Hormones: The Key To A Healthy Mind And Body

Photo credit: bigstock.com

Photo credit: bigstock.com

The human body is an amazing thing, but you probably weren’t aware of some of the ways it maintains your mind and overall health. Hormones are part of the processes that control the way we feel. If you are overwhelmed or have fatigue, hormones may be the cause of your feelings. In fact, if you have a hormone imbalance, you’re probably not feeling 100 percent.

Hormones are simply chemicals in our bodies that communicate with other functions in the body. They are major players when it comes to our mental and physical health. If you’re not feeling completely right, or maybe you just feel a little off, hormone imbalance may be the culprit.

Of course, you may wonder how you can fix such an issue if it is related to hormones. The good news? You can rebalance your hormones with a few changes. Hormones can be reset through changes to your diet and activity level. Before you make any changes, however, it is critical to understand how hormones and nutrition interact.

 

What Are Hormones?

Hormones are simply chemical mechanisms by which the body communicates. There are many different kinds of hormones, and each are specialized for their purpose. In fact, each hormone has its own job and works to communicate with a specific part of the body. A good example is melatonin, which is linked to our circadian rhythms. Melatonin can help the human body sleep or adjust to a new sleeping pattern and is even found in the vitamin section of some stores.

Hormones are concentrated and even a small amount can make changes in the body. This means that small changes in your diet or lifestyle can make huge changes on your hormones and affect the balance in your body.

When talking about hormones, you should know that there are four basic types that are grouped according to what they do. The four types of hormones are:

  • Steroids
  • Peptides
  • Amines
  • Eicosanoids

Hormones within each of these categories can be triggered by certain changes including natural growth or age, diet or nutrition, and even by interacting with other hormones. The brain can also allow the release of hormones into your body.

In the past few years, there have been some incredible breakthroughs in the field of hormone research. We’ve learned more in the last decade than years prior, and that means there’s more understanding of the individual hormones and their role in your whole body health.

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