How Stress Affects Your Hormones And What You Can Do About It
We all know stress can impact our mood, sleep, and energy. But did you know it can also throw your hormones out of balance?
In this week’s Motivation, Harlee Palmer, PA explains how chronic stress can interfere with hormone regulation and what you can do to regain control of your health.
The Stress-Hormone Connection
When your body is under stress, it produces higher levels of cortisol, a hormone designed to help you respond to danger. While cortisol is helpful in short bursts (like when you’re running late or facing a deadline), prolonged stress keeps your cortisol levels elevated, which can cause:
- Disrupted sleep patterns
- Weight gain, especially around the midsection
- Fatigue and brain fog
- Mood swings and anxiety
- Irregular menstrual cycles or worsened menopause symptoms
Stress doesn’t just affect your mental state, it throws your entire endocrine system out of balance.
What You Can Do to Help
The good news? There are powerful, evidence-based ways to reduce the impact of stress on your hormones:
- Prioritize sleep and keep a consistent bedtime routine
- Practice daily movement, even gentle stretching or walking
- Incorporate breathwork, meditation, or yoga into your routine
- Avoid skipping meals: stable blood sugar = more stable hormones
- Consider professional support through Functional Medicine for tailored hormone testing and stress management strategies
Thrive’s Approach to Hormone & Stress Health
At Thrive, we believe in root-cause care. If stress is impacting your health and hormones, we can help you understand what’s happening in your body and develop a personalized plan to restore balance.
Want to learn more about how stress might be affecting your hormones?
Schedule a consultation with our Certified Functional Medicine provider, Harlee, today!
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