“It’s the most wonderful time of the year…” December is upon us and 2024 is just around the corner. While the festive season is one of the most enjoyable periods of the year, all the Christmas partying and New Year’s celebrations can lead you to burn the candle at both ends. This can leave both you and your hormones out of kilter, and can even cause you to develop a hormonal imbalance. So, following the festivities, what are the symptoms of a hormonal imbalance that you should look out for going into next year? Let’s find out.

Fatigue

The festive period is a busy time of socialising, drinking and travelling; so it’s only natural that it may take a bit of time for you to recover. However, if your tiredness persists then it could be to do with your hormones. In fact, fatigue is one of the most common symptoms of hormone imbalance. For example, too much progesterone in the body can make you feel sleepy, and a lack of estrogen or testosterone can cause tiredness. Additionally, if your energy levels are consistently low it may be a sign of a thyroid dysfunction.

Sleep Problems

If you’re struggling to sleep, or you’re not enjoying a quality night’s sleep, it could be the result of a hormone imbalance. Melatonin, also known as the ‘sleep hormone’, is responsible for keeping your sleep/wake cycle in check. Our busy modern lives, where our senses are nearly always stimulated, and excessive intake of blue light through our phones, can cause our melatonin levels to become disrupted. As a result, this can stop you from getting a good night’s sleep. An imbalance to the sex hormones progesterone, estrogen and testosterone can also cause people to suffer from insomnia.

Gut Issues

Hormones and gut health are directly linked as the sex hormones progesterone and estrogen affect your digestion system. An imbalance in these hormones can cause you to have a variety of gut issues, including bloating, nausea, constipation and diarrhea. So it’s important that you look after both your hormones and gut health to make sure that you are functioning at your best.

Weight gain

It’s likely most of us will put on a few pounds over the Christmas season as we indulge in copious amounts festive food and alcohol. Then comes the annual resolution in January to get back into shape. However, if you find it to be more of a struggle than you thought, or if you have unexplained weight gain, then it could be a sign that hormonal health may need to be looked at. Changes in a number of hormones can lead to weight gain.

Changes to Mood

Coming down from the high of the Christmas and New Year celebrations can leave us all feeling a little blue. However, if your low mood persists, or you notice that you are having unexplained mood swings, then a hormone imbalance may be the cause.

Estrogen affects the levels of serotonin in your body – the chemical responsible for increasing your mood. Progesterone has a calming effect on your mood and helps alleviate mood swings, so it is important they are kept in balance. Similarly, testosterone levels can affect confidence and improve a person’s overall sense of wellbeing. Also, the stress hormone cortisol, if raised, can lead to depression and anxiety.

A Loss of Libido

Women going through perimenopause or menopause are more likely to experience a loss in their sexual desire, caused by a drop in estrogen. For men, a decrease in testosterone can lower libido and lead to erectile dysfunction.

Irregular Periods

Irregular periods are also a sign that hormones may not be in check. Your menstrual cycle is controlled by the hormones estrogen and progesterone and there are several health factors that could lead these hormones to become unbalanced. From stress and weight gain, to the beginning of the menopause, to conditions such as PCOS. If you do notice a change to your normal cycle then you should consult with a doctor to get to the root of the cause.

Understanding Your Hormones

There are many different types of hormone imbalances that both women and men can experience, either from their bodies producing too much or too little of certain hormones.
Your hormonal health is very complicated, and there are many factors that can lead to an imbalance. Lifestyle factors such as your diet or stress levels, your age, or underlying health problems can all play a part in affecting your hormones. That’s why it’s important that you listen to your body and understand the symptoms to look out for so you know when to seek help.

Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT) for Rebalancing Hormones

At Marion Gluck we are the UK’s number one bioidentical hormone health clinic helping both men and women take control of their hormones and restore their health. Bioidentical hormones are derived from plants and have the same chemical structure as the hormones in your body. This allows for better absorption and less of the side effects experienced with more synthetic hormones. 

You can find out more about bioidentical hormones in our comprehensive BHRT explainer guide, or if you would like to find out more about what to expect at our Hormone Clinic then read our blog here.  

Our hormone therapy is individually tailored to each individual so you can be sure that you are getting the best treatment available to alleviate your symptoms. Whether your hormonal imbalance is due to your age, lifestyle or an underlying health issue Marion Gluck can help.

If you are experiencing symptoms of a hormone imbalance then book a consultation with one of our expert hormone doctors today.