Hormonal balance promotes optimal physical health, mental health, and longevity. But, hormone levels naturally fluctuate over time, making it difficult to achieve complete balance. Thankfully, with a few lifestyle adjustments and remedies, you can improve your hormonal health for greater overall wellness.
Read on for proven natural strategies to balance your hormones at any age.
Eat a Mediterranean Diet.
A Mediterranean diet, which prioritizes plants and healthy fats, is widely considered the best eating plan for overall health. It’s also known to promote hormonal balance and prevent elevated estrogen levels, which can increase the risk of breast and ovarian cancers in women.
Mediterranean diets consist of:
- Vegetables and fruits
- Whole grains
- Beans and legumes
- Nuts
- Seafood
Reduce Your Sugar Intake.
Consuming less sugar may improve your hormonal balance. One simple sugar, fructose, is known to compromise the gut microbiome and curb the production of leptin, the “fullness hormone”. Leptin is essential to prevent weight gain through optimal calorie burning.
Improve Your Gut Health
Maintaining a healthy gut microbiome can improve your hormonal balance. Your gut contains a balance of bacteria, and if the “bad bacteria” take over, they may contribute to inflammation, insulin resistance, and hormonal imbalances.
The following tips may help improve your gut health:
- Taking probiotics and prebiotics
- Managing stress
- Sleeping enough
- Staying hydrated
Prioritize Sleep.
Poor sleep quality is known to contribute to hormonal imbalances, particularly in the hormones cortisol, insulin, leptin, ghrelin, and HGH. After a poor night’s sleep, you’re likely to experience elevated levels of cortisol (the stress hormone). Over time, high cortisol levels can lead to insulin resistance.
Additionally, your body primarily releases the growth hormone at night while you sleep. So, try to get seven to nine hours of high-quality sleep each night to support hormonal health.
At A Place for Wellness, we offer hormone optimization to help you retain hormonal balance at any age. Reach out to us today to schedule an appointment!