Is it my hormones?
This is the question that many women ask when their symptoms are specifically related to menses. Symptoms like PMS, painful periods, menstrual migraines or acne have a clear connection to hormones.
But we often forget that hormones govern all the systems in our body, and an imbalance in any of them can trigger symptoms that interrupt the quality of our lives.
So here you will find 3 signs of imbalance that most people don’t immediately connect to hormones.
hormone Imbalance #1: hanger
- Do you keep nuts in your purse so that you never risk getting hungry without food at your fingertips?
- Do you snack every couple of hours to prevent mood swings or an energy crash?
- Do you get irritable, exhausted, or a headache if you don’t eat something with simple carbs a few times a day?
“Hanger” – the unpleasant combination of being hungry and angry – is a sign of imbalance in your adrenal hormones. Your adrenals release hormones that help to regulate your blood sugar, and if these aren’t working well, your blood sugar will drop too low between meals, triggering fatigue, irritability, and/or headaches. The irony of this imbalance that leads to low blood sugar is that is almost always created by eating sugar (too much and too often).
imbalance #2: insomnia
If you’re tired all day but can’t sleep when you get into bed, your cortisol (another adrenal hormone) may need a tuneup. Ideally, cortisol is highest a couple hours after waking – giving you the energy you need to face your day – and then steadily drops over the course of the day until it’s nice and low at bedtime.
Some people – usually due to chronic stress – have a disrupted cortisol curve, so rather than being high mid morning and low at bedtime, it’s low throughout the day and suddenly spikes at night.
This can leave you with a wired, but tired feeling and is often coupled with racing or perseverating thoughts.
One simple way to restore balance is to eliminate coffee and other sources of caffeine after 10am. This will give your body time to clear it completely out of your system in time for you to wind down at night.
Adhering to a consistent bedtime schedule and giving yourself the gift of a bedtime routine can also make a world of difference.
imbalance #3: no sex drive
To be fair, diminished libido can be caused by LOTS of things. If your relationship is struggling from communication problems, a sense of disconnect, or other challenges, perfect hormones won’t be enough to turn you on.
Likewise, if you’re very stressed about things outside of your relationship, those adrenal hormones we discussed above will interfere with your reproductive drive.
But if those things aren’t getting in the way, low libido can be the result of low testosterone. Testosterone is a frequently overlooked hormone in women’s health because it’s too often thought of as a male hormone.
The truth, however, is that women need testosterone as much as men need testosterone. We happen to need far less of it, but we need what we need as much as they need what they need.
Without sufficient testosterone, mood, weight, libido, and bone density can all suffer because testosterone is required for motivation, maintenance of lean mass (including bone density), and sex drive.
If you’re struggling with hanger, sleepless nights, or don’t remember the last time you wanted to have sex, we can help you bring your hormones back into balance through comprehensive assessment, a personal plan, and the support to help you succeed.