Every second, numerous vital messages are relayed to the body's organs, with hormones serving as the messengers. For instance, did you know that the endocrine system regulates where fat accumulates on the body, influences your sex drive, and dictates your level of hunger?
Let's delve deeper into what the hormonal system, also known as the endocrine system, truly entails for your body, before we conclude with 7 crucial tips to enhance your hormonal balance!
In simple terms, both the nervous and hormonal systems send signals around the body, but a fundamental difference between the nervous and hormonal systems is the time it takes to send out a signal.
The hormonal system in the body controls slow processes such as the circadian rhythm, puberty and the menstrual cycle. While the nervous system is responsible for the processes that need to happen at lightning speed – such as body movements.
The word hormone comes from the Greek word "hormaein", which means "to set in motion".
The vast majority of hormones are transported in small concentrations into the bloodstream, but some hormones are also transported locally via tissue fluid or nerve cells.
Insulin, for example, is produced in the pancreas but causes muscle cells to increase the uptake of glucose from the blood.
READ MORE: Hormones: What All Women Should Know
Hormones are the body's chemical messengers in an advanced communication system: an umbrella term for a set of molecules that affect our organs over a slightly longer time frame.
And most importantly, your body needs hormonal balance to function properly and feel good.
The endocrine system consists of a network of hormone-producing glands that release hormones into the bloodstream. The glands make the hormones that help the cells in the body talk to each other and are responsible for almost every cell, organ and function in the body.
Important functions of the endocrine system include:
The job of the endocrine system is to regulate how much of each hormone is released. An imbalance in the body's hormone system can, for example, cause you to gain weight, have trouble coping with stress or feel drained of energy.
READ MORE: Menstrual Cycle: What is Normal?
Many hormones are produced in what we call the endocrine glands.
The hypothalamus: This is where the endocrine system connects to the nervous system. The hypothalamus detects the level of hormones in the blood and receives signals to adjust hormone production. The main task is to instruct the pituitary gland to modify the secretion of hormones that regulate the other endocrine glands in the body.
The pituitary gland: serves as the body's central control centre for hormone production, directing the activities of the other glands. Its interaction with the hypothalamus is vital for cell growth and development, reproduction, salt and fluid balance, energy intake and expenditure, circadian rhythm, milk production, and uterine contractions during labour.
The pineal gland (also known as the epiphysis) is a small gland about the size of half a pea that sits as a small outgrowth above the midbrain. It produces the hormone melatonin, which is important for the body's circadian rhythm.
The thyroid gland controls metabolism. A low metabolism leads to fatigue, constipation and weight gain, among other things, but if the thyroid gland produces too many hormones, you can have a high metabolism and symptoms can include palpitations, anxiety and sleep problems.
The parathyroid glands are four small glands that regulate calcium and phosphate balance in the body, which is important for the normal function of muscles, nerves and our skeleton.
The adrenal glands are two hormone-producing glands located at the top of each kidney. Among other things, adrenaline and cortisol are produced here. When the body is stressed, adrenaline can lead to increased heart rate, increased blood flow to muscles and more awareness of our surroundings.
The pancreas is located in the abdominal cavity, behind the stomach and in front of the spine. It produces enzymes that break down food in the gut and insulin that regulates blood sugar levels.
The ovaries produce oestrogen and progesterone. These are the hormones that cause us to develop breasts during puberty and play a crucial role in our ability to conceive.
Testosterone: Both women and men have testosterone in their bodies, but women have much lower levels. In women, this hormone primarily plays an important role in the experience of sexual interest and desire.
The hormone balance in the body is constantly changing, and age plays a significant role:
As we get older, the amount of sex hormones decreases, and during menopause women have lower levels of the hormone oestrogen.
Alongside the decline in oestrogen, we can experience problems with dry mucous membranes, sex drive and hair loss. It can also become harder to lose weight: The pounds don't come off like they used to!
But here are some tips to keep your body's hormonal system in balance:
1. Get enough proteins: Proteins play an important role in the vast majority of processes in the body. Among other things, they play a crucial role in building and maintaining cells, tissues and the production of hormones and enzymes - and are important for controlling appetite, maintaining muscle and bone structure.
2. Exercise regularly: When you exercise, your body releases a lot of feel-good hormones, such as adrenaline, which makes you more alert. Strength training is also effective if you have insulin resistance. Insulin resistance means that the hormone insulin has a poor effect on cells. There is often a clear link between obesity, belly fat and insulin resistance.
3. Limit your intake of sugar and refined carbohydrates to avoid lifestyle diseases like obesity and diabetes - and do your endocrine system a favour.
4. Learn to cope with stress: Stress causes the adrenal glands to produce higher levels of the hormones cortisol, adrenaline and noradrenaline. This causes a kind of "fight or flight" reaction, similar to how we would react to a life-threatening situation.
5. Avoid overeating and under-eating: Both too much and too little food intake can have a negative impact on hormone levels and lead to weight problems. The main hormones that regulate appetite are ghrelin, the body's hunger hormone, and leptin, which signals satiety to the brain.
6. Eat fish regularly: Studies have shown that omega-3 fatty acids have a positive effect on hormonal balance, for example by reducing the amount of the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline.
7. Get enough sleep: Poor sleep is associated with an imbalance in hormones such as insulin, cortisol, growth hormones, ghrelin and leptin.
At 4HER, we understand that managing hormonal changes can be challenging for women, especially during menopause. That’s why we’ve developed a dietary supplement to support you through this time.
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