We rarely give much thought to our hormonal balance. We generally only analyze the role of hormones when something starts to go wrong. For example, we have problems with weight, menstruation, and libido. Emotional disorders and difficulty concentrating appear. No wonder hormones affect our mental, physical, and emotional health. Whether we like it or not, hormones condition our behavior and mood. Hormonal imbalances can lead to depression or change our entire outlook. We all want to think we ultimately control our behavior and thoughts. However, we are entirely subservient to that tiny, powerful, and sometimes chaotic universe that is our hormones. Nowadays, hormone imbalances are not hard to come by. We shoot ourselves in the foot with the pace of life, poor diet, insufficient sleep, and stimulants. Fortunately, a proper diet and habits change can bring excellent results and the hormonal economy into order.
- Hormones in a nutshell
- Hormonal imbalance
- Hormones and mental health. What is responsible for hormonal disorders?
- "Endocrine Psychiatry"
- The effect of negative emotions on our mood and well-being
- Killer stress
- Human brain hormones in depression
- Effects of positive emotions on our mood and well-being
- How to increase the level of happiness hormones in the body?
- Sleep - the best antidote
- LUMEUS
Hormones in a nutshell
Hormones are protein messengers responsible for regulating all metabolic processes. They move through the bloodstream to tissues and organs, managing our development, internal balance, and well-being. However, any minor changes can affect our health and behavior.
Hormones are often accused of causing disease and emotional unrest. However, it is virtually impossible to live without many of them, and it is impossible to live a healthy life without others. In maintaining health, the endocrine system plays an essential function. Its role is also significant for brain development, influencing mental status through neurotrophic, antioxidant, and metabolic processes. Deficiencies or above-normal concentrations of hormones produced by the endocrine glands contribute to the body's homeostasis. They lead to debilitating diseases, the symptoms of which also extend to emotional and cognitive disorders.
Hormonal imbalance
Hormonal imbalance can occur regardless of age. Many factors, including poor diet and lack of sleep, can cause the disorder. What symptoms can hormonal imbalance give?
Hormonal imbalance can give symptoms and effectively hinder normal functioning. The problem is that we must be made aware of what ails us. We speak of hormonal imbalance when too few or too many hormones are circulating in the bloodstream. Because of their essential role in the body, even a small hormonal imbalance can cause unpleasant symptoms and severe health problems. Our hormones, produced by various organs and glands, play many essential functions and regulate critical processes. Hormones help regulate metabolism, appetite, heart rate, the body's daily rhythm and sleep phases, reproductive cycles and sexual function, overall growth and development, mood and stress, and body temperature.
Unlocking Your Mind and Body Potential
Many factors determine your mental health - diet, lifestyle, social relationships, work situation, previous experiences, health, and genetic factors. You can be young, educated, professionally, and privately successful and feel your well-being is limping. Why does this happen? Serotonin is mainly responsible for your mood. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter and tissue hormone. It has many tasks in the body (e.g., it is involved in blood clotting, is responsible for the smooth functioning of the digestive system, regulates sleep, etc.). Still, the most important from the mental health perspective is its effect on emotional states, feelings of joy and anxiety, concentration, and memory. If there are deficiencies in serotonin levels, you may experience mood disorders: depression, anxiety and worry, and problems with sleep and concentration. Unfortunately, low serotonin levels can also trigger anger. When serotonin drops, a person becomes impulsive, and combined with a drop in testosterone, aggressive behavior can result.
"Endocrine Psychiatry"
The link between the endocrine system and mental disorders is a topic that has been discussed previously. As early as the beginning of the 20th century, "endocrine psychiatry" was established to include research into the links between personality and the endocrine system in the broadest sense (although individual hormones were not yet known then, only hypothesized to exist) It was not until the 1950s that Swiss psychiatrist Manfred Bleuler, examining patients with endocrine disorders, noticed characteristic psychiatric symptoms, which he called "psycho-endocrine syndrome."Based on clinical observations (the exact biological mechanism has not been fully confirmed), a triad of symptoms usually accompanying endocrine system disorders was distinguished. These are:
- mood disorders (depressive, manic symptoms)
- psychomotor drive disorders (apathy, sluggishness, agitation)
- drive disorders (appetite, thirst, sleep, sex drive)
Mood disorders are by far the most prevalent. The percentage of patients who complain of depressive symptoms in addition to the underlying disease is as high as 60%! In some cases, the underlying endocrine illness is also a direct culprit of psychiatric disorders - an example of such an extended impact can be the autoimmune process.
The effect of negative emotions on our mood and well-being
Anger, sadness, jealousy, hatred, fear - every time you experience them, chemical transformations occur in the body. The brain produces stress hormones: adrenaline, norepinephrine, and cortisol. They raise blood pressure, speed up the heartbeat, increase blood glucose levels, dilate pupils and bronchi, and inhibit intestinal peristalsis and digestion. Everything is ok if they act for a short time. Unfortunately, the longer negative emotions last, the more damage these hormones will do. And we know very well that for over two years, anxiety and fear have accompanied us at every turn.
Now imagine that stress hormones act on you often and for too long. This is what happens during prolonged stress and anxiety. Such a long-term condition can lead to a burden on the cardiovascular system (hypertension, atherosclerosis, stroke, heart attack), an increase in blood glucose levels (diabetes), a slowing down of the digestive system (obesity, stomach ulcers), and a decrease in immunity (increased susceptibility to infections, eczema, allergies, asthma and also cancer).
Killer stress
It wreaks absolute havoc on our bodies. It is responsible for most common hormonal disorders. When cortisol and adrenaline levels rise (or their concentrations remain high for a long time), there is high blood pressure, accelerated heart rate, and anxiety. How much can one endure in a state of alertness? We don't even realize how devastating it is for our bodies.
Hormones secreted by the body during stress mobilize to cope with a challenging, stressful situation. Such short-term action of hormones does not bring harm to health. On the contrary, it is very beneficial. However, prolonged stress, and thus the continuous action of stress hormones, can lead to cardiovascular diseases and obesity, among other things. Hormones secreted by the body during stress are epinephrine, norepinephrine (catecholamines), and cortisol (glucocorticoid). Of all the stress hormones secreted by the adrenal glands into the blood, adrenaline plays a central role during a tense situation. It is secreted first.
During periods of experiencing severe stress, which lasts more than 10-20 minutes, cortisol is secreted. The function of stress hormones is to ensure the body's state of readiness in stressful situations.
Human brain hormones in depression
Suicide is aggression directed inward. Suicide and aggression are born in the brain and come from the same source. Low serotonin levels are a sign of impulsiveness, which can lead to violence against another person, but also against oneself.
It has been observed that there is an unexpected link between low serotonin levels and depression. Patients with low serotonin levels were among those who successfully committed suicide. So a routine biochemical test in people with depressive disorders - could minimize the risk of spawning their lives.
Depression can be caused not only by too low levels of serotonin but also by dopamine deficiency. Its low levels cause anxiety, tension, fatigue, and apathy, reducing motivation and the desire to act. And too low levels of oxytocin can lead to low levels of empathy.
Effects of positive emotions on our mood and well-being
Happiness hormones are a group of substances released by internal secretion that regulate our mood. Although they differ in many ways, they all play an important role in normalizing emotional behavior. Happiness hormones also have other essential functions in the human body.
Oxytocin positively affects emotions, relieving feelings of anxiety and danger. It is known as the "love hormone" because it forms emotional bonds between two people. In turn, dopamine, called the "pleasure molecule" or "natural afterburner," regulates dynamic processes. Its proper level allows us to feel happiness and joy.
A key role in well-being is, of course, played by the other two hormones of happiness - endorphins and serotonin. Euphoric states and contentment are caused mainly by endorphins, while serotonin allows one to feel pleasure.
Endorphins increase satisfaction, regulate body temperature, relieve stress, and increase the feeling of happiness. They also contribute to normalizing blood pressure. Endorphins are the "cure" for a drop in mood. The more endorphins we produce, the higher our level of satisfaction.
Serotonin's action mainly involves the central nervous system and the digestive system. It affects emotional states and moods. It is related to happiness and joy and reduces anxiety and fear. In addition, serotonin is also involved in transmitting impulses between nervous system cells and is responsible for intestinal movements and digestion processes. Serotonin also affects sleep and appetite, blood pressure regulation and blood clotting. It also helps balance body temperature and breathing.
Happiness hormones give you the strength to take action and enjoy life. Therefore, it is crucial to take care of their proper levels. There is a hypothesis that low levels of endorphins may be responsible for poorer mood. However, endorphins also have other vital functions. Therefore, a deficiency of this happiness hormone also promotes other ailments, such as headaches, depression, and fibromyalgia. In turn, as a result of a decrease in serotonin levels in the body, depression can occur. Serotonin deficiency can manifest through fatigue, pain sensitivity, and increased aggression. It is worth noting that too high hormone levels can also have adverse effects. Intestinal dysfunction is one of the possible effects of excess serotonin.
How to increase the level of happiness hormones in the body?
There are many natural ways to raise levels of happy hormones. These natural ways can be the basis for keeping the body in good shape and preventing mood disorders. Most endorphins are produced during sports. This is because endorphins are released when we move. When we run, bike, swim, or dance, our body moves, and the happiness hormone is produced in the brain.
The more we move, the more happiness hormones our body produces. This action motivates us to exert more effort, as the endorphins produce energy and neutralize the strain on our muscles and joints. What also secretes endorphins are stressful situations, which result in an improved mood.
Another way to naturally increase happiness hormones, like serotonin for example, is to do so by a proper diet. This happiness hormone is primarily found in foods rich in tryptophan (e.g., salmon, avocados, bananas, tofu, eggs, and milk). Where else to look for this happiness hormone? In vitamin B! Serotonin is found in foods such as brown rice, cereals, nuts, and broccoli.
Sleep - the best antidote
Nothing regenerates the body like sleep. We can exercise and eat healthily, but we must ensure adequate sleep - 7-9 hours per night. Sleep problems cause a decrease in the production of hormones responsible for the feeling of satiety, an increase in stress and hunger hormones, and a reduction in the secretion of growth hormones. They also result in increased insulin resistance. Hormonal imbalances can increase the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, depression, and other health problems. With a few simple lifestyle changes, we can improve the functioning of an extremely important but sensitive endocrine system.
LUMEUS
Many medications for the problems described above operate precisely on stimulating the endocrine system. For example, serotonin reuptake inhibitors, effective in treating depression and anxiety (perhaps the two most common psychiatric disorders), allow these hormones to be retained in their receptors for longer periods of time. The result of their use, under the supervision of a psychiatrist, is often a significant improvement in quality of life. And is there anything you can do to get your hormones working right?
Yes, there is! LUMEUS Emotional Training helps to produce targeted happiness hormones to reduce stress hormones. With our spoken visualizations and specially composed music, happiness hormones replace stress hormones. This is the core of emotional training: by working specifically with our fantasy journeys, we awaken positive feelings and provide beneficial "happiness hormone showers".
Through emotionally powerful, archaic imagery, the Harmonies provide new emotional insights and deep confidence. Purposefully triggered happy hormones give us a kick-start to the day. Self-confidence is strengthened. Psychosomatic complaints are improved or disappear completely - and you can sleep peacefully again.
Remember - any positive thought or reaction will contribute to reducing the risk of diseases caused by negative emotions. Let LUMEUS Harmonies help you to release your body's own medicines.
An article by
Lea Sophie
References
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/348743370_Endocrine_dysfunction_and_cognitive_impairment
- https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22673-hormonal-imbalance
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5864293/
- https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/16/12/26136/html
- https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Lleuvelyn-Cacha/publication/336920120_Psychophysiology_of_Chronic_Stress_An_Example_of_Mind-body_Interaction/links/5f89466b92851c14bccc2549/Psychophysiology-of-Chronic-Stress-An-Example-of-Mind-body-Interaction.pdf
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3079864/
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1568163705000048
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0149763420306801
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