The Link Between Hormones, Sugar, & Anxiety

When women go through peri-menopause, they typically start to have fewer menstrual cycles, which means they ovulate less often. Ovulating less frequently means producing less of the hormone progesterone. Think of progesterone as the relaxing hormone, which is more concentrated in the brain btw. When women stop producing progesterone, anxiety creeps in. Sleep is often affected also with more waking and a harder time falling asleep. When progesterone is being made less, estrogen is often more. Where is all of this estrogen coming from?! Our fat cells & adrenal glands make estrogen and like we have talked about we are exposed to excess estrogen in our environment. Excess estrogen and not enough progesterone is why some women experience anxiety. Too much estrogen and not enough progesterone lead to a hormone imbalance. What we put into our bodies, like a lot of processed carbs and sugar, can also cause an imbalance of estrogen and progesterone. Fad weight loss diets that deplete our vitamin and mineral stores can also throw off our hormone levels. And of course STRESS! That damages our hormone levels, too! Here are a few simple solutions: 1. LESS SUGAR 2. MORE PROTEIN (ANIMAL BASED) 3. LESS SUGAR!!! YES LESS SUGAR! 4. GET 7-8 HOURS OF SLEEP A NIGHT 5. DON'T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF 6. QUIT OPTING FOR FAD DIETS AND MAKE A LIFESTYLE CHANGE We are here to support you! visit www.nutritionchiropractic.com for more info