6 Ways Your Hormones Impact Your Life - Some of These May Surprise You!

We hear about hormones all the time, but, the truth is, many women don't know what they do for our bodies outside of what we learned in sex ed. In reality, our hormones are responsible for many, many functions outside of our reproductive system, and a hormonal imbalance can cause symptoms that will have an impact on nearly every part of your life. 

To break it down simply, hormones are chemical messengers that carry important instructions to different parts of your body. They help control many vital processes and are working behind the scenes every minute of every day to keep your body functioning. 

Below, we are going to break down six ways that hormones impact your life - and some of them might surprise you.

1. Energy Levels

If you frequently wake up exhausted even after a full night's sleep, your hormones could be at the root of the problem. Hormones like cortisol, thyroid hormones, and insulin regulate your energy levels, helping you make it from place to place and meeting to meeting. If these hormones are imbalanced, however, they may leave you feeling drained. When cortisol, also known as the ‘stress hormone,’ is out of balance, it can cause those crashes in the afternoon that make it feel impossible to finish your work day. Similarly, low thyroid hormone levels can slow your metabolism, making it difficult to sustain energy throughout the day. 

2. Weight Management 

Eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly are supposed to be what leads to a healthy body weight, right? Although that is what we're told from a very young age, our hormones affect our weight, too. Stress hormones like cortisol, combined with imbalances in insulin and thyroid hormones play a major role in weight regulation. Elevated cortisol levels, especially when you're chronically stressed, can cause your body to hold onto fat, particularly around the midsection. Insulin resistance, often caused by poor diet or stress, can also lead to increased fat storage, making weight loss even more challenging.

3. Mood & Emotions

Your hormones may be to blame if you're feeling unusually anxious, emotional, or irritable. Estrogen and progesterone play key roles in regulating your mood. Estrogen helps produce serotonin, the ‘feel-good’ neurotransmitter, while progesterone has a calming effect. When these hormones are out of sync, it can lead to mood swings, anxiety, and even feelings of depression. For many women, hormonal fluctuations during their mental cycle or perimenopause can feel overwhelming. This is probably the least surprising effect of hormones that we're going to talk about, because emotional dysregulation during menstrual periods and PMS is so common among today's women (though it isn’t exactly normal - but that’s a conversation for another day).

4. Sleep

Yes, your hormones can impact your ability to fall asleep or stay asleep, too! If there is too much cortisol in your body because your stress levels are elevated, it can interfere with melatonin, the hormone that regulates sleep. When cortisol is too high, it can disrupt your sleep patterns, leaving you feeling restless throughout the night. Also, low levels of progesterone, which has a calming effect on the brain, can also contribute to insomnia. 

5. Your Skin

This one may surprise you, but your skin is often a reflection of what's happening with your hormones. Estrogen helps maintain skin hydration and elasticity, while testosterone influences oil production. When your estrogen levels drop, as many women experience during perimenopause or menopause, the skin can become dry and lose its firmness. On the other hand, too much testosterone can lead to excess oil production, which causes breakouts and acne. 

6. Digestive Health

Did you know that hormones can affect your gut health, too? Elevated cortisol levels can interfere with digestion, leading to bloating, constipation, or diarrhea. In addition, hormones like estrogen influence the gut microbiome, which means that fluctuations and hormone levels can lead to digestive discomfort or changes in bowel habits. 

As your hormones are working behind the scenes, influencing everything from your energy levels to your skin and even your digestive health, understanding how they impact your daily life is the first step to achieving a healthy hormonal balance. From there, diet, exercise, and lifestyle changes can help you to bring your hormones back into balance. 

If you're ready to learn more about how your hormones work and what you can do to support them, our ebooks are a great piece to start! We have an ebook specifically designed for women in their 20s and 30s and a more general guide to Harmonizing Your Hormones for women of all ages.