A lot of people have heard the term “hormonal imbalance”, but not that many people actually understand what this means or what this does to a person. Hormonal imbalance is, as the name implies, is when your hormones are going through fluctuations, and this can be caused by many things. Among the reasons why hormonal fluctuations happen are nature taking its course (puberty and menopause are examples of this), living an unbalanced lifestyle, and the ingestion of toxins.
No matter what the cause, natural or otherwise, when your hormones go haywire, you will find yourself suffering from a number of problems and these include the following:
- Weight Gain – one of the more irksome problems that you will find yourself saddled with when you have hormonal imbalance is persistent weight gain. When women go into menopause, they often think that because of their age, it is natural to gain weight. What they may not be aware of is that there might be an underlying problem associated with their weight gain. This is often evident when even while they are on a diet and they exercise regularly, they still find the weight piling on. If you find yourself experiencing this phenomenon, it might be a good idea to consult a doctor for help.
- Sleep Problems – having trouble sleeping? Experiencing insomnia more frequently than ever? You may have hormonal issues that you do not know about, which may be causing you to experience difficulties in sleeping, and even in staying asleep. This is because your progesterone levels have dropped and this can cause restlessness due to the fact that progesterone has properties that make a person relax. When there is a shortage of this, you may find yourself having difficulty falling asleep, or when you do find yourself snoozing, you don’t do so for too long and wake up with incomplete sleep.
- Cravings and Continual Hunger – if you find yourself always hungry and looking for something to munch on even when you just ate a few hours ago, then you might be suffering from hormonal imbalance. Always looking for something to eat and feeling empty more frequently than ever is another problem that you will face when your hormones are not balanced. Apart from this being a result of your hormonal issues, this can also be brought about by lack of sleep, which triggers hunger pangs and cravings, which then brings about weight gain problems.
- Constant Tiredness and Fatigue – when you suddenly feel tired and cannot keep yourself awake in the middle of your day, you might be experiencing another one of the complications of hormonal imbalance. When your hormones are pretty low, your body slows down, which is what makes you feel sluggish. Apart from wanting to hit the sack, you will also find that your mental capacity and even your other bodily functions seem to slow down.
- Lack of Sex Drive – losing interest in sex is attributed to a couple of reasons, which are both due to hormonal imbalance. The lowering of a person’s libido can be blamed on lack of sleep, as well as the lowering of estrogen, progesterone, cortisol, and testosterone in your system. The lack of sexual urges can also be attributed to lack of sleep, which is another problem that can be attributed to a hormonal issue.
How to Address the Problems Caused by Hormonal Imbalance
If you suspect that you are indeed suffering from hormonal imbalance, it is a good idea to consult with a doctor to get a proper diagnosis of your particular condition. Some hormonal imbalances can be treated with natural remedies, while others may require the use of supplements. Some may even require the need for hormone replacement therapy, and this is why going to a doctor is needed.
Some of the natural remedies that you will find yourself being advised to take include diet changes, lifestyle changes, and taking better care of oneself. The dietary changes you may find yourself being advised to take include the avoidance of certain types of food, the increase of other kinds, and the integration of certain herbal concoctions to your daily intake. As for the lifestyle changes that you may be asked to make, you will often be told to exercise more, sleep more, stop smoking, stop drinking alcohol and caffeinated beverages, and to reduce your stress.
As helpful as these may sound, if your problem cannot be solved naturally, you will definitely need to get professional help and therapy for hormonal imbalance. You can try to fix the problem yourself by following some of the many natural solutions being posted on the internet aimed at reducing or getting rid of this imbalance. While this may work for others, it may not work for you.
Your best bet would be to get a proper diagnosis when you notice the abovementioned symptoms emerging. Going to an endocrinologist or any doctor who specializes in regenerative medicine can be your ticket to getting your hormones back to regular levels. With such a consultation, you will find out for sure whether or not you are indeed suffering from hormonal imbalance, and if you are, will be given the many different options for curing it according to your specific case.
