Hormone imbalances can happen to both men and women, causing a wide variety of symptoms that can be unpleasant, difficult to deal with, and disruptive to your daily life. If you’re dealing with hormone levels that are too high or too low for one reason or another, you’re not alone! Plenty of people deal with these issues, and there are lots of things you can do to help correct the problem and start feeling better. Some of these tips are specific to male or female hormone levels, while others work for everyone. You can pick and choose the best options for you!
For Women
Avoid Dairy
Dairy products like cream and yogurt might not be beneficial when it comes to female reproductive hormones. Some studies show that there may be a link between consuming these products and lower levels of female fertility. While it hasn’t been proven that dairy products can be directly harmful to your health unless you’re lactose intolerant or have a dairy allergy, if you’re struggling with hormone imbalances, trying to limit the amount of dairy you take in might be helpful!
For Men
Reduce Alcohol Intake
Excessive use of alcohol has a long list of negative effects on your health, and hormones are no exception. There’s lots of evidence indicating that high levels of alcohol intake can damage your testosterone levels, resulting in erectile dysfunction, infertility, low muscle mass, and many other problems. Cutting down on how much you drink, or cutting alcohol out entirely if you’re able to, can make a world of difference in how good you feel overall and in your hormonal levels!
For Everyone
Eat a Healthy Diet
What you eat plays an enormous role in your hormone levels. Your food is the fuel and building blocks that you supply to your body to ensure that it can function properly, and in order to make hormones in the proper amounts and have them work the way they’re supposed to, your body needs healthy fats, fiber, and plenty of protein. Looking for ways to incorporate these things into each meal you eat with lean meats, vegetables, leafy greens, legumes, fish, nuts, and other good sources of nutrients will help your hormone levels tremendously, as will reducing your sugar intake!
Exercise Plenty
Exercise can be helpful in cases of hormone imbalances by helping you maintain a healthy weight along with a good diet, but its benefits go far beyond just keeping the number on the scale down! Exercise improves how your body processes insulin, helping you control your appetite in a healthier way, and reduces your risk of diseases like diabetes. Even low-impact exercise like walking, swimming, or yoga can have major health benefits when it comes to your hormones!
Prioritize Sleep
Nothing sends the body into a tailspin like a poor night’s sleep, especially when you regularly don’t sleep long enough or well enough. Sleep deprivation affects your stress hormones, your appetite hormones, your growth hormones, and many of the other vital chemical messengers in your body. Making sleep a priority in your day to day life can help to improve your hormone levels as well as increasing your energy!
Consider HRT
Sometimes, even when you’re making the right lifestyle choices and setting yourself up for success with your hormones, it still isn’t’ enough, and if you’re finding this is the case for you, hormone replacement therapy, or HRT, like the kind offered at Renewed Vitality, might be right for you! To learn more, contact us today with your questions. We’ll be happy to help you!