4 Signs Your Hormones Need Help

​​Hormones are your body’s chemical messengers. They travel through your bloodstream telling tissues and organs what to do. Not only that, but they help control a lot of really important processes—like metabolism and reproduction. 
 
They’re a big deal, and if yours are imbalanced, your body isn’t going to like it. The good news is, most hormone imbalances can be treated depending on their cause and severity. Pay attention to your body, and if you notice things are a bit off, talk to your doctor ASAP. 
 
Here are 4 signs your hormones are out of whack and need help. PS: I’m not a doctor (obviously), so do yourself a favor and go see yours if these resonate with you. 
 
1. Unexplained Weight Gain or Loss
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If you’re sleeping well, working hard, and eating right, your body composition and weight should show it. But if your hormones are all crazy, you might gain or lose weight when it doesn’t make sense. 
 
A lot of hormones impact your weight: cortisol, progesterone, estrogen, testosterone, and thyroid hormone are just a few. Your doctor can run a few tests and check these levels, letting you know if your hormones are to blame or if you really need to stop skipping the gym for Taco Tuesday…every day. 
 
2. Decreased Sex Drive 

Let’s be real, sex is great. What’s not great is when you can’t figure out why you don’t want to have it anymore and your partner is tired of hearing, “I’m too tired,” every single night. Sound like you? 
 
You’re not crazy and you’re not alone. The culprit might be low levels of testosterone. “Test” is present in both men and women and is the main hormone driving sexual desire. So if yours is low, the last thing on your mind is getting busy. Once it’s back to normal levels it’s game over. 
 
3. Sleep Problems 

Without sleep, your muscles never recover, your brain doesn’t relax, and your mood goes down the drain. When your hormones are out of whack, your sleep might be too. 
 
Why? The problem is two-fold. One, your body needs good sleep to replenish its hormone stores and make sure everything’s in working order for the next day. Two, high levels of certain hormones, like adrenalin and cortisol, increase our alertness—so we don’t want to sleep. And if we don’t sleep…we mess up our hormones even further. 
 
Whether it’s insomnia or constant fatigue, your hormones might be to blame.
 
4. Dry Skin

Listen up, if you live in Arizona you should be bathing in lotion daily. But if you live in Arizona and your hormones are whack? Give up your day job and roll around in Aveeno 24/7. 
 
Kidding, kind of. Here’s what’s really happening: your thyroid hormone plays a major role in regulating the moisture levels in your skin. If your thyroid hormone is low, it can cause your skin to be dry, scaly, and itchy. In that case, lotion won’t do the trick. But getting your hormones balanced will.
 
If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, it doesn’t mean your hormones are 100% to blame. Like I’ve said before, head to your doctor for some basic tests and a customized treatment plan before jumping to any conclusions.
 
In the meantime, a few things you can do to take care of your hormones include:

• Sleep well: 7-9 hours per night of quality sleep
• Eat well: Balanced diet of quality foods 
• Move: Exercise regularly and move every day 
• Don’t answer calls from your ex: These are guaranteed to cause major cortisol flashes

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