We know how it feels to be at the mercy of our hormones. There are times when PMS makes us feel irritable or emotional and, despite our good intentions, we struggle to resist that 3pm bar of chocolate when we're feeling tired and stressed.
Little wonder because, from brain function and metabolism to our overall happiness, hormones regulate virtually every function in the body. But it's a myth that we can't harness the power of our hormones. Although it's true that some imbalances require medical attention, there are lots of ways we can tap into our most powerful natural resource. Read on to discover how diet, sleep and exercise are just a few of the simple ways we can begin to restore our internal harmony, leading to happier, healthier selves.
Melatonin
Struggling to sleep at night? Your melatonin levels could need readjusting. Commonly known as the 'sleep hormone', melatonin is produced by the pineal gland - located in the centre of the brain - during darkness and helps to regulate your body clock. Melatonin production declines with age, which is often why we can have trouble sleeping as we get older. I have previously written about the effects of melatonin: http://yaso-shan.blogspot.com/2017/07/the-dark-side-of-melatonin.html
Get back in balance - snack on cherries and grapes As well as fitting blackout blinds in your bedroom and resisting the temptation to use your e-reader in bed, eat a well-chosen snack. 'Melatonin is found in cherries, bananas, grapes, rice and cereals - eating these foods boosts levels of the hormone in the blood, increasing sleepiness. Try having them a few hours before bed so your body has time to process them.
Avoid headache pills
Think twice the next time you take a painkiller to treat a headache in the evening. Evidence suggests that taking a nighttime dose of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as aspirin and ibuprofen, may suppress the release of melatonin, so avoid taking them right before bed.
Cortisol
We may not often find ourselves in genuine danger, but simply feeling stressed can cause part of the brain called the hypothalamus to stimulate the adrenal glands into pumping out Cortisol. Consistently raised levels can leave you feeling tired and drained.
Get back in balance - do some quick sprints
Regular exercise relieves stress, but long workouts encourage your body to produce more Cortisol, so do short bursts of high-energy activity instead.Warm up with a five-minute jog, then sprint uphill for 15-20 seconds and take three to six minutes to walk down. Doing this six or seven times takes less than 20 minutes and allows your body to use any extra cortisol to fuel a quick burst of energy. Doing this long-term on a regular basis will help keep Cortisollevels in balance.
Try Yoga
A study by Thomas Jefferson Medical College and the Yoga Research Society measured Cortisol levels of participants before and after a yoga class. They found that doing yoga, even for the first time, can normalise Cortisol levels that are either too high or too low. The exact reasons are unclear, but it's thought yoga's deep breathing can deactivate the body's stress response.Leptin and ghrelin
Together, these are the 'hunger hormones' that regulate appetite - ghrelin tells the brain you're hungry and is mainly released from cells in the stomach, while leptin, produced in fat cells, sends a signal to the brain when you're full. If they're out of sync, you may not recognise when you're satiated, leading to overeating and weight gain.
Evidence suggests low blood glucose levels cause a surge of ghrelin, so eating healthily and regularly is the best way to keep hunger hormones working efficiently. Go to bed early; when you don't get enough sleep, it drives leptin levels down, which means you don't feel as satisfied after you eat. It also causes ghrelin levels to rise, which means your appetite is stimulated, so you want more food.
Thyroxine
This is the main hormone secreted by the thyroid gland and it plays a major role in regulating your metabolic rate - think of it as a thermostat for your body's internal furnace. An underactive thyroid is fairly common among women over 30 and typical symptoms include tiredness, weight gain, depression and period problems. believe that depression and mood disorders are linked to a serotonin imbalance: when levels are low, we feel down.
Get back in balance
Eat Iodine-rich foods 'Sometimes an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) can resolve itself without medication. I have previously written about this; you can read my earlier blog post here: http://yaso-shan.blogspot.com/2011/08/herbal-approaches-for-underactive.html But you can help support low function by eating iodine-rich seafood, eggs and yoghurt, which the thyroid gland needs to produce the hormone.
Serotonin
This hormone is produced in the gut and, to a lesser extent, the brain. It's known as the 'happy hormone', as researchers believe that depression and mood disorders are linked to a serotonin imbalance: when levels are low, we feel down.
Get back in balance
Eat turkey, bananas and beans We can get serotonin directly from the food we eat, but it can't pass the blood-brain barrier so will not affect brain function. However, tryptophan - an amino acid that is linked to serotonin production - can, so increasing tryptophan levels is the key to raising serotonin. Turkey, bananas, milk, eggs and beans are all good sources.'
Have a Massage
One study carried out on pregnant women suffering from depression, found after four months of receiving regular massage, they had lower levels of Cortisol and higher levels of serotonin.
Oestrogen and progesterone
Secreted by the ovaries, these play a key, but complex role in regulating a woman's menstrual cycle. Each one follows its own pattern, rising and falling at different times of the month. Levels are also affected by events such as pregnancy and menopause. When oestrogen production tails off before menopause, it can lead to side effects - weight gain, headaches, joint pain and heart disease. Women with a progesterone imbalance often complain of irritability, depression and bloating - symptoms of PMS.Get back in balance - See your GP
They can advise you on the best treatments for your specific life stage. Try Vitex agnus castus (agnus castus) It is claimed that the herb can help to even out your levels of oestrogen, as it has oestrogen-like effects.
Eat Tofu
Those foods containing phytoestrogens can help to replicate the effects that oestrogen has on the body. 'Include organic soy-based products - such as tofu, tempeh and miso - in your diet, as these will help to naturally balance the hormones.
