Many people are negatively affected by hormonal imbalances. When you add stress to that imbalance, it can often cause chaos on our bodies, mind, and life. Holidays are known to present stress to people for many reasons.  Stress tolerance and how we react to it varies with each person.  Men and women often deal with stress very differently.  It could be concerns on money and holiday spending, or missing lost loved ones, and just overwhelming demands on your energy and time.  Some people who are already hormonally imbalanced will worsen during the holidays and make this time incredibly difficult for themselves and family.

” ‘Stress’ may be defined as any situation which tends to disturb the equilibrium between a living organism and its environment. In day-to-day life there are many stressful situations such as stress of work pressure, examinations, psychosocial stress and physical stresses due to trauma, surgery and various medical disorders.” (1)

Even if you’re not already hormonally imbalanced, undue stress can trigger an issue or imbalance.

“In response to stress, the level of various hormones changes. Reactions to stress are associated with enhanced secretion of a number of hormones including glucocorticoids, catecholamines, growth hormone and prolactin, the effect of which is to increase mobilization of energy sources and adapt the individual to its new circumstance.”(2)

Our body goes into a flight or fight mode with stress. This is not conducive for festive holiday gatherings.

“In a healthy body, once the stress has passed and Cortisol levels decrease, the hypothalamus signals to the pituitary and adrenals to stop hormone production. But this doesn’t happen when chronic stress is involved.  It becomes a loop of continual release of all the stress hormones. The result is dysfunction in the HPA axis (hypothalamus, pituitary, adrenal).  When levels of these hormones, particularly Cortisol, remain elevated in the body, specific symptoms will begin to occur.” (3)

The response in someone who is not healthy or already has hormonal imbalance due to menopause or andropause may result in my many uncomfortable symptoms.

Symptoms of Hormonal Imbalance

If you have been told that your hormone levels are within a normal range, the following signs may be indicative of a potential hormonal war:

  1.     fatigue
  2.     mood instability
  3.     weight gain
  4.     “foggy brain” or memory loss
  5.     adult acne
  6.     hair loss or excessive facial hair growth
  7.     lower sex drive
  8.     extreme PMS

These symptoms can reduce quality of life and increase chances of secondary healthy concerns if you don’t regain hormonal balance. There are solutions, however, and you don’t have to acquiesce to a lower quality of life. If you suspect that you might suffer from a hormonal imbalance, the first step is to consult with a medical professional.” (4)

Sometimes you find yourself second guessing or making excuses for not feeling as you should. The holidays bring on a lot of pleasure but also stress. If you feel as if you’re not yourself, or you have any of these symptoms, contact us today so we can help get your holiday and life back on track for the new year.

Sources: 

(1)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3079864/
(2) ibid\
(3) https://www.functionaldiagnosticnutrition.com/8-signs-stress-causing-hormonal-imbalance/\
(4)https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/neuroscience-in-everyday-life/201807/is-hormonal-imbalance-making-you-crazy-moody-or-overweight