Hormones are your body’s messaging system. These tiny chemicals travel in your blood, telling your tissues, organs, and body systems what to do and when to do it. They control your mood, body temperature, metabolism, and sexual health.
Small amounts of hormones work to make big things happen. This means even a slight imbalance in hormone levels — too much or too little — can have major effects on your physical and emotional well-being.
At Weston Medical Health & Wellness, Dr. Andrea Bretal, sees firsthand how a hormone imbalance affects health, especially when it comes to weight and weight loss, and she offers hormone therapy to restore balance.
However, many of the symptoms of a hormone imbalance may go unrecognized or dismissed as a normal part of the aging process. Here, we want to share with you some of the common symptoms of a hormone imbalance.
Many hormones play significant roles in helping you get a good night’s rest. If you’re suffering from insomnia, it may be due to changes in estrogen, testosterone, or thyroid hormone levels.
Sex hormone production decreases as you get older. This includes estrogen and progesterone in women and testosterone in men. An imbalance in sex hormone levels may affect your ability to fall asleep or stay asleep.
Hypothyroidism, a decrease in thyroid hormone levels, causes muscle and joint pain, as well as intolerance to cold, which may indirectly affect your ability to get a good night of sleep.
Fatigue is one of the first symptoms of hypothyroidism. Your thyroid hormones control your metabolism, which determines your energy needs for running all your body systems. A drop in thyroid hormone levels decreases your metabolism and energy levels.
Men with low testosterone also experience feelings of fatigue.
And, of course, your insomnia from a hormone imbalance may contribute to your all-day exhaustion.
Are you laughing one minute and crying the next? Do you feel more irritable than usual? These mood changes may be symptoms of a hormone imbalance. Low testosterone, low estrogen, and low thyroid levels all affect mood and may cause symptoms of depression.
Like many, you may consider your recent weight gain a side effect of the aging process. But your weight struggles may be due to changes in hormone levels.
Hypothyroidism lowers your metabolism, leading to unexpected weight gain or difficulty losing weight. Changes in sex hormone levels also affect weight and metabolism.
If you can’t lose weight or the pounds are piling on even though your diet and exercise routine hasn’t changed, it may be a hormone imbalance.
Problems with concentration and memory are also common symptoms of a hormone imbalance. These symptoms may affect your ability to follow conversations or get tasks completed on time.
Thyroid hormones and testosterone affect muscle growth and strength. An imbalance in these hormones may cause loss of muscle mass and muscle weakness.
You may develop skin problems from any number of causes, including a change in weather or laundry detergent. However, persistent dry skin is a symptom of low estrogen or hypothyroidism.
Though aging may play a role in your hormone imbalance, it’s not a good reason to ignore your symptoms. We can test your hormone levels and provide hormone therapy to restore balance, boost your energy, and help you with your weight loss.
Call our office in Weston, Florida, or use our website scheduling tool to book your in-office or telemedicine consultation today.
