Living a healthy lifestyle often involves balancing your hormones. Hormones are chemicals that control nearly every aspect of your body’s functions, including mood and energy levels. If you’re feeling like you just aren’t yourself lately, it may be because your hormones aren’t in sync. Your hormones naturally fluctuate over the course of the day and throughout your life. manage these fluctuations with a healthy diet, exercise and sleep, but also by some supplements. Start with these 5 hormones and learn how to get the most out of your body! Hormones play an important role in how we feel, and sometimes they can be responsible for some pretty strange behaviors. Learn more about the five hormones you should be most aware of, and what you can do to keep them healthy.
Here are five key hormones that can have a big effect on your day-to-day health:
1. Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH)
The thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), also known as thyrotropin, is produced in the pituitary gland. This hormone stimulates the thyroid gland to produce hormones. The thyroid is a gland located in the neck that produces hormones that control the body’s metabolism. This includes your ability to burn fat, maintain your heartbeat and keep warm. The thyroid also makes hormones that influence growth and development during childhood. The TSH level in your bloodstream should fall between 0.4 and 4.5mIU/L for proper thyroid function. The thyroid produces two hormones, triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4), that are released into the bloodstream. These hormones regulate body temperature, heart rate, blood pressure and growth as well as other activities of the body. When these levels get too low, TSH secretion increases causing inflammation of the thyroid gland causing one to feel lethargic, cold and suffer sleepless nights.
2. Insulin
Insulin is a hormone that allows your body to use sugar as energy. Insulin is made by the pancreas, an organ that sits behind and below the stomach. Type 1 diabetes occurs when your immune system destroys the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas leaving you unable to produce any insulin. Missing or not enough insulin can cause dangerously high blood sugar levels. People with diabetes have a shortage of insulin, so they need more of it to stay alive. Because the body can adjust to changes in insulin delivery and no two people are alike, each person needs a tailored treatment program.
Abnormality in insulin levels can cause weight gain or weight loss, frequent urination, feeling hungry all the time, fatigue, wounds taking longer to heal, etc. These sudden changes in body are just because of insulin function, either it is not produced in enough quantity or unable to act currently.
3. Cortisol (Stress Hormone)
Cortisol is a stress hormone secreted by the adrenal gland in response to physical or mental stress. Cortisol helps us cope with stress by releasing glucose and suppressing some immune responses. However, at high levels, cortisol can suppress the immune system, stimulate pro-inflammatory cytokines, increase muscle breakdown and fat storage, inhibit insulin release and increase blood pressure. Cortisol is often called “the stress hormone,” because it is released in larger amounts when we’re under stress. Our bodies produce it in response to difficult situations, such as physical or mental trauma, pain and injury, major changes in life circumstances, or financial worries.”
Excess secretion of cortisol causes a number of side effects such as increased heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, sweating, and shivering. At stressful times, the body secretes cortisol to cope up with the situation. High level of cortisol consistently, causes ulcers, high blood pressure, anxiety, high levels of cholesterol, etc.
4. Sex Hormones
Sex Hormones are a group of chemical messengers that help control the sexual development of both males and females. Nearly every cell in your body contains these hormones, which are in balance with each other to make you feel good. Hormone production can change because of your lifestyle, environment and even diet! Sex hormones affect our lives in a multitude of ways. Many women experience symptoms such as menstrual cycle changes, mood swings, depression and anxiety during perimenopause and menopause when their levels of estrogen and progesterone are changing. Low testosterone in men causes symptoms such as weight gain, fatigue and reduced muscle mass.
This hormone is categorized into male and female hormones respectively:
Testosterone: Testosterone is one of the most important hormones in your body. It has a wide range of effects on your overall health and wellbeing, including intializing and regulating the development of male sex characteristics. Testosterone deficiency can lead to a number of symptoms, including reduced energy, loss of sex drive, depression and being less physically active. Testosterone is a natural hormone that fuels our libido, builds muscle and burns fat. Low levels of testosterone are associated with low energy levels and can lead to depression, weight gain and loss of muscle mass.
Progesterone: Progesterone is a natural steroid hormone that is produced by the body, often in conjunction with estrogen. Although it is typically associated with women, both women and men produce progesterone. Progesterone plays an important role in maintaining the female reproductive system and regulating ovulation during a woman’s menstrual cycle. Progesterone is a hormone that serves as precursor to other hormones in the body, including estrogen and testosterone. It is essential for healthy menstrual cycles, conception, and pregnancy. This female hormone is needed to build the lining of your uterus during the first two trimesters of pregnancy, and it helps maintain pregnancy after implantation.
5. Serotonin
Serotonin sometimes referred to as the “happy hormone”, plays an important role in regulating mood and sleep just as it does appetite, arousal and memory. Serotonin can be quite volatile: with the right amount it can improve your mood and suppress depression, but too much or too little of this chemical can lead to a host of other problems. Serotonin is a powerful mood-enhancing supplement that naturally restores confidence and happiness. With clinically proven ingredients and the latest serotonin-boosting technology, Serotonin makes it easier to lift your mood, increase sleep quality and wake up feeling refreshed.
Final Word:
One of the most important things that you can do in your life to support your health is to maintain the right balance of hormones. Hormones are very powerful substances that regulate major body functions, including heart rate, blood pressure and fertility. This article explores five different hormones and the impact they can have on your health.