How to Balance Hormones Naturally: 9 Proven Tips

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Are your hormones imbalanced and impacting your mental, physical or emotional health? Natural solutions like exercising regularly, getting enough sleep and eating a balanced diet may help restore the lost balance.

Your body relies on precise hormone levels to function at its best. Fluctuations in these levels due to age, stress or medical conditions can disturb various bodily processes.

Hence, maintaining balance is crucial for overall health and well-being.

This guide on how to balance hormones naturally explains science-backed methods that can help you bring your hormonal levels back to normal.

Eat enough protein

The human body produces over 50 different hormones. And many of these hormones are either proteins themselves (called peptide hormones) or derived from amino acids (the building blocks of proteins).

To produce these hormones, your body needs an adequate amount of protein. Eating less than the required amount of protein can result in impaired hormone synthesis.

Research suggests that eating protein can also help maintain weight by making you feel fuller and less hungry. Weight management is important to support hormonal balance, as high BMI can disrupt their synthesis.

Not only is protein important for hormone production, it is also effective at keeping you in better and healthier shape.

Become more physically active

Exercise or physical activity has a great impact on your hormone levels.

It helps improve hormone receptor sensitivity which promotes hormones’ effectiveness and eventually metabolism, muscle growth, and overall energy levels.

Data also proves that regular exercise can reduce insulin sensitivity in individuals. Insulin sensitivity is a condition in which body cells become less responsive to the insulin hormone (which you may already know is involved in regulating blood sugar levels).

A 2023 review shows that exercise may also be effective in managing signs of binge eating syndrome.

The great thing about exercise is that you can use a variety of different physical activities to improve your hormone health.

Strength training, cardio and high-intensity interval training are considered the most effective, though.

If vigorous exercise is something you don’t want to do, engaging in something as simple as brisk walk can also provide significant benefits.

Take control of your stress levels

When stressed, your body produces a stress hormone called cortisol that helps it cope with stress well. This hormone alone can disrupt the balance of other important hormones like oestrogen, testosterone, and progesterone.

What is more, high cortisol levels are also linked to high calorie and sugar intake.

So, try stress management exercises to control everyday stress. Simple exercises like deep breathing and yoga can be effective in interrupting the stress cycle and helping you feel better.

Get deep, restorative sleep every night

Eating proteins, managing stress, exercising, and all other hormone balance techniques become useless if you don’t get enough quality sleep. This is how important sleep is for hormone health.

Studies show that sleep-deprived people have higher cortisol (stress hormone) levels and insulin resistance than people who get enough sleep.

So, get 7 to 9 hours of uninterrupted sleep to support your brain and body in regaining control over hormone levels.

Eat healthy fats

Healthy fats promote hormone balance in multiple ways.

They not only help with hormone synthesis but also enhance how cells respond to certain hormones.

Medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) are a special type of fat that your body uses differently. Instead of being stored as fat, they go straight to your liver and get quickly converted into energy.

This can help reduce insulin resistance and promote the balance of insulin and thyroid hormones.

Best sources of healthy fats include fatty fish, avocados, eggs, olive oil and nuts.

Avoid sugar and refined carbs

Carbohydrates are the main energy source but know that not all carbs are created equal.

Refined carbs are digested quickly, which results in sugar spikes and, with time, insulin resistance when consumed in excess.

Having added sugar seldom is totally fine. Just make sure you do not make it a part of your regular diet.

Replace refined carb sources like white bread with whole carb items like quinoa or brown rice.

Body weight management

Your body weight, particularly weight around the abdomen, is directly related to hormonal health. Excess weight tends to disturb sex hormones and insulin sensitivity.

In women, being overweight or obese can make it more difficult to conceive.

Additionally, if pregnancy occurs, there may be an increased risk of complications and miscarriage in women who are overweight.

So, maintain a healthy weight through regular exercise and by eating within your own calorie range.

Incorporate more fibre into your diet

Follow a high fibre diet as fibre is known to support hormones that promote the feeling of fullness. They can also improve insulin sensitivity by slowing the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream.

Whole foods like fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains are great sources of dietary fibre.

Break free from smoking

Smoking negatively influences various endocrine systems, including sex hormones, insulin and thyroid hormones.

In fact, passive smoking (second-hand smoke) also disrupts hormone balance, particularly by affecting oestrogen levels in women and testosterone levels in men.

How to balance hormones in females naturally?

Female reproductive hormone levels fluctuate during different phases of life, like puberty, menopause, and pregnancy.

However, to maintain them in a healthy range, it is important to have balanced meals providing all the required nutrients.

Studies show that dairy products, specifically yoghurt and cream, may reduce reproductive hormones. So, be more cautious about your dairy intake if you want to maintain balanced reproductive hormones.

Visit your healthcare provider if natural ways to balance hormones do not work for you.

They may prescribe medications or treatments like hormone replacement therapy (HRT) based on the cause of your hormonal imbalance.

How to balance hormones in males naturally?

Alcohol produces detrimental effects on male reproductive hormones, according to many studies. Besides that, it is also associated with low sperm count and poor sperm quality.

If you want to maintain healthy levels of hormones, limit your alcohol intake or eliminate it completely from your diet.

Consult an endocrinologist if natural methods to balance body’s chemical messengers do not bring your hormones into a normal range.

They can help diagnose the underlying cause of this problem and prescribe treatments like testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) accordingly.

How do hormones affect your health?

Hormones are responsible for countless body functions. If they are produced more or less than the required amount, they can disturb one or more body processes in various ways.

Here are the top functions that hormones control:

• Metabolism regulation
• Reproductive health
• Mood and mental health
• Growth and development during different stages of life
• Immune system function
• Appetite control and body weight
• Sleep regulation

What causes hormone imbalance?

Various elements can influence your hormone levels. Here are the top causes of hormone imbalance:

• Chronic stress
• Unhealthy diet
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Lack of quality sleep
• Hormonal changes due to menopause, pregnancy or puberty
• Obesity
• Thyroid disease
• Medications
• Ageing
• Certain health conditions like polycystic ovarian syndrome, diabetes and autoimmune diseases
• Injury to the endocrine gland

What are the signs of hormone imbalance?

The following hormone imbalance symptoms indicate your hormones are out of balance:

Signs of hormone imbalance in females

• Irregular periods
• Mood swings
• Low energy levels
• Night sweats
• Skin issues
• Low libido or sexual function
• Sleep problems
• Low bone density
• Vaginal dryness

Signs of hormone imbalance in males

• Fatigue
• Weight gain
• Mood swings
• Low sex drive
• Erectile dysfunction
• Hair loss
• Low muscle mass
• Irregular body fat distribution

FAQs about hormone balance

How long does it take to balance hormones?

That depends on the severity of the imbalance, your health condition and lifestyle changes/treatments you have.

Moderate hormonal changes may improve in just a few weeks with healthy lifestyle habits. In contrast, significant hormone imbalances that require treatments like testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) may take a few months to get better.

What foods help balance hormones?

A balanced diet consisting of whole foods can be effective in hormone balance.

Green, leafy vegetables, meat, seafood, eggs and whole grain cereals are among the top nutritious foods beneficial for hormone health.

How to balance hormones after menopause?

Adopting healthy lifestyle habits like regular exercise, healthy diet and quality sleep may balance your hormones after menopause to some extent.

Consider treatments like hormone therapy if your low reproductive hormone levels impact your life and overall well-being.

How to balance hormones during perimenopause?

Lifestyle modifications and treatments like HRT are good solutions for the hormonal imbalance caused by perimenopause.

Does ashwagandha balance hormones?

Various studies support ashwagandha’s potential role in supporting the endocrine system.

It may reduce stress hormones and manage female reproductive hormones, including oestrogen and progesterone.

What supplement is good for balancing hormones?

Various supplements, including zinc, omega-3, magnesium, vitamin D, probiotics and ashwagandha, can be helpful in balancing hormones.

Consult with a healthcare provider before taking any of these.

Summary

Balancing hormones is very important for your overall health. Fluctuations in just one hormone’s levels can disturb your health in unimaginable ways.

Adopt healthy lifestyle changes like regular exercise, stress management, balanced diet, and quality sleep to enjoy hormone health.

We understand that it is simply not always possible to naturally balance hormones.

That’s why we are here to help you correct hormone imbalances and improve your well-being when natural fixes are simply not an option. Feel free to contact us and discuss your concerns.

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References

Schwartz, E. and Villa, J.K., 2024. Role of Hormones over the Lifespan: How Hormone Balance Affects General Health and Well-Being at All Ages. In Women’s Health Problems-A Global Perspective. IntechOpen.

Das, A.K.L., Gupta, M.L., Priya, J. and Kumari, R., 2023. IMPACT OF SLEEP DEPRIVATION ON HORMONAL REGULATION AND METABOLIC PHYSIOLOGY. Int J Acad Med Pharm, 5(6), pp.1464-1468.

Raisi, A., Zerbini, V., Piva, T., Murri, M.B., Menegatti, E., Caruso, L., Masotti, S., Grazzi, G., Mazzoni, G. and Mandini, S., 2023. Treating binge eating disorder with physical exercise: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 55(7), pp.523-530.

Alam, Y.H., Kim, R. and Jang, C., 2022. Metabolism and health impacts of dietary sugars. Journal of lipid and atherosclerosis, 11(1), p.20.

Koh, K., Kim, S.S., Kim, J.S., Jung, J.G., Yoon, S.J., Suh, W.Y., Kim, H.G. and Kim, N., 2022. Relationship between alcohol consumption and testosterone deficiency according to facial flushes among middle-aged and older Korean men. Korean journal of family medicine, 43(6), p.381.

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