Hormones: What They Do and How to Keep Them Balanced

A tiny chemical can change your mood, energy, weight, and sleep. That’s what hormones do. They’re messengers made by glands like the thyroid, adrenal glands, pancreas, and ovaries/testes. When they’re in sync, you feel good. When they’re off, everyday life gets harder.

Want to know if your hormones are the problem? Look for clear signs: unexplained weight gain or loss, persistent fatigue, mood swings, hot flashes, irregular periods, low libido, hair loss, or trouble sleeping. One or two of these aren’t proof, but several together should make you pay attention.

Which hormones matter most

Thyroid hormones control metabolism and energy — too little can make you slow and cold, too much makes you anxious and jittery. Insulin helps control blood sugar — when it’s out of balance you can gain weight and risk diabetes. Cortisol is your stress hormone; chronically high levels cause sleep problems and belly fat. Sex hormones — estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone — affect mood, sex drive, bone health, and more.

Men and women can both struggle with these, but symptoms can look different. For women, irregular periods, heavy bleeding, or hot flashes often point to estrogen/progesterone issues. For men, low testosterone often shows as low energy, low libido, and muscle loss.

How to check your hormones

Start with a primary care doctor or endocrinologist. Common tests include blood tests for thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free T4/T3, fasting insulin and glucose, testosterone, estradiol, progesterone, and cortisol. Timing matters: some tests need to be done at a specific day of your cycle or time of day. Don’t self-interpret results — labs have ranges, but your symptoms matter too.

Saliva and urine tests exist but aren’t always reliable for every hormone. If a test seems expensive or confusing, ask your clinician why they chose it and what action they’ll take based on results.

Simple steps often help before or alongside meds. Improve sleep (7–9 hours), reduce processed carbs and sugar, add strength training, manage stress with short daily habits (breathing, walks), and aim for steady meals to help insulin. These moves fix mild imbalances for many people.

When lifestyle change isn’t enough, treatments vary by condition: levothyroxine for hypothyroidism, metformin or insulin for blood sugar issues, and hormone replacement or birth-control options for sex-hormone problems. Always discuss risks and benefits with your doctor — what works for one person might not be right for another.

If you have a sudden, severe symptom — very fast heartbeat, fainting, severe mood changes, or sudden weight loss — get medical help quickly. For ongoing symptoms, document patterns (sleep, diet, cycle) and bring that to your appointment to speed up diagnosis.

Hormones are fixable. With the right tests, sensible lifestyle changes, and targeted treatments when needed, most people can get back to feeling like themselves. Ask questions, keep notes, and work with a clinician who listens.