Do you experience energy slumps, struggle to get out of bed or just can't bear going out to dinner with friends because you'll be too tired for work the next day?
It’s time to get a little more specific about what could really be going on when you have low energy.
“Hormones play a key role in controlling many of our bodily functions and they are vital when it comes to energy.”
Hormones essentially tell your cells what to do by upregulating ATP (energy) production, which is the form of energy used within our cells.
Every single cell and organ in our body uses ATP to function, from things such as waking up in the morning to our immune system being able to fight a bug.
The Hormone and Energy Relationship
Ultimately, you want all of your hormones to be balanced in a perfect symphony with one another. Let’s take a closer look at two key hormones that are essential for energy production:
1. Thyroxine
The thyroid is responsible for creating thyroid hormones including thyroxine. Every cell in the body has thyroxine receptors found on its DNA, making it one very important hormone for your energy production. It essentially controls our ability to produce energy.
“Thyroxine essentially controls our ability to produce energy.”
2. Cortisol
Cortisol, our stress hormone, is important to keep us energised throughout the day. This is the hormone that gets us out of bed in the morning! Having optimal levels of cortisol means we have a good amount of ‘stress’ each day.
“In the modern world, prolonged stress has become increasingly common, leaving us with depleted energy to live the life we want.”
This is because cortisol is made in our adrenal glands, which also happens to produce the precursors for our sex hormones. So when we experience stress, our body prioritises cortisol production over sex hormones, essentially prioritising survival over reproduction. This is known as the ‘flight or fight’ response.
Bear in mind that any form of stress is perceived by the body the same way. This could be emotional, nutritional, physical, physiological or psychological stress.
How do unbalanced hormones impact energy?
1. Thyroid Dysfunction
When our thyroid hormones are unbalanced, we are either producing too many thyroid hormones or too few. If we have too few thyroid hormones or the wrong form, it makes it much harder for our body to use fuel to create energy. Think of a car full of petrol but with a broken motor, even with the appropriate fuel, it still can’t get to where it needs to go unless the motor is working.
“Think of a car full of petrol but with a broken motor, even with the appropriate fuel, it still can’t get to where it needs to go unless the motor is working.”
2. Adrenal Fatigue
If we constantly push the adrenal glands into overdrive with the demands of stress, eventually this will lead to adrenal fatigue. Adrenal fatigue is when the adrenal glands can no longer keep up with the amount of cortisol required to cope with stress, which leaves us feeling tired, sluggish and unmotivated.
“If we constantly push the adrenal glands into overdrive with the demands of stress, eventually this will lead to adrenal fatigue.”
The most common sign that your lack of energy is at a hormonal level, is if you still feel tired even after a good night's sleep.
3. Oestrogen Dominance
In the BePure Clinic, we often see oestrogen dominance as another sign that hormonal imbalance is impacting energy.
Oestrogen dominance is when we have excess of oestrogen, largely due to environmental factors. This is because in the modern world, there are oestrogen-mimicking chemicals we are exposed to, and our body just isn't able to deal with oestrogen. These mimic-estrogens are called xenoestrogens.
“One of the main signs of oestrogen dominance is a lack of energy.”
One of the main signs of oestrogen dominance is a lack of energy, but we also see things like menstrual cycle issues and weight that won’t budge.
Oestrogen dominance, especially the type from the environment, creates hormonal noise, which exhausts our energy at a cellular level. An excess of hormones, also means more work for our liver, as the liver needs to detoxify all the hormones that we don’t need.
So how can you balance your hormones for energy?
1. Eating right for you
Getting the right ratio of protein, fats and carbs for you is vital for gaining optimal health and energy. Take our Macronutrient Profile Test to find out what foods are right for you.
2. Exercising right for you
If you’re already experiencing stress, engaging in high intensity exercise can create more stress on our body and hormonal system. This is because our body cannot differentiate between the different forms of stress. Exercising right for you will support your body, depending on your current stress levels.
3. Practice mindfulness
Mindful exercises such as breathwork, belly breathing with legs up the wall, meditation, going for a walk in nature or restorative yoga are all great ways to unwind and find more calm in your life.
4. Stabilise Your Blood Sugars
Physiological stressors, which have the most significant effect on our adrenal glands, are unstable blood sugars and inflammation from the foods that we eat.
When your blood sugar levels are out of balance, it means your body is using sugars and proteins as a fuel source, rather than fats. This gives your body quick, emergency energy. The body actually interprets high blood sugar levels as a stressor, which stimulates the release of cortisol. When too much cortisol is released, your body is in flight or fight mode, meaning your stress levels will be on the rise.
“If you can’t stabilise your blood sugar levels over a day, you won’t have any chance of stabilising your hormones over a month.”
For women, the long-term effect of stress is often hormone imbalance. This is because our sex and stress hormones share the same precursors. The short of it is that if you can’t stabilise your blood sugar levels over a day, you won’t have any chance of stabilising your hormones over a month.