I’ve been asked many times what I recommend to keep Hormones in Harmony®, and I like to respond with seven simple lifestyle changes for healthy hormones.
These seven small changes will make a huge difference in your hormone health!
#1 Sleep in the Dark.
Your pineal gland can only produce melatonin in the dark. Any artificial light will turn off melatonin production. Without melatonin, you do not reach deep REM sleep, which means you are in fight or flight mode and that constant internal stress disrupts your hormones.
Lack of adequate sleep can cause serious hypothalamus dysfunction, which will affect your sex hormones, weight, memory, and moods.
#2 Eat Good Fats.
Hormones are made from fat. In fact, steroid hormones – cortisol, estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, DHEA – contain a cholesterol molecule. Your cell membranes are made of fat, and if they’re not healthy, your hormone receptor sites will not function properly. Man-made fats cannot be used by your body to build healthy cells. Consuming natural saturated fats like butter and coconut oil, or Omega 3 rich fats like salmon and walnuts, will help your body build healthy cell membranes.
#3 Limit Excess Carbohydrates.
While glucose fuels mitochondrial energy production, consuming more carbohydrates than you can expend leads to fat storage. Taxing your insulin reserve by consuming too much sugar will stress your endocrine glands and lead to insulin-resistant diabetes. Plus, too much-circulating sugar and insulin can cause hypothalamus inflammation, especially when combined with a high-fat diet. This means, cut out processed carbs – flour, pasta, white rice. Choose whole fresh fruit over juice. Avoid sweetened beverages, and limit alcohol intake to help balance your hormones.
#4 Relax and Rejuvenate.
When you are under stress, your adrenals go into fight or flight mode. These powerful endocrine glands do not know the difference between stress over being late for an appointment and stress over being chased by a tiger. It’s the same reaction. All your reserves go to fueling the fight or flight response, leaving little leftover for healthy hormone production. Your hypothalamus controls your stress response via the HPA axis. Chronic stress leads to hypothalamic dysfunction and adrenal fatigue. So, make time every day to unwind, take a vacation, and harmonize your hormones.
#5 Give and Receive 12 Hugs a Day.
Touch is therapeutic, and studies show that hugging reduces stress hormones. Connecting to others keeps your hormones healthy. Hugging also helps to increase the hypothalamus production of oxytocin – the cuddle hormone. Close physical contact allows us to share pheromones — the tiny inhaled hormones that help us bond with one another, choose a mate, know if we are safe, and feel loved. Be sure to get or give at least 12 hugs a day for healthy hormone production.
#6 Honor your Natural Cycles
Our bodies respond to the seasons. At the end of winter, our hormones rise, causing spring fever. This isn’t just reproductively, but metabolically. We literally run faster hormonally. Thyroid, adrenal, pituitary, even our immune system, and brain chemistry are primed for the longer days of summer. Our bodies respond to the lunar cycles as well. Emergency rooms are busier on the full moon. Women menstruate with the moon cycles. Don’t resist Mother Nature, but listen to her. Go with the flow, and harmonize your hormones.
#7 (And most importantly!) Feed your Hypothalamus
Years ago, when I was researching how to balance hormones from the inside out, I discovered the hypothalamus – an amazing under-appreciated organ that orchestrates the body’s entire symphony of hormones. Hormones sing to the DNA, which dances accordingly. The disease is a result of miscommunication between the hormones and the genetic blueprint. Health is Hormones in Harmony. I looked far and wide for something that would provide the hypothalamus with what it needed to do its job well. There was nothing available, so I created what I was looking for. Genesis Gold® helps balance your body from the inside out, by feeding your hypothalamus what it needs to run your system to keep your Hormones in Harmony®.
If you have any questions about how to balance your hormones naturally, then please join me in our Hormone Support Group. You’ll get access by signing up to my free hormone reboot training.
Frequently Asked Questions:
How do you balance hormones naturally?
You can support healthy hormones with simple, consistent lifestyle habits: sleep in complete darkness to protect melatonin, eat healthy natural fats that your body uses to build hormones, limit excess sugar and processed carbs, manage chronic stress, and prioritize connection and touch. These habits support the hypothalamus, the brain's hormone control center. For persistent hormone-related symptoms, it's best to work with a healthcare provider who can evaluate your individual situation.
Does sleeping in the dark help your hormones?
Yes. Your pineal gland produces melatonin only in darkness, and even artificial light can suppress it. Melatonin supports deep, restorative sleep, and without enough of it, the body can stay in a stress-dominant state that disrupts hormones over time. Inadequate sleep can contribute to hypothalamic dysfunction, which affects sex hormones, weight, memory, and mood. Sleeping in a dark room is one of the simplest ways to support healthy hormone rhythms.
Why are healthy fats important for hormones?
Hormones are built from fat. Steroid hormones — including cortisol, estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and DHEA — are made from a cholesterol molecule, and your cell membranes (which house hormone receptor sites) are made of fat. Eating natural fats like those in salmon, walnuts, and other whole-food sources helps your body build healthy cell membranes and receptors. Artificial trans fats, by contrast, can't be used properly to build healthy cells.
Does sugar affect your hormones?
Yes. Consuming more carbohydrates than your body can use leads to fat storage and repeatedly taxes your insulin system, which stresses the endocrine glands and, over time, can increase the risk of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Excess circulating sugar and insulin may also contribute to inflammation in the hypothalamus. Reducing processed carbs, choosing whole fruit over juice, and limiting sweetened drinks and alcohol all help support hormone balance.
How does stress affect your hormones?
When you're under stress, your adrenal glands trigger a fight-or-flight response, and your body can't distinguish everyday stress from a genuine emergency. Chronic activation of this response diverts resources away from healthy hormone production. Because the hypothalamus controls the stress response through the HPA axis, ongoing stress can contribute to HPA-axis dysregulation. Building in daily time to relax and recover helps protect hormone balance.
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