Hormones play a major role in mental health and mood regulation as they are a type of regulatory substance in the body. When your hormones are not in balance, it can result in a variety of issues, such as anxiety, trouble focusing, depression and fatigue.
Male and female hormones regulate our moods, and they also ensure that we are mentally stable. As a woman’s estrogen levels go up, her mood improves. The same thing occurs when a man’s testosterone levels increase.
According to medical experts from HRTGuru Clinic, low testosterone levels can lead to depression and irritability. If a female has an imbalance in her sex hormones, she also experiences depression and irritability. That’s why it is important for everyone to make sure that they are not suffering from a hormonal imbalance.
What Hormones Cause Anxiety?
Low levels of estrogen, progesterone and testosterone are linked to anxiety. When these hormones are low, the body experiences a hormonal imbalance. A hormone imbalance occurs when there isn’t enough of a hormone in the bloodstream. This can cause a man or woman to experience side effects of imbalance like anxiety and depression.
Along with anxiety and depression, other symptoms include weight gain, unexplained sweating, inability to sleep, dry skin, brittle bones, fatigue, reduced sex drive and infertility.
Estrogen and Anxiety
Researchers at Harvard University discovered that low estrogen and anxiety are associated with each other. Low estrogen also causes fatigue. Specifically, researchers learned in a study that estrogen calms the fear response in females. In another study, they discovered that a drug that contains estrogen relieved women’s fears after they had been sexually assaulted.
Progesterone and Anxiety
The Harvard researchers from the study mentioned above also found that low progesterone and anxiety are related. The drug that researchers used to test the study’s subjects contained progesterone as well as estrogen. It succeeded in reducing the anxieties of the test subjects. The other drug tested only contained estrogen, and it wasn’t as effective as the one that contained both estrogen and progesterone.
Testosterone and Anxiety
A man’s levels of testosterone fall gradually over the years. In contrast, estrogen levels drop dramatically and cause women to go into menopause. A man’s testosterone levels will lower by 1% or 2% every year, but he may not notice until he begins to experience the symptoms of low testosterone. While a man ages, the pituitary gland stops sending as many signals to the testes to produce testosterone, and this is why testosterone levels go down.
As the pituitary gland becomes less active, the body begins to produce more of the sex hormone-binding globulin or SHBG, which decreases the body’s ability to produce as much testosterone as it did during puberty.
Different studies didn’t suggest that low testosterone and anxiety are related, but low testosterone has been shown to cause depression in males.
How to Treat Hormonal Anxiety?
One way to treat hormonal imbalance anxiety is to make an appointment with a doctor. The medical community approved testosterone replacement therapy for men with low testosterone levels.
To receive legal testosterone therapy, a man’s testosterone levels must be below 300 nanograms per deciliter. Also, males must experience at least one symptom of low testosterone.
Doctors may also prescribe HRT to treat menopause in women. In recent years, it shows positive effects on women experiencing mood swings.
Stress Reduction
S. Adam Ramin, MD stated that stress can lower a man’s testosterone levels. When this occurs, the symptoms the man experiences also cause him to experience stress, so his testosterone levels fall even further.
In addition to the findings above, Dr. Elizabeth Kavaler also stated that the side effects of stress can cause testosterone levels to fall. These side effects are the inability to sleep and the lack of desire to exercise.
The good news is that if a man manages the stress he experienced, it can help to increase his testosterone levels. Also, it was found that stress management helps men to sleep better, less moody, and have better sexual functioning.
Supplements
The decision to use supplements and vitamins to treat hormonal anxiety should be made in consultation with your healthcare provider. Discuss the supplements and review the potential interactions with any medications or supplements you may be taking.
The following supplements are believed to increase testosterone and estrogen levels:
- DHEA
- Fenugreek
- D-Aspartic Acid
- Ashwagandha
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin B12
- Vitamin B6
- Vitamin C
In conclusion, imbalanced hormones can wreak havoc on our day-to-day lives, with annoying symptoms such as anxiety and fatigue. However, there are multiple treatments available these days to regulate hormones and get your body back to feeling well again. There’s also another hormone used by people. It’s called MK-677, also known as Ibutamoren. It’s a synthetic non-peptide agonist of the Ghrelin receptor. It’s currently being investigated as a prescription medication to address growth hormone deficiency. To learn more about this hormone especially its MK-677 dosage guide, please visit the Research Peptides site.