With so many known medical conditions out there, it can be hard to find out the root cause of our ills. In today’s society, it’s not uncommon to experience symptoms such as poor  sleep, exhaustion, constipation, sexual dysfunction, menstrual complications, skin problems, and weight gain.

These problems typically point towards issues of the thyroid or adrenal problems, although it’s not always straightforward to diagnose. In fact, conventional doctors are quick to find diseases, but not dysfunctions.

While a naturopath might look into lifestyle habits, diet, and emotional  health during a diagnosis, a conventional doctor will examine test results and find pharmaceuticals and other therapies to treat the symptoms. That’s why you should look out for the symptoms outlines below.

The Different Types of Hormonal Imbalance

The endocrine system is the collection of glands that produce hormones. They include the pituitary gland, thyroid gland, parathyroid glands, adrenal glands, pancreas, ovaries and testicles (1).

The hormones they produce regulate metabolism, growth and development, tissue function, sexual function, reproduction, sleep, mood, and other life-sustaining activities (2).

Warning Signs

When your adrenal glands don’t function properly, you may experience body aches, fatigue, nervousness, sleep disturbances and digestive problems as well as weight loss, low blood pressure, and lightheadedness, loss of body hair (3).

These glands produce cortisol (a stress hormone), aldosterone (which regulates blood pressure), adrenaline, and more (4).

Your thyroid, which regulates metabolism, can be either over or underactive. An underactive thyroid, called hypothyroidism, can cause fatigue, sensitivity to the cold, dry skin, constipation, weight gain, muscle weakness, brittle nails, and thinning hair (5).

Hyperthyroidism, on the other hand, can cause nervousness, menstrual problems, excessive sweating, increased appetite, brittle hair, and difficulty  sleeping (6).

Finally, imbalances of sex hormones such as progesterone, testosterone, and estrogen can cause menstrual problems, early menopause/andropause, as well as sexual dysfunction, weight gain, fatigue, and more (7).

While these imbalances may signal disease or other ills, it may also be a sign of poor diet and lifestyle factors.

That’s why it’s good idea to try the tips below and see how they make you feel. If you notice a positive change, then your hormones were likely temporarily imbalanced.

How to Balance Hormones: 10 Key Tips

Hormone imbalance can be tricky to diagnose and treat, but here are ten ways to improve your body, naturally.

1. Cut the Sweets

Sugar is the number one way to send your hormones on a downward spiral.

Consuming sugar triggers the release of the hormone insulin. Insulin spikes cause by eating sweets then lowers levels of an important protein known as sex hormone-binding globulin, which binds excess estrogen and testosterone in the blood.

When your sex hormones levels are too high or unbalanced, you might experience irritability, anxiety, insomnia and more (8).

To get a true feel of how your body reacts to sugar, quit all sweets and starches for 2 weeks.