Stress hormones affects us in different ways. While some may carry stress in their head, and get tension headaches, others may just feel cranky and want to curl up on the sofa with a box of chocolates. There are also people that carry stress in their stomach.Cortisol production is naturally high in the early morning to help you wake up.
People who chronically stress their adrenal glands to overproduce cortisol alter their cortisol concentrations so that cortisol is low in the morning when they wake up instead ofbeing high.Also, if you’re suffering from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), then it could be due to abnormal levels of serotonin, as 90% of sufferers are women, some whose IBS symptoms flare up around menstruation.The flux of estrogen and progesterone may also play a role.
Constant Fatigue
There are days when we’re so tired that we’re desperate for a nap. We all have them. But, if you feel exhausted every day, then you could be suffering from a lack of a thyroid hormone, a condition called hypothyroidism. This condition is likely if you’ve gained 10-20 pounds which you cannot shift, even though you diet and exercise.Thyroid hormones control the body’s metabolism, and when the hormone levels are low, all systems slow down, including heart rate, mental functioning, and digestion.
This is why hypothyroidism can make a person feel exhausted, mentally foggy, and even constipated.If you’re suffering from hypothyroidism, don’t worry. You’re not alone, as it’s thought to affect at least 15 million adults nationwide.
Mood Swings and Depression
Most ‘midlife’ women experience mood swings and feel anxious in situations that they used to handle calmly before. Hormone imbalance might be the culprit, which could be linked to the menopause.
Weight Gain
With aging, women tend to think that putting weight on is inevitable.Hence why the phrase, ‘middle-aged spread’ exists. However, there might be an underlying problem to such weight gain.The problem might lie with your adrenal system becoming fatigued and signaling your thyroid that there’s a problem. As a result, your thyroid responds by slowing down your metabolism.
Then, the pancreas responds to the signal by thinking it needs to conserve fat, and concentrates on storing fat in your mid-section, on your back and other places that are not suited to your particular body type.