Hormones get blamed for a lot of things. If you’re a little cranky one day, you’re likely to blame it on your hormones. If you develop an insatiable appetite out of the blue, your hormones make a great scapegoat. Though they sometimes get a bad reputation, hormones such as insulin, testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone don’t cause any problems when they’re properly balanced. It’s only when they become imbalanced that they start to mess with our mood, appetite, and more.

For those of us who deal with symptoms of hormonal imbalance, we have a lot more power over the way we feel than we think! With a little bit of knowledge and some lifestyle changes, we can achieve better hormone balance and improved quality of life. So let’s stop wasting time! Here’s how to balance hormones naturally.

Hormones are little powerhouses inside our bodies. They facilitate so many different processes inside us and are essential for the optimal function of our bodies and minds. Hormones are created by our endocrine system and send signals to many different parts of our body.

Our hormones can tell our bodies when we’re hungry, when we’re satiated, and when we just want to bite into a donut to relieve some stress (we’ve all done that before!) In addition to sex hormones (such as estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone) which are necessary for reproduction, we also have hormones that regulate every other system in our body. If we have a hormone imbalance, we could experience a lot of different symptoms, from fatigue to mood swings.

Some of us feel like we have very little control over our emotions and appetites. There may be specific hormone imbalances causing these feelings. For example, if we have an insatiable appetite, high blood sugar, and weight gain, our insulin hormone may be out of balance. When properly balanced, this hormone sends the body signals for how to use glucose. But if insulin gets and stays too high, it can lead to a condition called insulin resistance, cause weight gain, and decrease your mood or increase anxiety.

For those of us dealing with insulin resistance because of too much insulin in our bodies, achieving our weight loss goals may seem impossible. When we have insulin resistance, we may struggle with excessive hunger, cravings for unhealthy foods, and fatigue.

Other hormonal imbalances (including too high or too low insulin levels, cortisol levels, or thyroid hormone) can cause other physical, mental, or emotional issues. Here is some additional info about imbalances, signs, and symptoms.

Keep in mind that the symptoms of hormonal imbalance are so varied that it’s almost impossible to list them all here. But here are some of the more common indications your hormone levels may not be ideal:

• Depression
• Insomnia
• Fatigue
• Anxiety
• Fertility problems
• Loss of libido
• Hair loss
• Reduced cognitive function
• Unusual sensitivity to cold or heat
• Irritability/mood swings
• Weight loss or weight gain
  
  

Both men and women can experience these symptoms if their hormone balance is not ideal. Women can also experience unique problems regarding hormone balance, such as too much or too little estrogen, testosterone, or progesterone, that can lead to menstrual pain or irregularities.

Our sex hormones (including progesterone, estrogen, and testosterone) can become imbalanced for a variety of reasons. Some women are surprised to discover that testosterone is something we have in our bodies. Though we have less than men, testosterone is still important for the growth and repair of our female reproductive tissues. But if we have too much testosterone, we can have problems like frontal balding, infertility, acne, and polycystic ovary syndrome.

Hormone imbalance also occurs when our cortisol levels are out of whack. Cortisol is a stress hormone produced in the adrenal gland that regulates our stress levels, immune response, metabolism, and other body processes. If our cortisol levels are too high, we’re more likely to feel symptoms such as fatigue, muscle weakness, inability to achieve weight loss, thinning skin, flushed face, and easy bruising.

Some of these symptoms are also common with thyroid gland issues, so it may be necessary to get a blood test and have your thyroid levels checked out to determine whether there is a thyroid imbalance or a cortisol imbalance.

If you’re concerned that any of these hormone levels may be imbalanced in your own body, here are some steps you can take to control your hormones better instead of letting imbalanced hormones control you.   

Before we get into all the natural things we can do to balance our hormones, let’s take a minute to talk about some of the not-so-natural hormone therapy options presented to us women. To achieve greater hormonal balance, some of us may seriously consider hormone replacement. In many cases, the hormones given to us in such therapies are synthetic hormones (man-made or artificial). Some may be bioidentical hormones (which are molecularly identical to hormones produced in the body), but even these don’t come without side effects.

Before receiving such therapies, we need to become familiar with their potential risks. It can be tough to achieve the right balance of hormones for optimal hormonal health through these treatments. Many scary risks are linked to these therapies, such as stroke, heart disease, blood clots, and certain types of cancer. 

Whether we have too much insulin, too much testosterone, or too little progesterone, we can make lifestyle changes to improve our hormone health. We can also supplement our diets with hormone-balancing products to help rectify imbalanced hormone levels. With the right interventions, it is possible to help our menstrual cycle hormones remain properly balanced, so we don’t experience unpleasant PMS symptoms.

If we want to correct unbalanced hormones naturally, there are some things we can do to achieve our goal. They include:

• Exercising regularly
  
  
• Avoiding caffeine and other stimulants
  
  
• Limiting alcohol consumption
  
  
• Getting sufficient sleep
  
  
• Consuming a high-fiber diet (this can increase insulin sensitivity and help you feel satisfied longer after eating)
  
  
• Spending time in the sun regularly
  
  
• Avoiding sugar in all its forms (if you crave something sweet, try using cinnamon in your dishes instead of sugar)
  
  
• Eating a healthy, balanced diet that includes plenty of green vegetables and whole foods
  
  
• Eating fish with high levels of omega 3 fatty acids (such as salmon, anchovies, sardines, and herring)
  
  
• Recognizing chronic stress symptoms and avoiding stress whenever possible
  
  
• Consuming the right amount of healthy protein for your body type and size
  
  
• Taking multivitamins regularly (vitamins such as B12 help to keep hormones properly balanced)
  
  
• Taking hormone-balancing supplements such as hertime
  
  

These are all great ways to balance your hormones, but the last item on the list deserves to be expounded on a bit more. Hertime is a supplement that regulates hormones during our monthly cycle. When taken daily, it can help ease the hormones into proper balance all month long. This tasty, natural product can increase energy while reducing all the unpleasant symptoms associated with female hormone imbalances. It’s a powerful little formula that you’ll love to take because it tastes so good! Give it a try this month if you feel like your hormones are a little out of line.