Hormones are some of the body’s most important chemical messengers.
They help coordinate processes happening throughout your body, from metabolism and growth to sleep, appetite, reproduction, mood, and energy.
But what exactly are hormones, and why do they matter so much?
Understanding hormones doesn’t mean you need to constantly monitor or “balance” them. Hormone levels naturally change throughout the day and throughout different stages of life. What matters is understanding the important role they play and recognizing when changes in hormone function may need medical attention.
Let’s take a closer look at what hormones do and how they influence your health.
Hormones are chemical messengers produced by glands and other tissues in your body. They can travel through the bloodstream to reach specific organs and tissues, where they help tell cells how to respond.
Your endocrine system includes glands such as:
Your body produces many different hormones, and each has its own role.
For example, insulin helps regulate blood glucose, thyroid hormones influence metabolism, melatonin helps regulate the sleep-wake cycle, and reproductive hormones help regulate sexual development and fertility.
Your body constantly converts food into energy and uses that energy to keep you alive and functioning.
Hormones are an important part of this process.
Thyroid hormones, for example, help regulate your metabolic rate — essentially how quickly your body uses energy. Insulin and glucagon also play important roles in maintaining blood glucose levels and helping your body manage energy from food.
This is one reason certain endocrine conditions can affect how energetic you feel or how your body uses energy.
For example, hypothyroidism can cause symptoms such as fatigue and changes in body weight because the thyroid isn’t producing enough thyroid hormone.
Your sleep-wake cycle is also influenced by hormones.
Melatonin is produced by the pineal gland and helps signal to your body that it is time to prepare for sleep. Its production follows a daily rhythm that is influenced by light and darkness.
Other hormones and signaling systems are involved in regulating your sleep and wakefulness as well.
This means sleep isn’t simply about being tired at the end of the day. Your body uses a complex system of biological signals to help coordinate when you feel awake and when you feel ready to sleep.
Ever wonder why you feel hungry before a meal and satisfied afterward?
Hormones are part of that process.
Several hormones help communicate between your digestive system, brain, and other tissues to influence hunger, fullness, and how your body responds to food.
Hormonal signals don’t completely determine what or how much you eat. Appetite is influenced by many factors, including your environment, habits, emotions, sleep, food choices, and energy needs.
But hormones are an important part of the communication system that helps regulate appetite and energy balance.
Reproductive hormones are particularly important for sexual development, fertility, and reproduction.
In women, hormones such as estrogen and progesterone help regulate the menstrual cycle and support pregnancy. In men, testosterone plays an important role in sexual development and sperm production.
These hormones aren’t exclusively “female” or “male” hormones, either. Both men and women produce estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone, although levels and patterns differ.
Hormone levels also naturally change throughout life, including during puberty, pregnancy, and menopause.
[OUTBOUND LINK: Endocrine Society — Reproductive Hormones → “reproductive hormones”]
Hormones and the nervous system work closely together.
Cortisol, for example, is one of the hormones involved in the body’s response to stress. Your body naturally produces cortisol, and levels follow a daily pattern.
Other hormones can also influence mood and emotional well-being.
However, it’s important not to assume that every mood change, period of stress, or low-energy day means your hormones are “imbalanced.”
Mood is influenced by many factors, including sleep, stress, relationships, nutrition, medications, mental health, and underlying medical conditions.
Hormones are one piece of a much larger picture.
Hormones are essential throughout childhood and adolescence.
Growth hormone, thyroid hormones, and reproductive hormones all contribute to normal growth and development.
Puberty is one of the clearest examples of hormones at work.
During puberty, changes in hormone production help trigger physical development, including changes in height, muscle mass, body composition, reproductive organs, and other secondary sexual characteristics.
Hormonal changes don’t stop after puberty, either. Hormone levels continue to change throughout adulthood and with aging.
Your body is constantly working to keep important conditions within a healthy range.
This is called homeostasis.
Hormones help regulate processes such as:
For example, antidiuretic hormone helps your body regulate water balance, while parathyroid hormone helps regulate calcium levels.
This internal balancing system is incredibly complex, with multiple hormones and organs working together.
Your body carefully regulates hormone production, but sometimes hormone levels can become too high or too low.
This can happen for many reasons, including:
The symptoms depend on which hormone is affected and whether levels are too high or too low.
For example, thyroid disorders can affect energy, metabolism, body weight, mood, and other aspects of health.
This is why the phrase “hormone imbalance” is very broad. Symptoms alone usually can’t tell you which hormone is responsible — or whether a hormone problem is actually the cause.
You may see products, diets, and social media posts promising to “balance your hormones.”
Be careful with these claims.
There isn’t one universal hormone balance that everyone should try to achieve. Hormone levels naturally fluctuate based on factors such as age, time of day, reproductive stage, and other aspects of health.
Instead of focusing on “balancing” every hormone, focus on habits that support overall health.
These include:
These habits support your overall health and can also support normal endocrine function.
They aren’t a substitute for medical treatment when a true hormonal disorder is present.
Supplements are another area where hormone claims can become exaggerated.
Some supplements are marketed as ways to “optimize,” “reset,” or “balance” your hormones. But supplements cannot replace proper diagnosis and treatment for an endocrine disorder.
If you’re experiencing persistent symptoms that make you concerned about your hormones, it’s better to speak with a healthcare professional rather than trying to diagnose the problem yourself.
Depending on your symptoms, a healthcare professional may determine whether hormone testing or other evaluation is appropriate.
You don’t need to have your hormone levels tested simply because you want to know whether they’re “balanced.”
But persistent or concerning symptoms are worth discussing with a healthcare professional.
Depending on the situation, this could include:
A healthcare professional can look at your symptoms, medical history, medications, and other factors to determine whether an endocrine problem could be involved.
So, what do hormones do?
A lot.
Hormones help your body communicate and coordinate important processes involving metabolism, sleep, appetite, reproduction, growth, mood, energy, and internal balance.
But hormonal health isn’t as simple as having “good” or “bad” hormone levels.
Your hormones naturally fluctuate, and different hormones serve different purposes. If something feels wrong, the goal isn’t to guess which hormone is out of balance. It’s to understand what may be causing the symptoms and, when necessary, get the right evaluation.
Taking care of the basics — eating well, exercising regularly, sleeping enough, managing stress, and taking care of your overall health — provides a strong foundation for healthy endocrine function.
— Eabha Organics
Walk into a store or scroll through social media and you’ll find products with dozens of ingredients, complicated formulas, bright packaging, and promises that seem almost too good to be true. At Eabha Organics, we wanted to take a different approach.
Your body actually needs cholesterol to build cells, make certain hormones, and carry out other important functions. The problem is that having too much of certain types of cholesterol in your blood—particularly LDL cholesterol—can increase your risk of cardiovascular disease over time.
If you’re trying to build muscle, you’ve probably heard the term muscle protein synthesis, or MPS. It sounds complicated, but the basic idea is actually pretty simple.
If you’ve been learning about amino acids and muscle growth, you’ve probably heard one name come up again and again: Leucine
If you spend any time around fitness, you’ve probably heard of BCAAs. They’re everywhere. You’ll see them in powders, workout drinks, and supplements marketed for muscle growth and recovery.
If you’re looking for the best collagen powder, you’ve probably noticed that there are a lot of options.
Some collagen products contain only a small amount of protein per serving.
One Response