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Hormones are often blamed for a lot of body and mood issues. From itchy skin to sudden weight gain, hormones are held responsible for many things including over-exhaustion and lousy mood.
What are hormones, by the way? The endocrine glands secrete hormones into the bloodstream. A hormonal imbalance occurs when the gland secretes the chemical too much or too little. These chemicals could be responsible for many bodily functions like the sleep-cycle, metabolism, cycles of reproduction, appetite, mood, sexual functions, mood, and such.
Now that we know how vital these hormones are, a minimal change in the hormone levels noticeably affects a person’s overall well-being. The reason behind these fluctuations differs. In women, puberty, menstruations, and menopause affect the hormones’ level; Various lifestyle and medical conditions also affect the same.
Identifying symptoms, testing hormone levels, and receiving treatment as per the symptoms are essential.
We have compiled a list of various signs of hormonal imbalance and how to deal with them:
Lack of good quality sleep/ insomnia:
Estrogen and progesterone are responsible for promoting sleep in women. However, during pre-menopause and menopause, the ovaries produce less of the hormones mentioned above. This can lead to sudden night sweats that can cause fatigue.
How to deal with it:
The first step is testing hormone levels. To combat perimenopause and menopause, HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) can help. Discuss the benefits with your doctor as soon as possible. On your part, you can wear cotton clothes, sleep in a cool and dark room, sleep on cotton sheets, reduce caffeine and alcohol.
Painful and heavy periods:
If you experience constipation, frequent and urgent need to pee, abdominal pains, cramps in the lower back, and painful intercourse, you may or may not have Fibroids. These are non-cancerous growths around your womb. While it is said to stimulate estrogen, family history also plays a significant part in having this.
How to deal with it:
Professional medical help is essential here. Medication or surgery helps improve the condition.
Headaches:
Women are known to experience headaches during pregnancy, menopause, or periods. This can be due to hormonal imbalance.
How to deal with it:
Firstly, you have to record and journalize your symptoms. This will help your doctor identify and prescribe medications, have a regular sleep schedule, and eat small and frequent snacks.
Mood swings:
Estrogen stimulates neurotransmitters in the brain that includes serotonin-the mood-boosting chemical. An imbalance in the estrogen levels can cause PMS (Premenstrual syndrome) or a depressed mood before menopause.
How to deal with it?
Keeping and recording a symptoms diary helps. If the mood swings affect your day-to-day activities too much, then a change in lifestyle and dietary habits works miracles. HRT and herbal remedies can also help.
Sudden weight gain:
A lot of weight issues follow hormone imbalance. These are PCOS issues (Polycystic ovary syndrome), where small cysts form on the ovaries, underactive thyroid, or menopause.
How to deal with it?
If you are experiencing sudden and unexplained weight gain without any alterations in your original lifestyle and dietary plan, you should visit a doctor for thyroid or ovarian cyst diagnosis. To deal with menopause, you can consult and discuss the benefits of HRT with your doctor. Some women hold HRT responsible for weight gain. However, it has not been proven correct.
Today, most health experts are determined to help you take the reigns of improvement against your battles with your illnesses. They diagnose and plan a definite action plan to combat your disease and if you wish to get your hormone levels checked, then choosing an experienced health expert is what you should do now!
