8 Signs Your Hormones Are Out of Balance

If you aren’t sick but aren’t quite well, either, the problem could be in your hormones. What signs of hormone imbalance should you watch for? How can you check your hormonal levels, and what can you do when imbalances occur? Here’s what you should know.

What Causes Hormonal Imbalances?

Hormonal imbalances occur when the levels of certain chemicals in your body — such as cortisol or progesterone — are too high or low. These chemicals carry signals throughout your body, telling it when to perform various functions, like releasing insulin to balance blood sugar levels. When they do too much or too little, all kinds of unpleasant symptoms and health problems can result.

8 Signs of Hormone Imbalance to Watch for

Watch for the following eight hormone imbalance symptoms and book an appointment with your doctor if you notice them.

1. Changes in Mood

Mood changes can be among the first signs of hormonal imbalance and other health issues. You don’t feel “sick,” exactly, nor is it necessarily depression or anxiety. You simply feel off, down or less yourself than usual.

For example, many Americans have high cortisol levels from chronic stress, which can increase irritability and make it difficult to concentrate. Pay attention if you can’t seem to get anything done and feel more annoyed than usual.

2. Changes in Appetite and Elimination

Imbalances in certain hormones affect your appetite and bathroom habits. For example, people with uncontrolled Type 1 diabetes often lose weight, while those with Type 2 diabetes may struggle with obesity.

Additionally, your hormones affect levels of various neurotransmitters, which can impact your appetite. For example, high cortisol results in lower levels of serotonin — a brain chemical responsible for your appetite, sleep and mood. Those with excess stress may overeat in an attempt to improve their disposition or lose their appetite altogether.

3. Changes in Energy Levels

Your hormones also affect your energy levels. For example, if you’re at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, you may feel more tired than usual as your body struggles to adjust your blood sugar levels.

Sex hormones can also impact your energy. For example, low progesterone levels can lead to exhaustion in women.

4. Unexplained Weight Gain or Loss

While this symptom is similar to changes in appetite, weight fluctuations may occur as a sign of hormonal imbalance even if you don’t change your eating habits. Your hormones influence your metabolism, which governs how fast your body converts food into energy. Pay attention if you don’t change your diet but see the numbers on the scale move up or down by more than 5 or 10 pounds.

5. Hair Loss or Excessive Hair Growth

Did you suddenly sprout a beard if female? Have you noticed more hair than usual in your shower drain? It could be a sign your hormones are out of balance.

Low testosterone in men and high levels in women can cause you to lose strands. Conversely, other disorders caused by hormonal imbalances — such as PCOS — can cause you to grow a moustache or sprout chin hairs, even in individuals assigned female at birth.

6. Sleep Disturbances

Interrupted sleep can signal hormonal disturbances — many women are familiar with how menopausal hot flashes can disturb their slumber. However, getting your Zzzs matters, as sleep also regulates multiple hormones, including:

• Cortisol
• Insulin
• Melatonin
• Estrogen
• Progesterone

Give yourself at least eight hours per night to rest free from outside stimulation, even if you don’t feel tired. Tuning into a relaxing yoga nidra meditation can induce a dreamlike state called non-sleep deep rest that takes you through many of the brain wave patterns you experience in regular slumber.

7. Menstrual Irregularities

Hormonal imbalances often strike around changes in your reproductive system, and knowing how to check your hormone levels is particularly important as you near puberty and menopause

or become pregnant. After the first year or two of menstruation, most women’s periods even out to a regular cycle. Pay attention if yours is longer or shorter than usual or you experience variations, especially when you know you can’t be pregnant.

8. Difficulty Regulating Body Temperature

Your hormones also influence how hot and cold you feel by controlling processes like sweating. Be aware that hormonal imbalances can increase your risks of heat-related illness, and take extra precautions during the hot summer months.

How to Check Your Hormone Levels

Checking your hormone levels is easier than ever before for many. Your doctor can test them with simple blood tests, although you may have to wait if you’re pregnant or on birth control, as these conditions affect your results.

You can also purchase at-home tests where you collect the specimens and send them to a lab for processing. Such methods help if you lack access to regular health care, especially if you plan to use holistic means to regain balance.

Hormonal imbalances result from a combination of factors, some of which you can change, others you cannot. For example, you can’t change your genes, but the science of epigenetics shows how environmental conditions can switch certain genes on and others off. It might be hard to “undo the switch,” but improving factors such as your diet, activity levels, stress management, and sleep habits create the right environment for your hormones to balance themselves with time and patience.

Doctors can also treat many hormonal imbalances with medications. Replacement insulin is a must for those with Type 1 and many with Type 2 diabetes.

Watch Out for the Signs of Hormonal Imbalance

Recognizing the signs of hormonal imbalances is key to seeking intervention. Doing so empowers you to check your hormone levels at home or with your physician and take meaningful actions to restore your wellness.

About the author: Beth Rush

Beth is the fitness editor at Body+Mind. She writes about how women with PCOS can hack their exercise routines to balance hormones naturally. Shecovers topics like plant-based recipes for athletes and preaching the benefits of green exercise. You can find Beth on Twitter @bodymindmag.