Hormones have profound effects on your mental, physical and emotional health. These chemical messengers play a major role in controlling your appetite, weight, and mood, among other things. A hormone imbalance can lead to mental health issues like depression, anxiety or brain fog and memory loss.
Hormonal imbalances have become increasingly common with today's fast-paced modern lifestyle. In addition, certain hormones decline with age, and some people experience a more dramatic decrease than others.
However, with the combined knowledge of Ayurveda and your personal system, you can intuitively learn how to remedy any ills caused by both choices and situations out of your control and how to control your hormone imbalances naturally.
In short, the West seeks to rebalance our hormones externally to promote well-being, but often addressing the symptom is a short-term fix, which may lead to further complications. In order to regulate our hormones balances naturally, we need to bring balance into our lives—and that means mind, body, and spirit.
Here are some tips that may help regulate your hormone balance in a natural way:
GET ENOUGH SLEEP
No matter how nutritious your diet is and how much exercise you get, your health will suffer if you don't get enough restorative sleep. Levels of some hormones may rise and fall throughout the day in response to issues such as the quality of sleep. To maintain optimal hormonal balance naturally, aim for at least seven hours of high-quality sleep per night.
AVOID TOO MUCH LIGHT AT NIGHT
Exposure to blue light, such as from cell phones or computer screens, can disrupt the sleep cycle. The body responds to this light as if it were daylight and adjusts hormones in response, leaving your body out of sync and imbalanced.
A study in Chronobiology International notes that exposure to any bright artificial lighting at night may confuse the body, causing it to suppress the hormone melatonin, which can negatively affect many functions.
Avoiding artificial lights may help regulate hormones naturally and restore a natural circadian rhythm.
FOOD AND DRINKS
Another way to naturally balance hormones is to include fatty fish into your diet. It is by far the best source of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, which have impressive anti-inflammatory properties and beneficial effects on hormonal health, including reducing levels of the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline.
Drinking green tea is another all natural hormone balancing method. Green tea is one of the healthiest beverages around and has been linked to increased insulin sensitivity and lower insulin levels for people who are overweight, obese or have diabetes.
ADD VITAMINS AND MINERALS
Some of the vitamins women need in their diets to support healthy hormone levels include vitamin B6, vitamin D, zinc, and magnesium. These vitamins and minerals can be consumed as supplements or in foods like whole grains, nuts, legumes, vegetables, seafood, and poultry.
LOOK INTO HERBS
Herbs like Ashwagandha also can be valuable in helping to regulate hormones naturally. is a root herb that is said to help with sleep, cognitive functions, and sexual arousal. Improving sleep can be a general help in dealing with symptoms of hormone imbalance. Ashwagandha can also help with hot flashes, depression, and anxiety.
Your hormones are involved in every aspect of your health. You need them in very specific amounts for your body to function optimally. Using herbal, food, and lifestyle changes to deal with hormone imbalance will not work immediately.
Changes that come naturally take time. However, the benefits of natural approaches to hormone balancing are worth the time and effort.