This year during COVID-19, you may have experienced anxiety, but did you know your anxiety could be related to hormone-induced? Let’s discuss!

Many of us are no stranger to increased heart rate, irritability, and the mental distraction that comes with anxiety. There are countless situations that may induce these feelings, such as walking into a presentation for work, hearing some concerning global news, or experiencing a traumatic life event.

Sometimes, however, stress and anxiety can appear without a clear cause and may be attributable to your body’s hormonal imbalances. Your body uses hormones for several essential functions, including growth, sexual function, and mood adaptation. However, your hormones can also get a bit out of whack and contribute to some uncomfortable mental health symptoms, like anxiety and depression.

Let’s explore some of the hormones that are most often responsible for hormonal imbalances, and some steps you can take to mitigate their anxiety-inducing effects. 

Which Hormones Are The Culprits?

Identifying which hormones may be responsible for your anxiety is a great first step toward mental wellness. Of course, it’s important to remember that these hormones serve valuable functions, too.

Sex Hormones

When the sex hormones estrogen and testosterone fluctuate, it can feel like a mental and emotional rollercoaster. The classic stereotype of a moody teenager isn’t entirely baseless—periods of major hormonal change such as puberty often induce high levels of anxiety.

Estrogen and testosterone have a major impact on mood. The first couple weeks of a woman’s menstrual cycle typically involve higher levels of estrogen, which has been connected to increased levels of serotonin. This mood boost contrasts sharply with the dropping levels of estrogen characteristic of the final two weeks of this cycle, which often results in increased anxiety.

Further, evidence shows that testosterone is linked to lower levels of anxiety and depression, which may explain why women (who have about ten times less testosterone than women) tend to experience more severe anxiety than men.

Stress Hormones

The stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline serve a very valuable purpose—to protect us from danger. They prepare our bodies to expend the energy necessary to run or fight when we find ourselves in dangerous situations.

Unfortunately, our brains can’t always differentiate between reading a stressful email and encountering a mountain lion, resulting in spiked stress hormone levels even when we aren’t in danger. Our bodies can’t just get rid of that extra cortisol, so it leaves us feeling unnecessarily anxious.

Thyroid Hormones

Thyroid hormones are essential to growth and metabolism, but imbalances can cause intense mood fluctuations. For example, an overactive thyroid can induce anxiety and irritability while an underactive thyroid may cause depression and fatigue.  

If you’ve been noticing increased irritability, anxiety, or depression, it might be a good idea to test your thyroid hormone levels and ask your doctor if thyroid management medications might help.

Oxytocin

So far, you may be wondering why every hormone seems to cause some nasty side effects. Thankfully, there are some hormones that have the opposite effect, making us feel good by reducing our anxiety levels.

Oxytocin is frequently labeled the “love hormone” as our brains release it when cuddling, hugging, having sex, or engaging in other forms of physical contact used for connection. These activities reduce anxiety and stress responses, revealing the power of a warm hug.

Ways to Balance Your Hormones and Reduce Anxiety

Hormones can be messy and unpredictable, but thankfully they aren’t totally out of your control. There are some natural ways to reduce hormone-induced anxiety by introducing some positive habits into your daily life.

• Exercise regularly. Remember how your stress hormones prepare you to fight or flee from danger? Exercise is a great way to release all that built-up cortisol and relieve your stress and anxiety. Exercise also releases endorphins, which are instrumental in stress and pain relief.
• Learn stress management techniques. Stress management is like an art. It can take time to figure out what relaxes and de-stresses you. Whether you enjoy meditation, yoga, sunbathing, or even making your interior design more comfortable, make these activities a regular part of your week.
• Develop healthy eating habits. When we’re feeling depressed or anxious, it’s common to crave fast food and sweets. While this provides some instant gratification, it doesn’t nurture our bodies as well as foods rich in fiber and omega-3s, which research shows can reduce stress and anxiety levels. Try to make a habit of eating healthier foods to correct your hormonal anxiety—your mental and physical health will be grateful.
• Get plenty of sleep. The CDC recommends getting at least 7 hours of sleep per night. Focusing on correcting your sleep routine may be the answer to getting your mind back on track.

Anxiety can be highly debilitating if left unresolved. If your stress and anxiety symptoms are getting out of hand, consider testing your hormone levels and asking your doctor what course of action is right for you. By taking the right steps, you can conquer your hormones and anxiety and restore control over your mental health.

Do you struggle with anxiety? Let’s discuss in the comments at the bottom of this page. 

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