Anxiety: How it affects the hormones and overall health

Anxiety disorders have become increasingly common in the recent past, with statistics showing that they’ll affect 31% of all US adults at some point in their lives. While these disorders are often linked to mental health issues, this isn’t always the case.

Hormonal imbalances are another leading cause of these issues. Remember, hormones are tasked with regulating mood, growth and development, reproduction, and metabolism. An imbalance can interfere with the normal processes in the body, resulting in anxious feelings.

What Is Anxiety and How Hormones Are Connected to It

Anxiety disorders fall under a group of mental health conditions commonly associated with excessive fear, worry, apprehension, and nervousness. Health experts define anxiety as a complex response to tangible or imaginary threats involving several behavioral changes.

1. Cortisol and Stress Hormone

Cortisol is the hormone released by the body in response to stressful situations. High levels of this hormone occasioned by elevated stress levels can boost feelings of anxiety. Recognizing stress triggers and managing stress-reduction techniques, such as meditation and breathing exercises, can help modulate cortisol levels. HGH therapy is proven to reduce stress and anxiety levels significantly. Discover other HGH results after 1 month.

Several factors can cause your cortisol levels to rise to abnormal levels. Cushing’s Syndrome is one such factor. This rare condition has numerous causes, such as adrenal gland tumors, tumors in the pituitary gland, and taking medications that have large amounts of corticosteroids.

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2. Serotonin and Mood Regulation

Serotonin hormone is produced by nerve cells and assists in transmitting signals from one cell to the next. It can be found in different parts of the body, including blood platelets, the digestive system, and the central nervous system.

Health experts believe it can impact every aspect of your body, from your mood levels to your motor skills and emotions. It’s a chemical that assists with healing, sleeping, and digestion. It can allow the body to:

• Stimulate nausea

• Regulate anxiety

• Heal wounds

• Experience happiness

Apart from controlling mood levels, this hormone impacts every aspect of the human body. It’s the chemical that’s responsible for most of the important functions that enable you to get through the day.

In certain cases, too high or too low levels of serotonin can indicate a serious underlying issue.

3. GABA And Relaxation Response

GABA, or Gamma-aminobutyric acid, is a chemical messenger that helps deliver messages from one neuron to another via the central nervous system. You can think of it as the brakes in your car. When you apply the right amount of pressure on the pedals, you slow down the car.

In the same breadth, the correct levels of GABA in your body slows down information processing, making sure you won’t become overwhelmed. Low levels can lead to mental health disorders such as panic disorder, autism spectrum disorder, and major depressive disorder.

Its effects on the body include regulating non-REM sleep and promoting a calming effect on your body. It achieves the latter by slowing down the messages going to the brain from other neurotransmitters. This gives the brain enough time to process all this data at a relaxed pace.

4. Endorphins and Stress Relief

Endorphins are hormones released by the pituitary and hypothalamus glands. These are the body’s natural painkillers. They get released when the body is dealing with elevated levels of stress and pain. Their release helps to trigger a general feeling of relief and well-being.

On average, about 20 different kinds of these hormones exist. Beta-endorphin is the most studied of them all and is widely known as the “runner’s high.” Other occasions when your body might release endorphins include when eating a delicious meal, having sex, and falling in love.

They make up one of the four feel-good hormones. Others include oxytocin, serotonin, and dopamine.

5. Oxytocin and Social Connection

Oxytocin is the most monikered hormone. It has many different names, including the moral molecule, the holiday hormone, and the cuddle hormone. Scientists first discovered this hormone in mothers before later learning that it plays a role in all types of happy events.

Lab tests have established that it can make people more generous and trusting. However, emerging research suggests that oxytocin not only bonds us to the people in our lives, but it can also play a role in excluding others.

These findings help make it even more interesting. It also points to a well-known fact about human behavior – the mechanisms that bring individuals together can also separate them. It all comes down to the emotional and social context.

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6. Melatonin and Sleep Quality

Melatonin occurs naturally in the body, and its role is to regulate your sleep-wake cycle. For healthy people with normal circadian rhythms, the body starts to produce the hormone when the sun begins to go down.

Its release causes you to become sleepy as the hours pass by, with its production peaking late at night. Its elevated levels enable you to sleep through the night, with these levels beginning to decline as morning approaches.

Doctors often prescribe it for insomnia and other sleep-related conditions.

7. Thyroid Hormones and Metabolic Balance

Thyroid hormones have a significant influence on your metabolism, appetite regulation, and body temperature. It can influence metabolism in several ways. For example, it enables the body to burn fat faster, leading to better energy levels.

Apart from fat, thyroid hormones also affect carbohydrate metabolism. They stimulate increased production of glucose, which the brain uses as an energy source. Declining levels of this hormone will cause the brain to slow down, leading to reduced functionality.

Conclusion

Anxiety disorders are a common occurrence, and you should get some relief knowing that you aren’t alone. Many internal and external factors can contribute to heightened anxiety levels. Knowing how hormones work and their effect on your body can allow you to gain some control over certain aspects of your mental and physiological processes.

If you suspect you’ve a hormone imbalance, make sure to schedule a blood test to confirm it.

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