Do you struggle with uncomfortable symptoms that you can’t explain? If so, you are not alone. During the aging process, men and women experience a decline in hormones, resulting in symptoms they didn’t notice in earlier years. This is because hormonal imbalance usually begins around age 30 and can disrupt the natural flow of many bodily functions. Knowing what roles hormones play in the body can help us better understand how to recover from the health issues the decline causes.
Why Are Hormones Important?
Hormones regulate everything in the human body. From metabolism to reproduction, hormonal balance is essential for optimal health and wellness. These chemicals, produced from the endocrine system, affect how we eat, sleep, and even think. As they carry messages throughout the body, they coordinate many bodily functions we rarely think about during our day. If one hormone level is out of balance, it can cause uncomfortable symptoms in both men and women.
Types of Hormones
Before we can understand the role of hormones in the body, let’s first look at some hormone types. This will help us understand their function in the body and how we can restore them during the aging process.
Estrogen
The primary female hormone comes from the female ovaries and male testes. Although both men and women have estrogen, women require much more to regulate reproduction, metabolism, and more. This essential reproductive hormone controls menstrual cycles, heart vessels, urinary tract, and the brain. An estrogen imbalance can lead to hot flashes, mood swings, or more serious health issues like breast cancer.
Testosterone
As a reproductive male hormone, testosterone regulates libido, muscle mass, and red blood cell production. This hormone is also what helps define physical characteristics in men and regulates hair growth. Testosterone deficiency can lead to low muscle mass, weak joints, and metabolic imbalance.
Cortisol
The adrenal glands that sit on top of your kidneys produce essential hormones that regulate growth and metabolism. One of these hormones is cortisol, which helps control glucose, protein, and metabolic function. Cortisol also helps protect the body against mental and physical stress factors. An imbalance can lead to weight gain or loss, infertility, and muscle weakness.
Thyroid
Have you ever felt the area along your windpipe? Although you can’t see it, this is the location of your thyroid. Sitting below your larynx, or voice box, the thyroid produces two major hormones. Thyroxine and triiodothyronine help control body temperature, weight, and energy. Both underactive and overactive thyroid functions can create health issues such as, infertility, gastrointestinal issues, and heart disease.
Insulin
Located in the abdomen behind the stomach is the pancreas, which produces the insulin hormone. This is an essential hormone that controls blood sugar and helps store the energy the body needs. Insulin imbalance can lead to heart disease, diabetes, and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) in women.
Contact Us For A Consultation
If you’re struggling with uncomfortable symptoms from hormone decline, you don’t have to suffer alone. Contact True You Health and Wellness today for a consultation. We can help you naturally recover from hormone loss and help you achieve optimal health and wellness.
