How to Regulate Hormones Naturally: Cycle Issues:


There are phases in life where hormones mix. Cycle problems are one of the possible consequences. A change in lifestyle habits, such as diet, can naturally regulate hormones and bring them back into balance.




Hormonal issues can also lead to skin issues like acne. Image: PeopleImages, Getty Images

Sometimes it comes as a surprise, then much too late. Many women suffer from irregular periods and therefore from hormonal fluctuations that unbalance them physically and psychologically. The hormone level is then unbalanced and influences the other hormonal functions of the organism.


Hormones control processes in the body:


Growth, Reproduction and Metabolism: Various glands - pituitary, thyroid, pancreas and gonads - produce hormones such as estrogen, progesterone (corpus luteum hormone) and testosterone. Hormones are chemical messengers that control and influence the body's natural processes. The hypothalamus and pituitary gland, parts of the diencephalon, regulate the female hormonal system. Their performance is particularly evident during puberty, pregnancy and menopause. Overproduction or underproduction of a hormone can lead to disturbances in metabolism and hormonal balance.


Consequences of hormonal imbalance:


Hormone production that is not properly regulated can manifest as an irregular cycle in women. Weight problems, mood swings, loss of performance, sexual aversion, skin blemishes and hair loss are other common consequences. Especially women who want to have children suffer when the longed-for pregnancy simply does not materialize.


Causes of hormonal imbalances:

The causes of hormonal fluctuations often lie in lifestyle:

 Permanent stress is considered a particular disruptor of hormonal balance. High levels of stress hormones inhibit the production of the sex hormones estrogen and testosterone in the long term. Stress can alter ovulation in women and lead to other hormonal disorders.

  • Excessive strength training for too long can also affect hormone levels. But a lack of exercise also affects hormone levels.

  • Many pollutants - such as plasticizers and heavy metals - interfere with the finely balanced hormonal system that controls all metabolic processes in the body.
  • When the hormonal balance is out of whack, it is often due to an unbalanced diet. Indeed, the body needs important vitamins and minerals to function and it is dependent on certain foods.
  • A lack of light can also lead to a hormonal imbalance, vitamin D deficiency. Strictly speaking, vitamin D is not a vitamin at all, but a hormone. 80-90% of it is formed by the influence of UV-B rays from the sun on the skin and is only weakly absorbed from food.

Go to the doctor in case of hormonal problems:


If your periods are very irregular or stop completely, it is important to see a doctor. Hormonal imbalances can have physical causes such as diseases of the pituitary gland, thyroid gland or ovaries. Hormonal problems can also lead to sleep and thought disorders, but also depression, high blood pressure or cancer. The doctor can check your hormonal status. They may give dietary advice, recommend estrogen-containing creams, or hormone replacement therapy to balance hormone levels.


Regulate hormones naturally:

In many other mild cases, hormones can be balanced naturally, so treatment by a doctor is not necessary.


Reduce stress:


Take a deep breath, slow down, be lazy - sounds good! But often it is not so easy to reduce stress. Rushing for more time doesn't work. Because the more we accelerate the rhythm of daily life, the more we are exhausted in our free time. Instead, it is best to pull the emergency brake. How do you do this? Say "No!" more and more often. "No, I don't want to do that because..."

You can also say "No!" to our own demands: "No, the garden doesn't need to be mowed every fortnight, what's the point?" "No, I don't need to go shopping, my old dress will do" "And no, I don't need to work late today".


Exercise:


During sport, the body releases more messenger substances that it lacks, while slowing down the release of excess messenger substances. But how much sport is healthy? The Federal Office of Sport advises:

  • At least two and a half hours of exercise per week in the form of daily activities or sport of at least moderate intensity.
  • Or 1¼ hour of sport or high intensity exercise
  • Where every ten minutes of high intensity exercise provides the same health benefits as 20 minutes of moderate intensity exercise.

Balanced diet:


Anyone who eats a balanced diet knows the feeling of well-being, of feeling fit and able to perform. Protein is an example of the link between food and hormones: it is used to make muscle, blood, tissue, enzymes and other hormones in the body. Fortunately, it is not difficult to have a balanced diet and thus regulate your hormones naturally. The food pyramid shows how to do this. At the lowest level, it contains the foods that should be on the menu as richly as possible. Further up the pyramid are foods that should be included in the diet to a lesser extent. At the top, it contains only those foods that the body can only tolerate in small amounts.

Take the air:

80-90% of vitamin D is formed in the body under the influence of UV-B rays from sunlight. In addition, a deficiency can also be avoided through diet: herring, eel, salmon and mackerel, as well as mushrooms such as mushrooms, porcini mushrooms or chanterelles contain a lot of vitamin D. Other sources of vitamin D are eggs, butter, margarine and milk.