Bring your hormone balance into equilibrium

⏱ 8 min read

Do you sometimes feel like your hormones are going crazy? This often happens in love - it's normal. But what you should definitely be concerned about is when your hormone balance is out of whack. Unfortunately, our hormone system is very easy to upset. Even a minor disruption can upset our entire body and affect our well-being. Millions of people around the world are affected by this.

Do you have one or more of these symptoms yourself?

• Tiredness 
• Irritability
• States of anxiety
• Sleep disorders
• Significant weight gain or weight loss
• Recognizable changes in sex drive
• Difficulty concentrating
• Changes in appetite

This could be a sign that your hormone balance is no longer in balance either!

➤ Millions of people suffer from hormonal disorders!

What are hormones responsible for in our body?

The hormones in our body maintain all bodily functions. If they go awry, the symptoms can vary greatly depending on which hormone is affected.

If we have a disorder , for example, we sleep poorly, lose our appetite or have food cravings. We may also feel constantly exhausted or have problems keeping our blood sugar levels constant.

Hormones therefore control far more than just our emotions; they also control our actions, thoughts and health. 

The body's large glands such as the pituitary gland, pineal gland, thyroid, pancreas, adrenal glands, ovaries and testes are responsible for the production of hormones. 

➤ Almost nothing works in our body without the hormone system!

What are the benefits of balanced hormone levels?

Balanced does not mean that a hormone should be as high as possible. Each hormone works within a healthy range, and many follow a daily or monthly rhythm. When these levels are right, you notice it in many areas of everyday life:

• Restful sleep: melatonin rises in the evening and cortisol in the early morning. This rhythm makes you tired at night and alert during the day.
• Stable appetite and weight: leptin signals fullness, ghrelin signals hunger. Too little sleep shifts this balance: in a controlled trial with 12 healthy young men, two nights of short sleep lowered leptin by 18%, raised ghrelin by 28% and increased hunger by 24% (Spiegel et al., 2004).
• Energy and mood: thyroid hormones set the pace of your metabolism. An underactive thyroid often shows itself through tiredness, feeling cold and weight gain.
• A regular cycle and fertility: oestrogen, progesterone and the pituitary hormones LH and FSH control ovulation and the menstrual cycle.
• Sex drive: testosterone plays a key role in libido, in men and in women.
• Clear skin: an excess of male hormones (androgens) can promote acne and unwanted hair growth, for example in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

There is no single trick that achieves all of this at once. What helps is finding the cause of an imbalance and working on the everyday factors that influence your hormones.

Why does our hormone system get mixed up in the first place? 

The main causes of hormonal disorders include

• Unbalanced, inadequate diet 
• Poor intestinal health
• Inflammations
• A high level of stress
• Genetic predisposition
• Lack of sleep
• Certain medicines, for example long-term cortisone treatment
• Natural life phases such as puberty, pregnancy and the menopause
• A high level of pollution

As a result, the respective gland produces too little or too much hormone, which can have far-reaching consequences!

➤  More than 1 in 10 adults worldwide live with diabetes, a disorder of the blood sugar-lowering hormone insulin. (Sun et al., 2022)

View the Cortisol Stop Pack  ➜

Ashwagandha + Rhodiola + magnesium

How does a hormone disorder manifest itself in our body?

• Diabetes
• Thyroid diseases
• Emotional rollercoaster ride
• Obesity (overweight) or underweight
• Disruption of the menstrual cycle
• Low testosterone levels
• Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
• Sleep disorders

➤ In Europe, around 3.8% of people have an underactive or overactive thyroid, and many cases go undiagnosed (Garmendia Madariaga et al., 2014)

How is a hormone disorder treated? 

Medical treatment comes first when there is a disease

Hormonal disorders are usually treated with hormone replacement, hormonal contraceptives or other medication, depending on the cause.

These treatments have clear benefits for many people with hormone disorders:

1. Replacing what is missing: with an underactive thyroid or type 1 diabetes, the body lacks a vital hormone. Thyroid hormone tablets or insulin replace it and are essential.
2. Relieving symptoms: in a Cochrane review of 24 trials with 3,329 women, hormone therapy reduced the frequency of hot flushes during the menopause by 75% compared with placebo (MacLennan et al., 2004). Whether the benefits outweigh the risks depends on your age, your health and your personal risk factors, so decide together with your doctor.
3. Never stop on your own: hormone medicines, the pill and thyroid tablets should never be stopped or changed without talking to your doctor first.

The good news: you can support your hormone balance yourself

You can do a lot to support your hormone balance in a natural way.

Alongside any medical treatment, these measures help:

• an anti-inflammatory diet
• the intake of sufficient omega-3 fatty acids
• effective stress management
• sufficiently good sleep
• the compensation of nutrient deficiencies
• careful handling of medication
• physical exercise and
• the treatment of emotional stress

It is important that you track down the cause of your hormonal imbalance and rectify it.

How can you support your hormone balance naturally?

1. Protect your sleep

Many hormones follow the sleep-wake rhythm. Short nights disturb the hormones that regulate hunger and fullness: after two nights of restricted sleep, healthy men were hungrier and had a stronger appetite for high-carbohydrate, calorie-dense foods (Spiegel et al., 2004). Regular bedtimes, a dark bedroom and daylight in the morning help to keep your inner clock steady.

2. Lower your stress load

Under stress, the adrenal glands release cortisol. In the short term this is useful, but lasting stress keeps the stress system switched on, which can affect sleep, appetite and blood sugar. Breaks, relaxation techniques, time in nature and talking about emotional strain all help. The adaptogen ashwagandha can also support you: in a meta-analysis of 9 randomised controlled trials with 558 participants, ashwagandha reduced perceived stress, anxiety and serum cortisol levels compared with placebo (Arumugam et al., 2024).

View the Cortisol Stop Pack  ➜

Ashwagandha + Rhodiola + magnesium

3. Move regularly

Physical activity helps the muscles take up sugar from the blood and makes the body more responsive to insulin. A mix of endurance exercise, strength training and plenty of movement in everyday life works best.

4. Eat a varied, nutrient-rich diet

Vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts, oily fish and enough protein provide the building blocks your body needs to produce hormones. Sugary drinks and highly processed foods make blood sugar and insulin rise sharply. If you rarely eat oily fish, omega-3 fatty acids can be a useful addition.

Do hormone balancing supplements really work?

But some nutrients and plants have a documented role in the hormone system. In the EU, the following effects are officially recognised (EU Regulation 432/2012):

• Vitamin B6 contributes to the regulation of hormonal activity. It is contained in our vitamin B complex.
• Zinc contributes to the maintenance of normal testosterone levels in the blood.
• Selenium and iodine contribute to normal thyroid function. If you have a thyroid condition, talk to your doctor before taking iodine or selenium.
• Magnesium contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue and to normal psychological function.

For women with premenstrual syndrome, monk's pepper (Vitex agnus castus) is the best-studied plant: in a meta-analysis, 13 of 14 randomised controlled trials reported positive effects on PMS symptoms (Verkaik et al., 2017). Monk's pepper and plant oestrogens (phytoestrogens, for example from soy or red clover) act on the hormone system. Talk to your doctor before taking them if you are pregnant, breastfeeding or trying to conceive, take the pill or other hormone medication, or have a hormone-dependent condition such as breast cancer.

When should you see a doctor?

A blood test can show whether hormone levels such as thyroid hormones, blood sugar or sex hormones are outside the normal range. See a doctor if you notice any of the following:

• tiredness, feeling cold or weight changes that last for weeks without a clear reason
• strong thirst, frequent urination or wounds that heal poorly
• a racing heart, inner restlessness and weight loss despite a good appetite
• periods that stop for three months or longer without pregnancy, or a very irregular cycle
• new, severe acne or unwanted hair growth on the face or body
• hot flushes or sleep problems during the menopause that strongly affect your daily life
• a lasting loss of libido or erection problems

Hormonal imbalances are anything but rare. Once the cause is known, they can usually be treated well, and a healthy lifestyle greatly improves your general well-being.

Frequently asked questions

What does balancing your hormones do?

Balanced hormone levels keep your sleep-wake rhythm, appetite, energy, mood, menstrual cycle and sex drive steady. Leptin and ghrelin, for example, regulate hunger and fullness, while melatonin and cortisol set your daily rhythm. If a disease such as an underactive thyroid is behind the imbalance, it needs medical treatment.

What are the 5 signs of hormonal imbalance?

Common signs are lasting tiredness, weight gain or weight loss without a clear reason, mood swings or irritability, sleep problems and changes to your menstrual cycle or sex drive. These signs can have other causes too, so if they last for weeks, a blood test at your doctor's gives clarity.

Which drink is best for hormone balance?

No single drink balances your hormones. Water and unsweetened herbal tea are good everyday choices, while sugary drinks make blood sugar and insulin rise sharply. For women with PCOS, spearmint tea is interesting: in a small randomised trial with 42 women, spearmint tea twice a day for 30 days lowered free and total testosterone levels (Grant, 2010).

Do hormone balancing supplements really work?

Some nutrients have an officially recognised role: vitamin B6 contributes to the regulation of hormonal activity, zinc to normal testosterone levels, and selenium and iodine to normal thyroid function. Ashwagandha lowered cortisol levels in randomised trials, and monk's pepper eased PMS symptoms. Supplements do not replace medical treatment, and monk's pepper should only be taken after talking to your doctor if you take the pill, are pregnant or have a hormone-dependent condition.

Can balanced hormones help with weight loss?

They can make it easier. An underactive thyroid slows your metabolism and often leads to weight gain, and too little sleep lowers the satiety hormone leptin and raises the hunger hormone ghrelin. Enough sleep, less stress and regular exercise help keep these hormones in balance, but a calorie balance that suits your needs remains the basis.

Sources

Spiegel, K., Tasali, E., Penev, P. & Van Cauter, E. (2004). Brief communication: Sleep curtailment in healthy young men is associated with decreased leptin levels, elevated ghrelin levels, and increased hunger and appetite. Annals of Internal Medicine, 141(11):846-850, doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-141-11-200412070-00008

Sun, H., Saeedi, P., Karuranga, S., Pinkepank, M., Ogurtsova, K., Duncan, B. B. et al. (2022). IDF Diabetes Atlas: Global, regional and country-level diabetes prevalence estimates for 2021 and projections for 2045. Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice, 183:109119, doi: 10.1016/j.diabres.2021.109119

Garmendia Madariaga, A., Santos Palacios, S., Guillén-Grima, F. & Galofré, J. C. (2014). The incidence and prevalence of thyroid dysfunction in Europe: a meta-analysis. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 99(3):923-931, doi: 10.1210/jc.2013-2409

MacLennan, A. H., Broadbent, J. L., Lester, S. & Moore, V. (2004). Oral oestrogen and combined oestrogen/progestogen therapy versus placebo for hot flushes. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (4):CD002978, doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD002978.pub2

Arumugam, V., Vijayakumar, V., Balakrishnan, A., Bhandari, R. B., Boopalan, D., Ponnurangam, R., Sankaralingam Thirupathy, V. & Kuppusamy, M. (2024). Effects of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) on stress and anxiety: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Explore, 20(6):103062, doi: 10.1016/j.explore.2024.103062

Verkaik, S., Kamperman, A. M., van Westrhenen, R. & Schulte, P. F. J. (2017). The treatment of premenstrual syndrome with preparations of Vitex agnus castus: a systematic review and meta-analysis. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 217(2):150-166, doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2017.02.028

Grant, P. (2010). Spearmint herbal tea has significant anti-androgen effects in polycystic ovarian syndrome. A randomized controlled trial. Phytotherapy Research, 24(2):186-188, doi: 10.1002/ptr.2900

European Commission (2012). Commission Regulation (EU) No 432/2012 establishing a list of permitted health claims made on foods. Official Journal of the European Union, L 136:1-40