H for Hormonal Balance : Stabilize Mood and Sleep

Before we begin it is important to recognize that hormones are what allow us to send signals across the body.

Everything from digestion to stress control to emotional response, sexual drive, brain health, to regulating our fight/flight response is governed by a beautifully delicate and complex system of hormones. Their release at the right time and quantity is what controls how our body functions 24x7.

Things we tend to put under the bucket of a person’s “temperament” or our bodies’ quirks might be signaling something more.

Just to get you started, I’ve put together some cues to look for :

• A sore back more often than not

• Developing varicose veins

• Inability to sleep on time or wake up feeling energetic, tossing and turning all night, an overactive mind

• Feeling excessively cold very easily, always looking for a jacket

• Unexplained mood swings during the day - severe anxiety, worry or depression

And this will seem totally fine and not worth the trouble of working upon, until it builds up over years and begins to present itself in unwanted ways such as unexpected weight gain, disrupted sleep, mood swings and irritability.

So what are ways to ward this off?

• Meditate :

  Maybe you’ve begun, maybe you’ve never tried but a regular breathing practice as small as 5 mins will calm the parasympathetic nervous system - which in turn means that hormones stimulated by stress such as cortisol and adrenalin remain in check.

  Why is this important? these are hormones biologically designed over generations, to be secreted when you were being chased by a lion or facing a life-threatening situation. It was meant to prioritize immediate survival over hunger, procreation, mental-well being and sleep.

  We’re no longer living in the forest, but the constant influx of ‘simulated stress’ over a continued period of time from even small things like office work or bill payment releases these hormones. And it prioritizes that work over appetite, sound sleep and feeling happy. Over a long period of time this takes a toll!

• Aromatherapy :

  First, let’s try and understand why Aromatherapy might even be a valid option. Scents are the first and most primal of the senses that develop, making it a potent way to signal your brain. Whether one consciously recognizes the impact of the aroma on overall well-being, it plays an important role in indicating to the brain things like danger, calm, comfort, taste, memories amongst others.

  What can we take away from this? That, when used right scents can stimulate the brain in a particular direction. This is useful when trying to relax, destress, sleep, energize, and balance our signaling system- the hormones.

  So, here are my top picks for when you’re trying to relax at the end of the day, and balance hormones :

  • Men : Cedarwood, Lavendar, Vetiver mixed in a base or carrier oil of Almond, Olive, Coconut or Sesame depending on availability and skin type . Apply it to your body, but not face. Or add it to a diffuser.

  • Women : Lavendar, Clary Sage, Geranium again mixed in a base or carrier oil of Almond, Olive, Coconut or Sesame depending on availability and skin type . Apply it to your body, but not face. Or add it to a diffuser.

  • Common : Use these single scents in your diffuser or 1-2 drops on your pillow case before sleep - lavendar, chamomile, sandalwood

• Nourish :

  There are somethings which can benefit everyone - eating fresh fruits and vegetables, more whole foods, trashing fast and processed food. Without these in the right place, any and all optimizations like herbs, supplements are ineffective to say the least. But, there are somethings which are key to hormone balance especially for those struggling from PCOS, Thyroid and other emotional disorders - eating the below :

  • Adding more fat - Be it ghee, coconut, coconut oil, avocado, nut butters, fatty fish - each can have a tremendous impact on our hormones. But, it is important to focus on the source - which has to be clean and whole. So, why fat? Our hormones are made of fat. As simple as that. We need fat in our diet for our brains to function well, feel energetic and vibrant.

  • Adding phytoestrogen foods - i.e; foods that support hormone balance like rice, lentils, flax seeds, mung beans, apples, carrots, amongst others

  • Adding anti-oxidant foods - Raw Cacao, pumpkin, nuts, berries, apricots have powerful anti-aging properties.

• Warm Soups :

  Hot and warm beverages can help aid digestion and calm the nervous system. It gets easily absorbed and is beneficial for the gut lining. Having these at least once or twice a day in the form of light soups, herbal teas, other local warm drinks can help the system energize. These are important to include because a hormonal disruption means the body is having a difficult time regulating stress digestion, so this will support it in doing so.

• Circadian Rhythm :

  When your hormone cycle is disrupted, your signaling system is unable to regulate bodily functions optimally. At this time, we need to support it by taking care of our lifestyle and bringing it as close to a natural state as possible. Our bodies are designed to sync with rise and setting of the sun and functions best when that is optimized.

Recommended Recipe :

Hemp - Cacao Energy Balls :

• Hemp Seeds - 1/2 cup

• Cacao Powder - 2-3 Tbsp

• Walnuts/Almonds/Cashews or a mix of all three - 1 cup

• Dates - Seedless - 3/4 Cup

• Almond Butter - 1 Tbsp

• Coconut Oil - 1 tsp

• Coconut shreds- fresh or desiccated

1. Mix all ingredients and pulse in a food processor until fine, but not overtly so.

2. Roll into balls and dust with coconut shred.