5 Things You May Not Know Are Controlled By Your Hormones
The word hormone is one that is often batted around society. You may have heard the word hormone used a lot by your doctor or in advertising, but what does it mean?
In short, your body’s hormones are the chemicals that are used to send messages. For instance, your brain may release a hormone to request that your organ performs in a certain way. It may take a while, but with the message sent, the change can naturally occur. Each of the fifty hormones in your body can send a different message. But there can’t be that many jobs in your body, can there? Here are some of the unexpected things that you may not know are controlled by hormones.
Weight
Everyone is aware that excess weight gain is caused by eating too much and not exercising often enough. However, there are also more hormonal behaviours at play.
For starters, the insulin hormone can affect your body’s metabolism. This means that you will have a better chance of burning oof calories if there is more insulin in your bloodstream. Unfortunately, the levels of insulin you have lowers as you get older. That is why it becomes easier to gain excess weight as you age. Some of the other hormones you have can also increase or decrease your appetite. This means that a simple hormone imbalance can cause you to eat more unnecessarily.
Hair loss
There are several potential causes of hair loss. The issue is both genetic and can be caused by illnesses like alopecia. However, there are some people that may succumb to baldness due to a hormone imbalance. In this case, it is because of a drop in hormone levels. A woman needs oestrogen to develop female characteristics.
Unfortunately, your oestrogen levels can dip over time to give way to androgens like testosterone. Testosterone is the hormone that gives a male his characteristics and features, but it also has the side effect of thinning hair growth. Fortunately, both men and women can treat hair loss with Dutasteride. This is why more men suffer from hair loss than women and why it is more likely to happen at an older age.
Heart Rate
On a similar note, both the oestrogen and testosterone hormones can affect your heart rate. Too much of either of these hormones can cause your heart rate to increase. That is why women can have an elevated heart rate during their menstrual cycle. It is also why you may have heart palpations during menopause. The break in your hormone cycle is something that your heart cannot predict.
Sleep
It doesn’t matter how old you are, everyone can appreciate a good night’s sleep. Unfortunately, you already know that too many things out of our control that can affect our sleep cycles. Too much noise, an uncomfortable bed, or simply overworking yourself can have you staring wide-eyed at the ceiling at night. However, there may be another reason why you may toss and turn at night without getting any sleep.
If you have an influx of progesterone hormones, it could prevent your body from relaxing enough to allow you to drift off into sleep. Sadly, your body needs to be fully rested to produce the right number of hormones throughout the day. Therefore, a lack of sleep due to your hormone imbalance could place you in an unfortunate loop where you are unable to sleep properly for a while. That is how insomnia manifests, and it is best to seek a doctor’s help to try and break this cycle.
Mood Swings
There will always be days when you roll out of bed in a bad mood without knowing why. The main reason for this sudden change in your usually sunny disposition has nothing to do with getting out of the wrong side of the bed. Instead, your strange mood swings may be a result of a hormonal imbalance in your system.
Your hormones can dictate how your brain’s neurotransmitters function. This is important because these transmitters are responsible for releasing serotonin, the body’s chemical that is needed to boost your mood. In case you were unaware, those who suffer from depression are often found to not have enough serotonin in their bodies. As such, your sudden low mood could be the result of an ineffective hormone change. Similarly, so too can an unexpected boost in your mood. Sudden mood swings like this just mean that your hormone levels are adjusting themselves.
Summary
While you may be unaware of these hormone changes and effects, they are nothing to worry about. The process is just a regular part of being human. As always, if you have any more concerns about your body’s hormone levels, you should seek the advice of a medical professional.
