to those who are facing lower levels of these hormones as a result of aging, so it may be worth asking your doctor about which supplements can help beyond direct HRT.
The Role Of Stres
s Alongside the hormones that impact muscle growth, energy levels, and sexual health, there are also hormones like cortisol. As the body’s main stress hormone, this can be useful in short bursts, increasing energy levels and prompting you into action in high-pressure situations. However, if your cortisol levels are high on a regular basis as a result of stress, it can disrupt other hormones, including testosterone. This, in turn, can lead to belly fat, inflammation, fatigue, and sleep issues. Managing stress effectively is crucial for hormonal balance. Start by identifying and tackling sources of chronic stress, as well as implementing daily strategies like meditation, breathwork, and walking in nature to ease your mind.
Good Sleep Is Vital, Too
Sleep is vital for all bodily functions, and this includes your hormone balance. When you’re in deep sleep, such as REM sleep, your body reaches its peak production levels of hormones such as testosterone, melatonin, and growth hormone, while decreasing the levels of cortisol. If you’re not getting the quality or quantity of sleep that you need, this cycle gets disrupted. As a result, you can experience worse energy levels due to poor metabolism, decreased muscle recovery after exercise, and potential weight gain. To support hormone regulation, aim for 7–9 hours of uninterrupted, quality sleep each night. Keep your sleep environment dark and cool, avoid screens an hour before bed, and maintain a consistent schedule. Avoid sleeping in or staying up late, even on the weekends.
Balancing Your Blood Sugars
Insulin isn’t just a medication, it’s a hormone, and one of the most important ones in the whole body. Blood sugar swings can have a profound impact on your hormonal balance, which is a big part of why they can affect your mood so much. When you consistently consume refined carbs and sugars, insulin spikes to manage glucose levels. Over time, this can lead to insulin resistance, weight gain, inflammation, and disruption of hormones like estrogen, testosterone, and cortisol. As such, balancing your blood sugar levels stabilizes things a lot more. For that reason, you should prioritize whole foods over processed options, and make sure that you eat plenty of fiber-rich vegetables, healthy fats, and lean protein.
Whether you’re potentially looking at a hormone deficit that might need to be addressed with the help of your doctor or you could nudge things in the right direction with lifestyle changes, don’t underestimate the impact a little balance can have on how you feel every day.
