Table of contents:
- Ways that can be done to balance hormones
- 1. Eat healthy fats
- 2. Get enough sleep and stay away from stress
- 3. Do exercise regularly
- 4. Maintain digestive health
- 5. Reduce consumption of caffeine and alcoholic beverages
- 6. Avoid hazardous chemicals
Hormones are a group of biochemicals in the body that play an important role in every function of the body. So, balancing hormones is important so that body functions are not disturbed. Hormonal imbalances in the body can make you feel tired, infertility, hair loss, changes in appetite, to being overweight or underweight.
Ways that can be done to balance hormones
The following are some natural ways you can try to help balance hormones in the body:
1. Eat healthy fats
Hormones are affected by the amount of fat in your body. So, balancing the amount of fat that enters your body also affects hormonal balance. Eating more healthy fats is important to balance hormones in the body.
Why? Because usually the food you eat is the one that contains more bad fats than good fats. Eat foods that contain healthy fats, such as omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids. Examples of these foods are avocado, salmon, nuts, vegetable oils from seeds (olive oil, canola oil, soybean oil, and others.
2. Get enough sleep and stay away from stress
Lack of sleep can disrupt your body's circadian rhythm, stressing your body, which can lead to hormonal imbalance. A study published in the Indian Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism reports that stress can cause changes in serum levels of many hormones, such as glucocorticoid hormones, catecholamines, growth hormone, and prolactin. So, this can then interfere with your body's work.
Adults are advised to sleep 7-8 per night. Adequate sleep can give the body time to repair damaged cells, build energy for tomorrow, boost immunity, and maintain hormonal balance.
3. Do exercise regularly
Exercise also helps balance hormones in the body. Exercise can strengthen the endocrine system that regulates hormones in the body. Not only that, exercise also helps reduce stress, helps you sleep better, and maintains your weight.
However, don't overdo the exercise. This can actually stress your body, which in turn disrupts the hormonal balance. Do as much exercise as you can, and this may vary from person to person.
4. Maintain digestive health
Digestive health actually affects your immune system and your body's hormone system. Avoiding foods that can cause digestive system damage is important to maintain hormonal balance in the body. The key is not to overeat any food. For example, avoid consuming sugar or foods that contain excess sugar. Excessive sugar intake in the body can interfere with the work of the insulin hormone, this then can cause you to develop diabetes.
5. Reduce consumption of caffeine and alcoholic beverages
Caffeine may be able to help you in several ways. However, excessive caffeine consumption is also not good for the body. Caffeine can affect the work of the central nervous system, increase heart rate, increase alertness, and change how the brain produces hormones. Most caffeine can make it difficult to sleep, which raises levels of the hormone cortisol and other stress hormones.
You should also reduce alcohol consumption. Alcoholic drinks have been shown to interfere with the function of the liver as well as the pancreas. Some hormone production can also be disrupted due to alcohol, such as the hormones estrogen and testosterone.
6. Avoid hazardous chemicals
Harmful chemicals can enter your body in a variety of ways and these can upset your hormonal balance. For example, from foods that contain pesticides that you eat, from the room cleaners you use, from plastic containers you use for food, from body care products you use, and so on.
For that, you may need to avoid using items that contain hazardous chemicals. Or, it reduces the chance for harmful chemicals to enter the body. For example, use plastic containers for food or drinks that are BPA free (BPA-free), avoid beauty products that contain parabens and propylene glycol, wash vegetables and fruits before eating, and much more can be done.