Hormonal Imbalance: 5 Surprising Causes

3 min readFeb 12, 2021

Hormones are part of the endocrine system, which regulate chemical messages throughout the body. The endocrine system regulates hormones that control your metabolism, reproduction and growth. Today, men’s and women’s hormone levels are more imbalanced than in the past. This is due to many causes, but some can be attributed to the use of tap water, certain personal hygiene products, chronic stress and sleep deprivation.

What are the Symptoms?

When you think of hormone imbalance, what do you think are the common symptoms? For most, it’s menopause or erectile dysfunction. While these are two common symptoms, there are many more that may affect the entire body. Men and women may have similar symptoms, though there are some that are specific to each gender.

Mentioned below are the lesser-known symptoms that you should keep an open eye for:

1) Hair Loss

Some hair loss every day is normal. In fact, most people lose about 50–100 strands of hair per day. However, what you may not consider is that your hair loss may be a sign of a hormonal imbalance. Men may lose body and facial hair and both men and women may experience scalp hair loss.

2) Cold Hands and Feet

Do you have cold hands and feet often? If so, it might be a sign of an under-active thyroid. Some people with hypothyroidism can cause low basal body temperature (BBT), which is the low body temperature you have during rest. This can decrease the amount of heat your body produces, which means less energy.

3) Difficulty Sleeping

Trouble sleeping is both a symptom and cause of hormonal imbalance. Some sleeplessness is common, especially in times of great stress but routine or disruptive sleeplessness is not normal or healthy for the body. Your body needs sleep for hormones to do its jobs. Sleep can particularly be affected by an imbalance of testosterone and estrogen. Sleeplessness is more common in women, especially during menopause.

4) Depression or Anxiety

Hormonal imbalance doesn’t just cause physical symptoms. It may also cause emotional, psychological and mental side effects that change the way you think or feel. The stress of hormone changes may make you more prone to anxiety and depression. Stress is normal, but it shouldn’t affect your everyday life more days than not. If you have anxiety attacks or symptoms of depression, like trouble getting out of bed, you should seek help from your doctor or mental health counsellor.

5) Skin Problems

Skin problems are normal with hormonal changes. Typically, skin symptoms that don’t respond to typical treatment plans may be a sign of hormone imbalance. Acne is the most common that usually starts with puberty. Low estrogen or progesterone levels and high levels of androgen can cause hormonal acne. This is common during puberty, pregnancy, menstrual cycles, perimenopause, menopause and high-stress situations. Moreover, loss of estrogen also causes wrinkles and also slows down collagen production, which controls skin elasticity. Stress from hormone imbalance can cause flare ups of psoriasis and other autoimmune conditions.

In all, if you have strange symptoms or think you may have a hormonal imbalance, you should talk to your doctor. If also you have sudden changes in mood, weight, appetite, sleep pattern or brain fog, it may be time to see a primary care provider to have your hormone levels tested.

Always remember “It’s never just a Diet, it’s always a Lifestyle”.

So Stay Healthy, Stay Fit, Stay Grateful, Stay Blessed ❤️

Copyrighted material of Dr. Rohini Somnath Patil

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