We outline some of the most important chemical messengers in your body – and how to keep them functioning happily.
Hormones are these little chemical messengers that affect every response in your body. Sometimes, if they get out of whack, they can have a serious effect on your health. The Society of Endocrinology helps us understand how to keep them working optimally.
1 Adrenaline
The ‘fight-or-flight’ hormone
Heart racing, palms sweating… When faced with a stressful situation, adrenaline is released into your bloodstream, triggering your body to either flee or prepare to fight. Your air passages dilate to provide muscles with enough oxygen to deal with the danger, and blood is redirected to your major organs.
Adrenaline also heightens your strength, performance, mental awareness and decreases your pain receptors.
Associated risks: In these stressful, modern times, sometimes your brain can’t distinguish between normal stress and real danger, so the extra rush of adrenaline can cause people to feel restless, anxious and jittery. Over time, it can also increase the risk of heart attack or stroke.
2 Cortisol
The ‘stress’ hormone
Most often associated with stress, due to its connection with your body’s fight-or-flight response, this steroid hormone actually has many other functions, including regulating metabolism, blood sugar levels and blood pressure; assisting with memory formation; and helping with the development of a foetus in pregnant women. Almost every cell in the body has cortisol receptors, which is why it has so many functions, depending on which organs the brain is communicating with.
Associated risks: Too much or too little cortisol in the bloodstream can be dangerous, and is associated with conditions such as Cushing’s syndrome, which can cause a fatty hump between your shoulders, a rounded face and pink or purple stretch marks on your skin. Unbalanced cortisol levels can also result in high blood pressure, bone loss and Type 2 diabetes.
3 Calcitonin
One of the most crucial hormones, calcitonin controls the levels of calcium and potassium in your body and bloodstream. Hypercalcemia (too much calcium in the blood) can cause bones to become weak, produce kidney stones and even be a warning sign of some cancers. Healthy levels of calcitonin help to regulate this by preventing the breakdown of bone and calcium entering the bloodstream. Associated risks: Doctors say that this hormone is unique in that over- or under-production does not seem to cause any symptoms, as long as calcium levels stay constant.
4 Gherlin
The ‘hunger’ hormone This hormone is produced when your stomach is empty and signals to your brain that it’s time to eat. Managing levels of this hormone is key to weight management as it controls our appetite, food intake and fat storage.
Keep it happy: Studies have shown that avoiding processed sugar and increasing your intake of protein can keep ghrelin levels from topping the charts, thus keeping hunger at bay and helping you stay in a healthy weight range.
5 Leptin
The ‘satiety’ hormone Ghrelin’s counterpart, this hormone lets the brain know when you’ve had enough to eat, and is also crucial in weight management. Leptin is produced in fat cells so if you decrease your body fat, you produce less leptin. If you’ve ever wondered why you’re hungrier than ever when dieting, this is the cause! But those with a high body fat percentage are not out of the woods – they produce more leptin but become resistant to its effects, causing overeating.
Keep it happy: Avoid inflammatory foods such as trans fats, refined grains and fizzy drinks. Make sure that you get enough exercise and sleep to maintain healthy levels of leptin in your body.
6 Melatonin
The ‘sleep’ hormone This hormone is released in waves throughout the day, affecting our sleep and wake cycles. When the sun sets in the evening and natural light begins to dim, more of this hormone is released into your body to signal to your brain that it’s time to sleep. It also lowers your core body temperature and relaxes your body.
Keep it happy: Melatonin needs darkness to work optimally, so avoid screens late at night and hang blackout curtains in your bedroom for a good night’s sleep.
7 Somatotropin
The growth hormone Looking for them #gains? This is the hormone that is responsible for cell growth and regeneration – read: increases muscle mass and bone density – particularly in women, as we can’t rely on testosterone to do this job like men do. It’s also involved in our growth spurts as children. In adults, it helps control metabolism and decrease body fat.
Keep it happy: Studies have found that those who eat a well-balanced diet and avoid refined sugar and carbohydrates have higher levels of this growth hormone. High-intensity exercise also boosts GH levels naturally.
8 Incredible insulin
The ‘blood sugar’ hormone
Most commonly associated with diabetes, insulin is produced in the pancreas and controls blood sugar levels. It does this by letting the body know how to use the energy (glucose) ingested through carbohydrates. If there is too little insulin in the body, cells cannot use all the glucose for energy and instead store it as fat for later use (when glucose levels in the body drop). This is when problems start, leading to health issues such as obesity and, eventually, Type 2 diabetes. Note that Type 1 diabetes is a hereditary condition that causes the body to not produce enough insulin, and needs to be treated with medication.
Keep it happy: Maintaining your weight in a healthy range, avoiding processed food and sugar, and excessive alcohol intake, as well as exercising regularly are key to optimal insulin levels. High-intensity exercise and a decent sleep schedule are also known to help keep your blood sugar levels constant.
Also read: How To Treat Hormone Imbalance
9 Oxytocin
The ‘bonding’ hormone
Those warm, fuzzy feelings we call ‘love’ are actually the result of this hormone being released when it is triggered by human touch or connection. It is also responsible for signalling contractions to begin during labour, and for breast milk to be produced once the baby is born.
10 Serotonin
The ‘happy’ hormone
This is the main hormone that controls your mood and feelings of happiness. Therefore, low levels are linked to low mood, anxiety and depression. It also helps to regulate digestion.
Keep it happy: Serotonin is produced by the amino acid tryptophan, which you can get from certain high-protein foods such as salmon and turkey. Adding these foods to your diet, along with complex carbohydrates such as sweet potatoes, can help boost your serotonin naturally. Getting 15 minutes of sunlight per day also does the trick.
11 Testosterone
The male sex hormone
It brings on puberty in boys and helps produce sperm. Women produce testosterone too, but lower quantities than men. This hormone is beneficial to women because it helps keep bones strong, builds muscles and ups our sex drive. Having said that, too much of it can cause male-pattern balding and facial hair growth (in women).
12 Oestrogen
The female sex hormone
This hormone is responsible for setting off puberty in girls, as well as regulating your periods, supporting pregnancy and keeping bones strong. Men also produce oestrogen, but at much lower levels than women. Associated risks: Low oestrogen (generally caused by menopause) can cause symptoms such as hot flushes, vaginal dryness, low sex drive and greying hair. Excess oestrogen (either natural or through contraceptive pills) can cause weight gain, mood swings, fibroids in the uterus as well as changes in your menstrual cycle.
Words: Charndré Emma Kippie
Illustration: Shutterstock
Also read: Love vs lust: What’s the difference?
