Your body relies on hormones or chemical messengers to regulate your physical, mental, and emotional health. As such, hormonal imbalances can negatively impact everything from your mood to your weight.
Hormone imbalances can occur for several reasons. Some are less within our control, but the list includes a sedentary lifestyle, age, and diet. Thankfully, you can restore your general health and well-being by learning natural ways to balance your hormones.
Take Care of Your Gut Health
Your gastrointestinal tract is home to countless friendly bacteria contributing to your metabolic process. The microbiome in your gut can positively and negatively influence your body's hormone production and effectiveness.
The bacteria in your GI tract can help you feel full and keep insulin resistance low. On the other hand, unfriendly bacteria could activate inactive estrogen in your gut, causing your body to resorb too much estrogen.
Consider adding fermented and probiotic foods like kimchi and yogurts to improve your gut health. Eating a diverse diet can also help maintain the different friendly microorganisms your body needs. Removing inflammatory things like alcohol and sugar can also make a big impact on your microbiome diversity.
Eat a Balanced Diet
One of the most impactful ways to balance your hormones is to be mindful of what you eat. The best habits for a balanced diet for natural hormone regulation are:
Low Sugar Intake: Too much sugar in your diet raises inflammation and can lead to significant metabolic hormone imbalances like insulin resistance.
High Fiber Intake: Fiber promotes good gut health, feeds beneficial flora, and helps to balance hormones that contribute to weight gain.
Lots of Protein: Adding enough protein to your diet ensures your body has the amino acids that it can't make on its own. Eating protein also helps create protein-based hormones that regulate stress, appetite, growth, and energy.
Plenty of Healthy Fats: Healthy fats like coconut and olive oils can help you stay full, regulate your metabolism, and control your appetite.
Find Ways To Reduce Stress
Cortisol is known as the "stress hormone." It's responsible for helping the body deal with long-term stress. Unfortunately, constant stress makes it hard for your cortisol levels to even out, resulting in increased appetite and weight gain.
Signs of elevated cortisol may include:
Fatigue
Mid-section weight gain
Swelling in the legs and face
Mood swings
Irregular periods
Mental fogginess
Muscle weakness and dizziness
Try to relieve your stress daily by doing enjoyable, calming activities like reading, listening to soft music, and meditating. My personal favourite is a regular practice of breath work.
Get High-Quality Sleep Nightly
One of the most important (and often overlooked) things to do to balance your hormones and metabolism is to get enough sleep every night. Sleeping under seven hours nightly has been shown to negatively impact insulin sensitivity, increase cortisol levels, and restrict the release of growth hormones.
There are also internal circadian rhythms that serve to control glucose metabolism and similar rhythms of lipid metabolism, regulated through the actions of various clock genes. A lack of sleep results in a loss of the clock gene rhythm, which not only negatively impacts hormonal rhythms and metabolism, but is also associated with obesity, insulin insensitivity, and diabetes.
The key is to stick to a sleep routine and aim for at least 7 - 8 hours of sleep each night, ideally occurring at the same time every night. Practicing a good wind-down routine 1-2 hours before bed can help, such as avoiding screens, dimming the lights, and not eating before bed. Also, limiting sugar intake the day after your sleep is disrupted can help get you back on track.
Naturopathic Support for Hormonal Imbalances
Managing your stress levels, eating well, and enjoying good, quality sleep each night are all-natural ways to balance your hormones. If and when these things don’t seem to be working, it may be best to consult a doctor to determine if something more problematic may be causing your hormonal imbalances.
With guidance from Dr. Courtney Holmberg, a Naturopathic Doctor in Toronto, you can uncover the key to your hormone balance. Dr. Holmberg offers several comprehensive testing options to uncover the medical reasons behind hormonal imbalances. To learn more about comprehensive hormone testing, follow the link here, or give Dr. Holmberg, ND, a call today at (647) 351-7282 for an appointment.
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