Hormone Imbalances and mental health

October 4th- October 10th is mental illness awareness week for the year 2020.

The relationship between hormones and mental health is complex and needs understanding. Unfortunately there are many people misdiagnosed and being prescribed medications that may worsen the situation

It affects both men and women, but women are far more sensitive to hormonal fluctuations. Women experience more hormonal events in their lives like menstruation, pregnancy and menopause.

Here, below are the different types of hormonal imbalances, and how these affect both men and women’s mental health.

1. Insulin Hormone-Insulin is incredibly important. It is what guards and regulates the amount of glucose in the blood. Muscles, livers and fat all rely on it for energy. If it fails to regulate these energy levels, then high or low blood sugar levels occur. When levels of blood sugar are high or depleted, there is more than feeling tired and lethargic. The brain is starved of energy and this can have a serious impact on how we function mentally. Symptoms include brain fog and fuzzy thinking; anxiety and irritability; depression or aggressive outbreaks; poor concentration and attention.

2. Sex Hormones-There are three main sex hormones: estrogen, progesterone and testosterone. Like insulin, when these hormones experience extreme fluctuations, both men and women’s mental health can be severely affected. People are-likely to experience sleep issues, anxiety, irritability, depression and stress. The emotional strain of hormonal imbalance is far more common for women, as they experience more severe fluctuations. They are exacerbated during menstruation, child-birth and postpartum, and peri-to-post menopause.

3. Stress Hormones-Whether it is at work or at home, stressful situations produce stress hormones – the main being cortisol and the other being adrenaline. When we are in high-pressure or stressful situations, we produce more of these hormones. This can lead to an imbalance and cause a number of mental health symptoms. When we experience high levels of stress, we may be susceptible to feelings of depression, anxiety, insomnia and irritability etc.

4. Thyroid- The thyroid is a small gland at the base of the neck, which produces hormones T4 (thyroxine) and T3 (triiodothyronine) .The thyroid regulates cell activity, metabolism, controls mood and our sensitivity to other hormones like cortisol and estrogen. When the thyroid hormones experience an imbalance a number of mental health symptoms occur, such as exhaustion, depression, insomnia, irritability and poor memory, among many others.

So now you can see how important hormones balance is necessary for our mental health. Finding the root cause of your symptoms is the way to go. Need help on this? then lets have a talk . I will be happy to chat with you. You can reach me at office@gabyuhealthhub.com