If you feel tired, grumpy or just off your game, you could be suffering from a hormone imbalance. Hormones are chemical messengers that run through your body, regulating all of your systems. There are many things you do throughout your day that can affect your hormone levels, and correcting your imbalance can lead to an overall healthier lifestyle. Read on to learn about the factors that can influence your hormone levels, and how to regain and maintain a regular balance for better health:

Not Enough Sleep

Sleep resets many of your body’s natural functions, but with a busy lifestyle, it’s always the first thing sacrificed. Studies have shown that people who get less than six hours of sleep a night have 60 percent less testosterone in their bodies. Testosterone is needed in both men and women to maintain healthy muscles and sex drive. It even regulates your heart, fat burning and brain activity.

Too Much Stress

Cortisol is a hormone released into your body when you stress. It’s natural to worry, but too much wreaks havoc on your adrenals, leaving you feeling fat, distant and depressed. Your body’s normal cortisol is lower in the evening, helping you relax and get proper sleep. Stress can be hard to avoid, but by working late into the evening, you are putting your adrenals into overdrive.

Eating Too Much Sugar

Everyone knows eating too much sugar isn’t good for you. Natural sugars are needed for basic body functions, but candy and other sweets have too much. Your body uses the hormone insulin to keep your metabolism working correctly, turning food into energy, like sugar. Even small amounts of extra sugar can lead to increased insulin production. When your body makes too much, you start to become resistant, leading to metabolic syndrome and diabetes.

Not Enough Physical Activity

Getting enough exercise aids multiple hormones, including ghrelin, endorphins and estrogen. Ghrelin regulates a healthy appetite, and endorphins regulate your mood. Estrogen is important in both men and women. It is needed for healthy brain function, proper fat storage and muscle healing. Getting enough physical activity is essential to estrogen production.

Not Getting Enough Sunlight

Getting enough time outside everyday can be tough, particularly in the winter. Office lights and morning commutes are no substitute. Your skin naturally produces vitamin D while you’re outside which is needed by nearly every cell in your body to function correctly. Most affected are those that produce testosterone and insulin.

Notice a pattern? Maintaining hormonal balance is about balancing your lifestyle. Your diet and exercise directly affect your mood and overall mental health. Even making small changes in your sleeping and eating patterns can help you get on the right track for rebalancing your hormones. Spending more time outside, avoiding extra sugars, meditating to counteract stress at work, and putting in a little time at the gym every week will allow you to live a balanced lifestyle. Tackle your imbalances, and slowly but surely you’ll get back to feeling balanced and renewed before you know it. The information for this article was provided by the professionals of the Genemedics Health Institute, who specialize in hormone replacement in Florida.