Hormonal Misfiring: 10 Signs You Have a Hormonal Imbalance

Hormonal misfiring, or imbalances, can lead to health issues like insomnia, fatigue, weight gain, and more. Read on to discover 10 signs you're experiencing a hormonal imbalance—and how to treat hormonal misfiring naturally.

What is hormonal imbalance?

The endocrine system includes the adrenals, thyroid, pancreas, and our reproductive organs. Produced by our endocrine glands, hormones perform essential functions and communicate messages throughout the body.

Your appetite, metabolism, heart rate, sleep patterns, reproduction, and mood are all dictated by your hormones. That means your hormones make sure everything is running smoothly and that your rhythms stay in sync.

When your hormones aren’t communicating properly, and your body incorrectly produces too much or too little of any hormone, this is what’s known as a hormonal imbalance.

And if the production of just one hormone in any of these glands is thrown off, it can affect others, creating a snowball effect that leaves you feeling off.

For example, a thyroid hormone imbalance can contribute to a cortisol imbalance, and a cortisol imbalance can contribute to a thyroid hormone imbalance.

These imbalances can cause symptoms such as fatigue, mood changes, digestive issues, and unexplained weight gain or weight loss.

This is why maintaining balance in our endocrine system as a whole is essential to keeping our system running smoothly.

What causes hormonal imbalance?

Many things can challenge your endocrine system and disrupt hormone balance and function.

Identifying and correcting the causes of a hormonal imbalance will help you maintain your health and prevent the onset of chronic disease.

Some of the most common underlying causes of hormonal imbalance include the following.

underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism)

overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism)

chronic stress

diabetes

birth control or hormonal replacement

poor diet

Cushing's syndrome

exposure to endocrine disruptors

heavy metal poisoning (although rare)

certain medications

cancer treatments

Lyme disease

post-partum bleeding (caused by pituitary apoplexy

So how do you know if you have a hormone imbalance? Learn the signs to watch for and some natural solutions.

10 signs and symptoms of hormonal imbalances

The following are ten major symptoms of hormonal imbalance.

1. Fatigue

Everyone is tired sometimes. But you should recover after adequate rest and hydration. If you feel you are taking care of yourself but are still exhausted or just can’t seem to get back to your best, consider getting a comprehensive evaluation of your hormone levels.

2. Anxiety

Nearly 18 percent of Americans have an anxiety-related disorder and 7 percent have a major depressive disorder.

Changes in estrogen during menstrual cycles, pregnancy, postpartum or menopause are associated with worsening depression.

A study on the effect of estrogen receptors in the brain found that estrogen calms the fear response and anxiety in both humans and rodents.

Higher levels of estrogen were correlated with less fearful responses when stimulated by fear-inducing scenarios.

Those assigned male at birth who have low levels of testosterone are more prone to developing anxiety or major depressive disorder when compared to those with normal levels.

3. Weight gain or difficulty losing weight

Many issues may contribute to weight gain. But stress is one of them. When the body is stressed, it goes into survival or "fight-or -flight" mode, producing cortisol.

When you’re chronically stressed, you can have a high cortisol level, which can drive fat storage.

4. Trouble sleeping

Insomnia can be linked to a dysregulated hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. The HPA axis is your central stress response system, where your endocrine system and central nervous system interact.

The HPA axis is also responsible for regulating your sleep-wake cycle through the release of hormones, such as melatonin and cortisol.

Melatonin works on the part of the brain that controls our circadian rhythm, helping us prepare for sleep.

An inability to secrete melatonin may result in difficulty falling asleep or adjusting to a new sleep pattern. Similarly, when your cortisol levels are too high in the evening, you may have trouble falling asleep and feel wired but tired.

About 40 percent of people going through perimenopause report sleep disturbances, such as waking up in the middle of the night with night sweats.

5. Digestive issues

The gut and brain are connected through the gut-brain axis, so a hormonal imbalance and anxiety and depression are sometimes accompanied by digestive symptoms.

A hormone imbalance can impact the population and function of the bacteria in your gut, leading to symptoms like bloating, constipation, diarrhea, or nausea.

6. Skin and hair changes

Acne. A sudden increase in acne could signal a hormonal imbalance. One of the few hormones involved is androgens. Androgens are typically referred to as “male hormones,” but they are found in both males and females. And they regulate your skin’s sebum production. If your body produces androgens in excess, sebum can build up in your pores and cause a pimple to surface.

Hair loss. The quality and vitality of your hair is also directly related to your hormones. Thyroid abnormalities, for example, may cause dry hair or skin, thinning hair, or brittle nails. Hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, and parathyroid disorder can also cause hair loss.

7. PMS and low sex drive

Low testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone are all associated with a decreased sex drive. This is especially common after age 50 when estrogen and testosterone production declines.

Since estrogen is one of the main hormones regulating the menstrual cycle, a decrease in production can also lead to irregular periods that are too long, too short, unpredictable, heavy, or painful. Estrogen decline can also lead to infertility, hot flashes, mood swings, or painful intercourse.

8. Muscle weakness and joint pain

If you feel like moving your body requires extra effort or your joints are stiff and uncomfortable, these may be symptoms of hormonal imbalance.

Several hormones contribute to the strength of your muscles—think estrogen, testosterone, even your thyroid hormone—and could be behind your muscle weakness.

Declines in both estrogen and testosterone have been associated with loss of strength. And muscle weakness and stiffness are sometimes signs of a thyroid disorder.

9. Changes in blood pressure

Your hormones play a major role in heart health, primarily due to one of your body’s largest hormone-producing glands, the pancreas.

The pancreas is responsible for producing insulin, which regulates the amount of glucose in the blood. Insulin resistance can lead to too much glucose in the blood. And the downstream effects could result in cardiovascular problems like high cholesterol or high blood pressure.

High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, has also been linked to thyroid dysfunction, testosterone deficiency, growth hormone excess or deficiency, and more.

10. Puffy, swollen, or rounded face

A gradual rounding or swelling of the face is a common sign of high cortisol characterized by Cushing syndrome.

If your adrenal glands release too much cortisol, they’re unable to properly regulate your blood pressure and inflammatory response.

As a result, your body has a hard time keeping your blood vessels functioning appropriately, leading to swelling and a puffy appearance around your face or shoulders.

How to balance hormones naturally

If you think you might have a hormonal imbalance, start by talking to a health care professional about your symptoms and potential underlying causes.

At Parsley Health, we work with our members to help them understand how to treat hormonal imbalance. Typically, this starts with advanced hormone testing.

Working closely with your provider, you can resolve the underlying cause of hormonal imbalance with a personalized plan, including changes to your nutrition, lifestyle, and stress-management practices.

If you are experiencing any symptoms of hormonal imbalance, here are some general steps we recommend to start feeling some relief.

1. Incorporate healthy fats into your diet.

Fatty acids signal the production of leptin, a hormone that suppresses appetite. Adding healthy polyunsaturated fats to your diet, such as omega-3s, helps lower your risk of obesity.

2. Try adaptogenic herbs.

Adaptogens have been shown to decrease levels of cortisol, a stress hormone.

Certain adaptogens can help regulate the HPA axis, which controls cortisol levels. Lowering your cortisol levels can help hormonal imbalance symptoms, such as fatigue or sleep issues.

Some adaptogens have been linked to livery injury, however. So before you give them a try, talk to your provider to ensure they are safe for you.

3. Take a high-quality probiotic and incorporate fermented foods.

Taking a probiotic can help balance the amount of “good” versus “bad” bacteria in your gut microbiome.

The greater the “good” bacteria, the easier for your digestive system to process food.

A probiotic may be able to help with estrogen-related imbalances by restoring the set of bacteria known as the estrobolome, which is responsible for metabolizing estrogen.

Fermented foods, which also contain live bacteria, can also aid in the regulation of gut bacteria.

4. Supplement with Vitamin D.

A Vitamin D deficiency is more common than you may think, with over a billion people worldwide suffering from either a deficient or insufficient supply of this critical vitamin.

Vitamin D plays an important role in a number of bodily functions, such as immune function, cell differentiation, and inflammatory response.

Low levels of vitamin D have been associated with an increased risk of colon, prostate, and breast cancer, as well as tuberculosis, influenza, and heart disease. A relationship has also been found between hypothyroidism and a vitamin D deficiency.

Ideally, we would get our daily dose of vitamin D from 10 to 30 minutes of uninterrupted sun exposure, but this is unrealistic for most. Eating foods rich in vitamin D, such as pastured eggs and wild salmon, can also help.

As we age, our production of vitamin D decreases, so make sure you’re monitoring your levels and getting them checked by your primary care provider. Your doctor may recommend a supplement.

5. Biohack your way to better sleep.

When life is busy, often the first thing we sacrifice is sleep. But inadequate sleep quickly throws our body off balance.

In a small study testing the impact of prolonged sleep restriction, participants that slept only four hours experienced an increase in ghrelin, a hormone responsible for hunger, alongside a decrease in leptin, a hormone responsible for communicating that we're full.

At Parsley, we recommend getting at least eight hours of sleep per night.

Final thoughts on hormonal imbalances

Some of the most common symptoms of hormone imbalances include unexplained weight gain, fatigue, insomnia, and changes in hair, skin, and nails.

Root causes of hormonal imbalances include compromised gut health, elevated inflammation, and high stress levels.

Natural ways to balance your hormones include eating anti-inflammatory polyunsaturated fats, reducing your exposure to endocrine disruptors, getting adequate sleep, and using supplements to fill in any nutritional gaps related to gut health and vitamin D levels.

Ready to live a longer, healthier life? Start by taking the Parsley Symptom Index quiz to get your symptom score.