IS RUSHING AROUND DISRUPTING YOUR HORMONES?

So many women I know are constantly rushing from one place, task and thought to the next. Many of us are juggling work and family, have endless to do lists, struggle to say no and have lost touch with what we need and want.

Let’s face it, all that rushing around is stressful. Unfortunately, your body can’t tell the difference between an ‘I am in serious danger’ stress and ‘I am stuck in traffic and late for an appointment’ stress. When your body is under stress it goes into hyper alert and produces the stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol. When every day is filled with stresses, like getting to school on time and meeting work deadlines, this sets off constant alarm signals that you are in danger.

You may be surviving in this stressed-out state for years but are blissfully unaware until you hit perimenopause.

When you are stressed, your body gets the message that pregnancy is not a top priority and to slow down the production of the sex hormone progesterone. As well as being critical for fertility, progesterone makes you feel happier and less anxious. When progesterone levels are low your oestrogen levels are amplified. Your liver can struggle to detoxify all this oestrogen, especially if it is busy removing alcohol and processed foods. This is one of the reasons that fluctuating oestrogen levels in perimenopause can make your feel like you are on a rollercoaster of emotions and symptoms.

“Stress, anxiety, and depression are caused when we are living to please others.”

Paulo Cohelo

Constant stress, high levels of cortisol and lower levels of progesterone and a higher oestrogen can also slow down our thyroid.

You may experience the effects of an underactive thyroid (such as weight gain, anxiety, brain fog, infertility, irritability, sensitivity to the cold, tired but wired and unable to sleep) without realising.

All this hormonal chaos can make you feel that you don’t know what is happening in your body and worried that you will never feel normal again.

Many of the symptoms of high oestrogen, low progesterone and underactive thyroid overlap, and their causes are interlinked. The most swift and effective way to get to the bottom of what is happening in your body is to have your hormones tested by a professional. We can analyse your results and design a personalised programme to meet your unique causes, symptoms and lifestyle.

Your body is continually adapting to restore balance, so when you give your body the nutrients and nurture it needs, you will soon feel yourself, if not better.