Hormones are crucial for our bodies’ functioning and regulation, but an imbalance can lead to concerning symptoms. Often dismissed as stress or minor illnesses, certain signs might warrant a visit to your GP.
Two specific symptoms occurring at bedtime could indicate an imbalance in cortisol and/or progesterone. Mike Kocsis, a hormone health expert at Balance My Hormones, highlighted some common indicators of hormonal imbalance, including vivid nightmares, reports Surrey Live. He said: « Progesterone has many functions, from regulating your menstrual cycle, to improving mood, and supporting pregnancy, and progesterone levels are elevated during pregnancy and the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle, resulting in irritability, mood swings, and emotional vulnerability.
« When progesterone is high, it can impact other hormones like cortisol, which leads to uneasy and disrupted sleep, and this emotional intensity can lead to more dramatic, intense, and sometimes even terrifying, dreams. »
However, there’s another symptom to look out for before you even fall asleep. Mike added: « Have you found yourself unable to slow down your racing thoughts before bed lately, lying away thinking about everything you’ve ever done to embarrass yourself in the past? This might be down to high cortisol, or a thyroid imbalance.
« Cortisol, the stress hormone, is meant to dip in the evening to get your body ready for sleep, but when you’re dealing with stress or anxiety, the levels can stay heightened, keeping your brain in fight-or-flight mode, and making it harder to quiet the mind.
« Hyperthyroidism, high thyroid hormone levels, can lead to insomnia, nervousness, and racing thoughts – but low thyroid hormone levels, hypothyroidism, which often leads to mental lethargy and brain fog, can cause similar symptoms or restlessness and a racing mind and the body tries to compensate for the low levels. »
The expert also highlighted other signs that could suggest a hormonal imbalance:
Feeling ‘off’ but not knowing why
Sometimes, you might feel an overall sense of imbalance, feeling unmotivated, drained, or just generally not yourself, it could be a result of subtle hormonal shifts that deeply affect your energy levels, mood, and overall wellbeing.
Even the smallest fluctuations in oestrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and cortisol, can cause symptoms that you might notice in a more subtle way than the clearer symptoms of imbalances like mood swings, weight gain, or hot flashes.
Feeling drunk or hungover without drinking
The dizzy, unstable sensation often associated with alcohol consumption can also occur in the absence of drinking, particularly when hormones are imbalanced.
Insulin, which converts blood sugar into energy for cells, can cause ‘drunk-like’ symptoms such as unsteadiness, difficulty focusing, slurred speech, and confusion if one is insulin resistant or experiences a significant drop in blood sugar levels.
Similar symptoms may arise if your adrenal glands, responsible for producing cortisol that regulates blood sugar and energy levels, are overworked.
An imbalance in oestrogen and aldosterone, hormones that manage blood pressure by controlling fluids and electrolytes, can also trigger these effects.
Elevated cortisol levels can disrupt sleep patterns, leading to feelings of restlessness and anxiety, as well as dehydration – all reminiscent of a hangover after a night of heavy drinking.
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