Hormonal Imbalance

 

Your body starts experiencing certain changes as you enter your teens. Facial hairs, dry skin, unexplained weight loss or gain, acne, and anxiety, sometimes you notice that these changes bother you more than others.

Towards middle age, this tiredness or being unwell often lingers. Most of you, whether men or women, may feel or notice one or more different symptoms like loss of hair, weight gain, an increase in heart rate, a feeling of loneliness and sadness, anxiety, irritability, and depression.

What could be the reason you and many others feel sick and unhappy? In many cases, a visit to your doctor results in the diagnosis of hormonal imbalance as the source of the symptoms. All these changes in the body can be due to hormonal imbalance, and they can affect individuals at any age, whether they are teenagers, young adults, middle-aged, or seniors.

Those of you who are middle-aged accept these changes as part of ageing, but to know more about them and create awareness. Of course, you can talk to your doctor and learn how it should be handled.

What is the hormonal imbalance?

A hormonal imbalance happens when you have excess or lack of one or more hormones. Hormones are in fact chemical messengers of our body. Hormonal imbalance is a broad term that can represent many different hormone-related conditions.

Hormonal imbalances are typically caused by problems with your endocrine system. This system has eight major glands in various locations around your body.

These glands produce hormones — chemical messengers that travel throughout your body in your blood. They help your organs and tissues perform and coordinate your various physical functions.

Most hormonal imbalances happen when your body is making either too much or too little of a particular hormone or when your body can’t properly respond to the hormones that are present.

Hormonal imbalance in women

Women often experience hormonal imbalance at naturally occurring points in their lives while growing up like menstruation, puberty, pregnancy and menopause. Certain medical conditions, lifestyle habits, environmental conditions, and endocrine gland malfunctions can be the other causes of hormonal imbalance in females.

Hormonal imbalance in men

Hormonal imbalance in men can be observed in unexplained weight loss, difficulty sleeping, headaches, and excessive sweating. As a result, men with low testosterone often suffer from many problems. Fatigue, depression, poor mental focus, an inability to maintain muscle mass, and infertility are some of them.

Hormonal imbalance in teenagers

When it comes to hormonal imbalances, teenagers are usually the most affected. They need to be regularly counselled for the problems they face or may face. The symptoms of hormonal imbalance in teenage girls can be heavy or irregular periods, hair loss, night sweats, and headaches.

Similarly, the symptoms of hormonal imbalance in teenage males may vary from loss of muscle mass, decrease in body hair and beard growth, hot flashes, and difficulty concentrating. These symptoms should not be confused with their normal development. However, if there is a problem, medical attention should be sought.

Causes of hormonal imbalance

Certain medical conditions, lifestyle habits, environmental conditions, and endocrine gland malfunctions can be other causes of hormonal imbalance in females.

1, Unhealthy diet

Processed and fast food, starchy carbohydrates, and sugar lead to symptoms of hormone imbalance. These symptoms include moodiness, weight gain, fatigue, sleeplessness, wrinkles, and diseases. To balance the hormones, you need the right balance of nutrients. If you don't eat nutritious food, your hormonal balance will suffer.

2, Excessive stress

Stress affects the body, including the musculoskeletal, respiratory, cardiovascular, endocrine, gastrointestinal, nervous, and reproductive systems.

Stress can disrupt the body's nat hormonal balance, causing obesity, insomnia, and low energy levels.

3, High percentage of body fat

Obesity is a major factor in hormonal imbalance. A high percentage of body fat may lead to hypothyroidism, Cushing’s disease, and growth hormone deficiency. Growth hormone also affects metabolism (the rate at which we burn energy).

Researchers have found that growth hormone levels in people who are obese are lower than in people of normal weight.

Pesticides and other Toxins

Polluting chemicals found in the environment interfere with the functioning of the endocrine system. They are also called endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs).

Toxins are artificial chemicals that interfere with the proper functioning of our hormones, air pollution may affect reproductive health, leading to sex hormone disorders, metabolic diseases, and even infertility.

5, Overactive or underactive thyroid

When your thyroid produces too many or too few hormones, it can cause symptoms.

Hypothyroidism is the term for an underactive thyroid, one that produces too few hormones

Hyperthyroidism describes an overactive thyroid, one that produces too many hormones.

Such symptoms need immediate attention and an appointment with your health practitioner.

Signs and symptoms of a hormonal imbalance

1, Weight gain is observed in most individuals, especially women.

2, Hump of fat between the shoulders.

3, Unexplained and sometimes sudden weight loss.

4, Fatigue, muscle weakness, muscle aches, tenderness, and stiffness.

7, Feeling pain, stiffness, or swelling in your joints.

8, Increased or decreased heart rate, especially in the elderly.

Too much or too little of a particular hormone can throw off your body's balance and have a series of strange effects, including weight gain, depression, anxiety, infertility, thinning hair, or even acne. Thankfully, hormonal imbalance can be treatable.

By 

Monica Saxena

Skin Aging by Sugar

 Skin ageing is the loss of the suppleness of your skin, giving it a porous and wrinkled look. It has nothing to do with your actual age or fitness level. But it is carelessness towards the skin's health leading to its ageing. The skin is said to be "ageing" when it loses its elasticity and sheen and appears dull with a rough textured appearance.

Common reasons for the damage caused to the skin are;

1, Age and genetic factors

2, External sources, such as Ultra Violet radiation and pollution

3, Smoking can also make your skin dull and dry

4, Collagen damage in the skin is sometimes due to your dietary choices, like sugar and sugary food products.

How is sugar bad for the skin?

Foods high in added sugars or refined carbohydrates can lead to high blood sugar, which results in wrinkles and skin ageing. 

A diet heavy in refined carbohydrates and added sugars can damage the collagen cells of your skin, ultimately causing sagging and deep wrinkles.

The problem is that by the time you see sagging skin, you've already experienced significant damage to the collagen and elastic fibres in the skin.

Effects of sugar on the skin

Patients with diabetes experience poor wound healing. The effects of high blood sugar levels in diabetics are evident on the skin and faces.

Excess sugar in your bloodstream can cause glycation. It is a natural chemical reaction when sugar levels in the bloodstream spike beyond what our insulin can handle.

 Glycation affects —collagen and elastin, the building blocks of our skin that give it elasticity.

These two proteins, collagen and elastin, when combined with sugars, become weaker. When these vital skin building blocks are compromised, the signs of ageing become obvious. 

Moreover, skin becomes drier and less elastic, causing wrinkles, sagging, and a dull appearance.

Ways to stop damage

Eat anti-ageing fruits and vegetable

we should eat rainbow colour fruits and veggies. The antioxidants in fruits and vegetables protect us from free radical damage. 

In fact, our bodies are oxidizing all the time and antioxidants help us overcome that. In different colours of fruit and vegetables, you'll find different antioxidants.

For example, beta-carotene in carrots, and lycopene in tomatoes. Red bell peppers, papaya, avocado, blueberries, broccoli, spinach and sweet potato are a storehouse of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Together they help to increase skin elasticity and delay fine lines and wrinkles.

Reduce sugar consumption

While it is not recommended to eliminate sugar entirely from your diet. It is good to control your sugar intake in the diet and limit it to not more than the recommended amount (25g). Your body can handle lower intake without much effects on skin and body functions. Added sugars should make up not more than 10% of your daily calorie intake. 

Develop an instinct to resist temptation as the temptation leads us to unconsciously crave sweets and eat them without control.

Check label

Honey, fruit juices and alcohol all contain high amounts of sugar. Read the Nutrition Facts carefully on the food label to understand how much "added sugar" is, in a portion of food. Total sugars include both added sugars and natural sugars. 

Added sugars are the ones you need to limit. Naturally occurring sugars are found in milk (lactose) and fruit (fructose). 

Sugar-free foods can be part of your diabetes diet, but remember that a sugar-free label means one serving has less than 0.5 grams of sugar.

Drink Water

Have 8 to 10 glasses of water daily for your skin health. Water keeps your body hydrated and refreshed and helps maintain your skin's elasticity. 

People who drink large amounts of water are less likely to suffer from scars, wrinkles, and soft lines and won't show as many signs of ageing as those who drink little water.

Replace all the fizzy drinks, packed juices and energy drinks with water. It is important to know that all flavoured waters often include hidden additional ingredients. Drink soups, broth and water containing fruits and veggies to keep your skin moisturized all day.

Have enough sleep

It has been found that the sleep hormone melatonin can reduce glycation damage by up to 50%. 

Sleep initiates the repair process, the skin makes new collagen when you sleep, which prevents the sagging of the skin. More collagen makes your skin plumper and it is less likely to wrinkle.

The journal Clinical and Experimental Dermatology found that people who slept seven to nine hours a night had skin that was more moisturized, protected and healed better after exposure to ultraviolet light than those who slept five hours or less.

Stay stress free

The best way to keep your skin soft and supple and delay the visible signs of ageing is to stay stress-free. In fact, stress causes spikes in the hormone cortisol, increasing the effects of glycation by up to 20%. 

Don't go for a sugary treat when going through a tough time and feeling stressed. It is best to resist sugar when you are stressed and you can always find new ideas to ease yourself. You can go for a walk, listen to music or meditate.

Skin care is also part of your health care. In fact, the skin is the barrier that faces outside challenges and protects the internal organs of your body. Everyone ages differently and at a different pace. But it is important to find and curb anything which is not suitable for your health. Skin health and skin care are an essential part of your health too. Keep it healthy always.

By

Monica Saxena