Our hormones, managed by the hypothalamus, a structure located deep in the brain, are responsible for many components of our health including our metabolism, reproduction, growth, mood, temperature and sleep. In short, a large component of how we ‘feel’ is in large down to the state of our individual hormone profile. The term ‘individual’ is key when discussing hormones as our hormonal profiles shift throughout our life span and differ greatly between the sexes. Acknowledging this, when discussing what we can do to optimize our hormones we must approach from a general perspective and consider practices that will suit 99% of the population. Hormonal deficiencies and imbalances often require specialist intervention such as blood profiling to highlight and resolve. However, Due to the far-reaching effects of hormones, when we speak of optimizing physical and mental well-being, we are in fact often helping to indirectly optimize our hormonal profile and this is usually done by addressing key ‘pillars’ of this optimization. These commonly include lifestyle changes that carry a low risk but high reward ratio and in fact, their sheer omission will often have detrimental consequences.

These pillars are listed below:

1.     Nutrition – Nutrition or diet is possibly the most individual component of health meaning there are few universal truths that apply to the masses. It is however widely accepted that consuming mostly whole foods, maintaining hydration and observing the energy balance of your body to remain a ‘healthy’ body weight are key components of good nutritional health. Again, these are going to be highly individual across each person however it must be stated that nutrition plays a large role in the optimization of hormones. 

2.     Exercise – Each discipline of exercise will carry benefits into hormone optimization but rather than getting bogged down with specifics, each person who is capable of exercising should. If we build from basic movement then become more specific in relation to personal preference or biomechanics, we can greatly enhance our physical and mental wellbeing with the inclusion of exercise. It is often stated that no other intervention will so often positively impact key biomarkers in an individual’s health than introducing regular exercise.

3.     Stress Management – Chronic stress causes cortisol levels to remain high within the body. Cortisol is known as the stress hormone and has some positive benefits however when elevated for too long or at the incorrect time it can have negative effects also which can contribute to chronic issues such as heart disease, diabetes, obesity and psychological disorders such as depression and anxiety. There is such a thing as ‘good’ stress however and this can include practices such as cold exposure, engaging in competitive sports, and exercise and it is apparent that examples of this good stress can help to manage negative stress.

4.     Sleep Optimization – Sleep is the bodies opportunity to recharge, replenish and recuperate. Daily life takes its toll, and the body is in a constant cycle of breakdown and repair. Accessing good sleep is immensely important in these pursuits. Uninterrupted sleep for the appropriate time (again individual) is immensely beneficial for supporting the systems of the body including the endocrine system.

5.     Light Exposure – Each one of us has our own in-built biological clocks known as circadian rhythms. These are highly responsive to light and dark and have evolved to take cues from the rising and setting sun. It’s apparent that exposing the eye to bright natural light after waking can help optimize this system through hormonal shifts, later in the day and specifically as we approach sleep, care should be taken to avoid bright artificial light in order to not disrupt this cycle. Observing the above cues will make a significant positive change to the health of these evolutionary systems which in turn will have a benefit on overall wellbeing.