When the hormones that affect your brain neurohormones are off, you are off. You may experience symptoms that change the way you think, feel, and act in negative ways. It also makes you more vulnerable to conditions like anxiety, depression, and even psychosis.
Hormonal imbalances may be to blame for a range of unwanted symptoms from fatigue or weight gain to itchy skin or low mood. Hormones are chemicals produced by glands in the endocrine system and released into the bloodstream. An imbalance occurs when there is too much or too little of a hormone.
Researchers think drops in hormones or fast changes in their levels can cause moodiness and the blues. Estrogen affects key brain chemicals like serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. But other hormones, that travel the same paths as neurotransmitters, also play a part in how you feel.
Hormonal imbalances (meaning hormone levels are too high/low) can cause a lot of problems in your body's normal functions, including mood fluctuations, anxiety, and depression.
A headache can be triggered any time there is a fluctuation in estrogen levels, including when there is a dip in estrogen levels around the time of your menstrual cycle. Women may also experience more headaches around the start of menopause and when they undergo hysterectomy.
Brain fog can be a symptom of a nutrient deficiency, sleep disorder, bacterial overgrowth from overconsumption of sugar, depression, or even a thyroid condition. Other common brain fog causes include eating too much and too often, inactivity, not getting enough sleep, chronic stress, and a poor diet.
Cluster, eyestrain, and tension headaches may all trigger a tingling sensation in the head due to changing pressure and blood flow. A migraine aura may occur before a migraine episode. A tingling sensation is a common part of migraine auras.
Some hormonal imbalances, such as abnormal cortisol levels, can alter brain function and can impair memory and cause brain fog. Other hormonal imbalances can negatively affect mood and energy levels. Our specialists are trained in optimizing hormone levels to get you back to feeling like yourself again.
Relaxation techniques like meditation and yoga have been shown to help some individuals manage their stress and anxiety levels. Improve your diet: Research shows that filling your diet with fiber-rich foods, fermented foods, and omega-3s can reduce levels of stress/anxiety and potentially improve mental health.
When hormone levels are balanced, you tend to have stable moods and feel energetic, motivated, and mentally sharp. When hormone levels are out of whack, however, you may experience symptoms that are associated with psychiatric illnesses, such as depression. Symptoms can include: Sadness.
Hormone imbalance can also cause your brain to feel “foggy”. Changes to your estrogen and progesterone levels can affect your alertness and memory.
How long does it take to balance hormones? As you can imagine, this varies. However, research shows that by taking a holistic, well-rounded approach, you can balance your hormones in less than four months. In fact, you can significantly reduce the amount of chemicals and pesticides in your body in one week.
A blood test is one of the most common ways to test hormone levels. This test can detect testosterone, estrogen, cortisol, and thyroid levels. You should order a test that's specific to your gender, as a women's hormone test will look for different levels of sex hormones than a men's test.
Anxiety can be caused by an imbalance in two key hormones, serotonin and cortisol. Imbalances of these important chemical messengers disrupt the brain chemistry and nervous system which regulate our moods, stress levels, and emotions.
Typically, it lasts around three to four years.
Hormones and mental health can be very interlinked. Some mental health conditions, like depression and anxiety, can actually stem from hormonal imbalances. Additionally, some hormonal treatments can cause psychological side effects and mental health issues.
Both high and low progesterone levels lead to the mood swings and memory loss associated with brain fog.
Cognitive impairment can be caused by numerous factors (i.e., genetics, aging, lifestyle, environment), but surprisingly, several studies have found that hormonal fluctuations are one of the key factors that lead to defects in cognitive function (3, 4, 5).
Feeling like there is someting wrong, odd, or strange about how you feel is a common sign and symptom of anxiety, anxiety disorder, and anxiety and panic attacks. This article explains the relationship between anxiety and feeling like there is something wrong, odd, or strange about how you feel.
It's pretty common to feel unsettled if you have hormone problems or a psychological condition like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or dementia. Rarely, it may be caused by a brain tumor. That's why it's important to talk to your doctor if you get agitated, especially if you feel like it's for no reason.