Hormone Imbalances Induced Fatigue

Waking up tired and lightheaded even when you’re getting eight hours of sleep? You may be suffering from chronic fatigue a.k.a. adrenal fatigue. If you think you have a successful stress and lifestyle management scheme going on but still experience bouts of drowsiness and exhaustion during the day, better get your hormones check. Hormones imbalances, particularly with the hormones produced by the adrenal and thyroid glands can result to a wide variety of body health conditions such as adrenal stress.

Hormone imbalances – Adrenals

The adrenal glands are a couple of walnut-shaped glands located on top of the kidneys. They produce the stress hormone, cortisol, when you’re faced with life-threatening crises and help you recover during times of rest.

When faced with barrage of stressful situations — money issues, work-related stress, and unhealthy exercise habits — on a day to day level, the adrenal glands tend produce more and more cortisol until it’s out juice. When this happens, adrenal fatigue occurs.

Cortisol is largely responsible for your circadian rhythm or the natural cycle that tells our body it’s time to get busy or time to relax. When you have adrenal fatigue, inadequate amounts of cortisol disrupts that rhythm, leaving you with a “tired but wired” feeling. Many try to fix this with caffeine and sugar and try to get energy bursts. However, caffeine and sugar only rattle the adrenals but does not solve the problem — only worsen it.

Hormone imbalances – thyroid

Located in the lower part of the neck, the thyroid gland produces hormones which are critical in regulating metabolism. Common hormone problems of the thyroid gland are known as hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism. Hyperthyroidism is when the thyroid produces too much thyroid hormones. This causes nervousness, irritability, increased heart rate, weight loss with increase in appetite, heat intolerance.

Hypothyroidism a condition when inadequate thryoid hormones are produced. Aside from fatigue and low levels of energy, hypothyroidism also results in weight gain, dryness or low body temperature.

Problems with the hormones from adrenals and the thyroid are quite common but are often overlooked in conventional medicine. However, they are relatively easy to identify with a thorough history and appropriate laboratory tests.

Hormone Imbalances – Thryroid Problems and Depression

Hormones are chemical messengers produced by the glands to help regulate physiology and behavior. For example, the hormones produced by the thyroid gland exert functions that help in body growth and development, development of sexual characteristics, reproduction, metabolism, and mood. Hormone imbalances in the endocrine system has been associated with a variety of conditions problems, particularly thyroid problems and depression.

Hormone Imbalances and Thyroid Conditions

Hyperthyroidism is a type of hormone problems happens when too much of the thyroid produces too much thyroid hormones. Some symptoms that indicate hyperthyroidism include:

• enlarged thyroid gland
• inability to tolerate heat
• infrequent, scant menstrual periods
• irritability or nervousness
• muscle weakness or tremors
• sleep disturbances
• vision problems or eye irritation
• weight loss

On the flip side, hypothyroidism occurs when the thyroid gland does not produce enough hormone. Symptoms that indicate hypothyroidism include:

• dry, coarse skin and hair
• fatigue
• forgetfulness
• frequent, heavy menstrual periods
• hoarse voice
• inability to tolerate cold
• weight gain
• enlargement of the thyroid gland (goiter)

Several symptoms such as adrenal fatigue, irritability, weight changes, and sleep problems, are symptoms commonly exhibited by depressed patients.

Hormone Imbalances and Depression

WebMD reports that the levels of hormones, particularly those produced by the thyroid gland, can be factors in depression. “In addition, some symptoms of depression are associated with thyroid conditions. The same is true about conditions related to the menstrual cycle, such as premenstrual syndrome (PMS), perimenopause, and menopause.”

The connection between depression symptoms and other medical conditions prompts medical professionals to recommend blood tests to avoid misdiagnosis. It is important to note that you can have both depression and thyroid conditions at the same time. It is also possible to have depression and menstruation-related symptoms, WebMD reports.

Depression and thyroid issues are only two of the conditions associated with hormone imbalances. Several laboratory tests are available to determine the healthy function of glands and hormone output of your body. These tests help you assess your overall health and allow for proper management and treatment any hormone problems, if there are any.

Hormone Imbalances That Causes You to Gain Weight

Having difficulties in losing weight even with programmed diet and exercises? Maybe you should take a closer look on what’s happening on the inside, particularly your hormonal health. Studies have shown that any and all hormonal imbalances lead to difficulty in losing weight and an increased risk of obesity. Undiagnosed hormonal problems create a vicious cycle where it hijacks even great diet and exercise plans that results to inadequate nutrition that then feeds the imbalance, thus making you gain more weight.

Weight Gain Causing Hormonal Imbalances

If your diet and exercise programs haven’t been successful in the past, chances are your efforts are being sabotage by one or more of the following hormonal imbalances:

1. Excess Insulin – An essential substance, insulin process sugar in the bloodstream and carry it into cells to used as fuel or stored as fat. Some of the reasons for excess insulin includes, stress, consuming too many nutrient-deficient cabohydrates (processed foods, sodas, and artificial sweeteners), insufficient protein intake, low fiber consumption. Side effects of high insulin such as heart palpitations, sweating, poor concentration, fatigue makes us think we are hungry, which causes us to crave for high-sugar foods and drinks.
2. Low Serotonin Levels – Serotonin influence our mood, emotions, memory, sleep habits, appetite, digestion and body temperature regulation. Depression due to low serotonin levels causes cravings for sugars and starches to simulate the production of the hormone.
3. High Cortisol Levels – Under chronic stress situations – whether physical, emotional, mental or environmental, real or even imagined — the body releases high amounts of cortisol. Through a complicated network of hormonal interactions, prolonged stress causes extreme appetite, low metabolism, belly fat and muscle loss. Other symptoms associated with high cortisol levels include, mood disorder like anxiety, depression, post traumatic stress disorder or exhaustion, and irritable bowel syndrome.
4. Toxic Estrogen – Research show that excess estrogen in both sexes are great risk factor for obesity, which is similar to poor eating habits and lack of exercise. Excess estrogen can result from the body’s excess production of the hormone, or from environmental or dietary causes. Estrogen like compounds are found in foods that contain toxic pesticides, herbicides and growth hormones.
5. Low Testosterone – Testosterone regulates and enhances libido, bone density, muscle mass, fat burning and skin tone in both men and women. Low testosterone has been seen to cause an increase of body fat and loss of muscle mass even with dieting and exercise. Dr. Mitchell Harman, an endocrinologist at the University of Arizona College of Medicine, attributes the proliferation of estrogen-like compounds used in pesticides and other farming chemicals for the decrease in male testosterone levels.
6. Hypothyroidism – Hormones produced by the thyroid gland influence metabolism and energy. Low thyroid hormones causes the body to slow down and along with it, is its metabolic rate. The slow burning of calories leads to low energy and higher tendency for the body to store fats.

Hormonal imbalances can contribute to a number of health conditions and among them weight gain and obesity. If you have unsuccessful attempts to lose weight, it may be because of the hormone problems in your systems. Laboratory testing provide important insights to your body’s hormonal health. With the help of doctor’s diagnosis and recommendation for hormonal problems management, you can incorporate a weight loss plan and come up with a more effective plan.

Hormone Imbalances and Symptoms

Hormones play a vital role the body’s health and well being. They are your body’s chemical messengers travelling the vast networks of  the bloodstream to tissues or organs. Hormones affect many different processes such as:

• Body growth and development
• Metabolism or the body’s processing of energy from food we eat
• Sexual function
• Reproduction
• Mood

Hormones are powerful. It only takes only small hormone imbalances to cause huge changes in cells or even your whole body. Studies show a strong link between the over/under production of hormones and several diseases.

Hormone Imbalances Symptoms

Some of the most common symptoms of hormone imbalances include:

• Anxiety, irritability and depression
• Fatigue
• Hot Flashes
• Persistent weight gain
• Belly fat and loss of muscle mass
• Insomnia and poor sleep patterns
• Profuse sweating
• Digestion problems
• Brain fog and lack of concentration
• Low libido
• Vaginal dryness
• Cravings

Although many of these hormone imbalance symptoms can be linked to other physical problems, laboratory tests such as blood test and salivary test can determine if there are other underlying concerns.

Along with doctor’s diagnosis, hormone problems and symptoms can be treated with improved diet, stress management, quality sleep and consistent physical activity.