Women of all ages need to be aware of their daily habits and how their choices are impacting their hormone levels. Making poor choices can have a direct impact on your hormones, which means that you might mistakenly find yourself feeling blue without a clear reason why.
Hormones Impact Your Happiness
There are many types of hormones within your body, and all of these hormones are impacted by the food and lifestyle choices that you are making. When one hormone gets off balance, then it can cause a chain reaction which negatively impacts other types of hormones within your body. If you have ever heard someone referring to “happy hormones,” they are probably talking about serotonin. There are also a few other hormones that also help to regulate your mood. Here’s a quick overview:- Serotonin: A neurotransmitter that is targeted by many antidepressant medications. When your serotonin levels are boosted, it positively impacts your mood.
- Dopamine: The reward system within the brain is driven by dopamine, which results in a “well-being” feeling. When you set goals and achieve those milestones, your dopamine will kick in because it drives behavior that seeks pleasure.
- Progesterone: Sufficient progesterone levels are beneficial to manage sleep patterns and limit mood swings, irritability and anxiety. Women often experience a drop in progesterone when they enter perimenopause, but lifestyle changes can help you balance this hormone.
- Estrogen: This hormone impacts mood, anxiety levels, and irritability. Menopause causes estrogen levels to drop, which might have an impact on your mood.
- Oxytocin: Sometimes referred to as the “love hormone,” oxytocin has been linked with life satisfaction in women.
Tips for Boosting Happiness Hormones
Everyone wants to be happy, but many people are weighed down by hormone problems that are causing mood swings and anxiety. Here are five simple steps to help you balance these happiness hormones and achieve higher levels of satisfaction in your life:- Manage Stress: High levels of stress can block the release and/or production of many types of hormones. If you want to balance your hormones, then you need to manage your stress levels.
- Healthy Food Choices: When you are sad, the instinct is often to reach for a chocolate bar or a bag of potato chips. Instead of indulging the craving, choose healthy foods that will support your body. Junk food causes blood sugar levels to spike and crash, which has a domino effect on many hormones within your body.
- Exercise: Moving your body has a direct impact on hormone levels. It has been found that daily exercise has a positive impact on serotonin, which helps to improve your mood.
- Spend Time with Loved Ones: When you are spending time with people that you care about, oxytocin is stimulated which can help to boost your levels of life satisfaction.
- Take a Supplement: Sometimes, hormones are difficult to balance because you aren’t getting the right nutritional support in your diet. Consider adding a high quality supplement to enhance your health.
