What to Do When Your Stress Hormones Are Out of Balance

The word “hormone” usually recalls things like testosterone and estrogen. We may think about teens going through puberty, PMS, menopause, and other hormonal shifts along the lines of reproduction. Did you know the body creates dozens of other hormones? Multiple systems, organs, and body functions are regulated by hormones. One of the primary functions of hormones in our body is managing stress.

We live in an increasingly stressful world. Every day we’re exposed to stress from work, environmental stress, stressors on our bodies, and more. Our wise Creator in God’s infinite wisdom gave us multiple hormones to regulate and manage stress. Unfortunately, we’re seeing these get out of balance more and more, which is another result of living in a fallen world.

Today we’re going to look at stress hormones. We’ll dive into what each different hormone is and its primary functions. This article will also share some signs and symptoms you may experience if these hormones get out of balance and ways to help manage them.

What are the different stress hormones?

One of the issues with modern life is our brains haven’t quite caught up to modern living. We still have a very primal part of our brain that views modern stressors as life-threatening. This causes our brain and body to produce these stress hormones to try to save our lives. Few things we face daily are going to endanger our lives, but our body is acting as though they will.

As our world becomes more overstimulating and stressful, these hormones are going to continue acting to try to save us. It is important to understand what each one does. This will help give you a bit of knowledge as to why different suggestions are made below for working to bring balance back to the body.

Cortisol is what folks think of most often when they think about stress. It’s often called “the stress hormone.” This hormone is produced when our body senses an emergency. It helps to support our digestion, fluids, blood pressure, and more. Cortisol will work to slow down or shut down systems such as reproduction that we do not need in a dangerous situation.

The issue with cortisol in modern life, however, it is not slowing down production for many people. Since our brains think modern stressors are life-threatening, cortisol is being produced when we are not in danger. This is the primary hormone that will be tested by doctors when trying to figure out stress levels. It can also lead to an imbalance with other hormones and body systems.

Adrenaline/ Epinephrine is one people are often surprised to learn is a stress hormone. The “adrenaline rush” is a stress response. This hormone triggers the fight/flight response in the brain, even though it may be a pleasurable experience. Individuals can become addicted to adrenaline rushes, and this can lead to significant imbalances.

This is the hormone that’s the least likely to become imbalanced on its own. However, chronic stress, trauma, and PTSD can cause the brain to produce unnecessary amounts of adrenaline. Adrenaline is one of the first things to jump into gear when we’re faced with a stressor. It will cause the surge of energy, increased heart rate, and increased respiration we’re all familiar with when we get frightened or are in danger.

Serotonin is another word you may be familiar with. It is technically a neurotransmitter that is a bit different from a hormone (but we’re not going to get into that science here today!) Because it is an important part of brain health in stress, it is included in this article.

It is created in the gut through the consumption of tryptophan (yes, the thing in turkey that makes you sleepy). Serotonin helps our bodies manage depression and anxiety as well as heal from injuries, and many other things.

Anyone who has struggled with mental health issues or been on medication for them likely knows about serotonin. Serotonin and cortisol work together. When one gets higher the other is likely to get lower. Low serotonin can make our response to stress decrease substantially.

There are a few other hormones and neurotransmitters involved in stress, these are the primary ones to know about.

When stress hormones get out of balance

God made our bodies to give us signs when something is out of alignment. We live in a world that’s not always as in touch with ourselves as our ancestors were. Taking time to check in with our bodies can be helpful and give us a lot of information about what is going on. These are some of the common signs and symptoms folks will experience if their stress hormones become out of balance:

• Increased fatigue
• Body aches
• Joint and muscle pain
• Headaches
• Cold fingers, toes, and extremities
• Easily startled/ jumpy
• Thyroid issues
• Adrenal fatigue
• Insomnia or oversleeping
• Weight issues (both excessive weight gain and weight loss depending on the metabolism)
• Light sensitivity
• Sensitivity to sounds
• Digestive issues
• Menstrual irregularities
• Loss of libido
• Irritability
• Decision fatigue
• Brain fog
• Memory issues
• Constantly feeling on alert

As you can see, our stress hormones impact everything in our bodies. This isn’t even a comprehensive list! Everything from our heads to our toes can be affected by too much stress. You’ve likely even heard of folks whose hair falls out because of stress. Anxiety and depression often develop during, or after, a period of high stress. Some individuals may even be diagnosed with an “adjustment disorder” when things run awry with stress.

At the more extreme end of things, people may experience neurological symptoms, heart problems, and more. A full-on adrenal crash can occur in some people too. Women seem to be more susceptible to hormonal issues than men, but adults and children of both genders can be affected.

Ways to help bring the body back into alignment.

First and foremost, consult your doctor or another healthcare provider. When one set of hormones are out of balance, usually others in our body are as well. Your healthcare provider can run a series of tests to decide your exact levels.

They will then work with you to figure out what needs to be supported in your body. Support from an herbalist and nutritional therapist can also help balance out stress hormones.

We must learn to recognize when our bodies are communicating with us to slow down. If we can step back and listen to the intuition God gave us right away, we can avoid a lot of problems later.

Interestingly, folks who have regular religious practices have been shown to manage stress better. Prayer in and of itself lowers stress hormones in the brain! God created us to heal as we communicate and share our hearts with God.

Here are some mind/body techniques that may be useful as well:

• Meditation
• Mindfulness
• Centering Prayer
• Breath Prayer
• Loving-Kindness meditation
• Progressive muscle relaxation
• Yoga
• Walking or running
• Time in nature (aka forest therapy)
• Reduced screen time, especially in the two hours before bedtime. No screen time or screen time only with blue light glasses
• Massage
• Craniosacral therapy
• Chiropractic care
• Other forms of bodywork
• Breathwork such as box breathing and, alternate nostril breathing
• Reducing stress at home and in the workplace
• Increasing sleep!

Working with a counselor is a good idea in seasons of high stress or right after them. Your counselor can help you figure out which of these practices above would be best for you. They can also help lead guided relaxation and meditation times in-office for you to take a little space to unwind.

Plus sharing what’s on your heart and mind is always a good idea. The act of saying words out loud instead of writing a quick social media update or text has a different impact on the brain as well.

If you can take a vacation or cut back on work, now is the time to do that too. Support your body and give yourself permission to rest, relax, and reset. Remember, it will take time for your body to shift back into balance- sometimes months or even years. Step back as you’re able to listen to your body.