With the change in season, you might be feeling more sluggish, moody or have gained a bit of weight, and you’ve blamed it on the weather. But these could all be subtle clues that your hormones aren’t playing ball. While hormones tend to make us think of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) or menopause, there are a number of these powerful chemicals that run riot through the body, delivering instructions on when to eat, move, sleep and more.
It’s only when they go off-track, because of factors such as stress, poor diet and sleep, that symptoms can set in – low energy, extra weight and dull skin, to name just a few. Occasionally, a hormone imbalance may require medical treatment, and it’s best to see a GP if your symptoms are persistent. But what can you do yourself? Gail Madalena, a registered nutritional therapist, reveals how you can help reset your hormones in as little as two weeks.
Menopause symptoms Hot flushes, mood swings, poor sleep and anxiety, along with other menopause symptoms, can creep in from your early 40s. Menopause is defined as when periods have been absent for a full year, while the lead-up is known as perimenopause. During this time symptoms also include irregular periods, reduced sex drive, weight gain, vaginal dryness and recurrent UTIs.
“In menopause, your levels of oestrogen dramatically decline. However, in perimenopause, oestrogen is still very much up and down, potentially leaving you on an emotional rollercoaster,” says Gail. Most read in He.
