Hormones Affect The Body In A Variety of Ways

The human body is arguably the most complex system in the world. From the supercomputer located in a person’s head to the ridiculously complex immune and respiratory systems, a human body is a marvel that people essentially take for granted now. One overlooked area is the endocrine system and the hormones that communicate throughout the body. 

People hear hormones and think of “unbalanced” and moody teenagers who are suddenly sarcastic and difficult to deal with. Other people think of their urges in the bedroom and physical desires. Hormones are somewhat responsible for that true, but they are also responsible for so much more. Hormones are responsible for growth, development, maintenance and metabolism. They keep the body in tip top shape and they help keep balance throughout. 

What Do Hormones Actually Do?

 Hormones are produced as part of the endocrine system within the body. Hormones have many different responsibilities within the body, but a good way to think of them, is as “regulators” or messenger. They help to regulate the various aspects of the body by communicating the difficult and complex parts of it. A person’s growth, ability to reproduce, and metabolism are all regulated by their hormones. 

Hormones are incredibly complex and their combinations will often also alter or change how the immune system functions. Proper hormone balance is an important part of physical health. It’s also an important part of mental health. Brain activity is often influenced by the levels of hormones within the body. This in turn will often reflect how a person is behaving. 

Do Hormone Levels Change?

There are times when hormone levels will change within a body naturally. Typically, this occurs when the body no longer requires the function in question. Menopause is a time when a woman’s reproductive system ends functioning. Unsurprisingly, the amount of estrogen that’s been used to help regulate this system reduces as a result. In some cases, too much. 

The time when hormones change is when there are medical conditions or diseases. These have a bit of a chicken/egg issue. Some conditions cause hormone imbalance, while some hormone imbalances cause a disease or condition. In the end, which causes the other doesn’t matter as they go hand in hand. 

What Causes Hormone Changes?

As mentioned, there are many issues which can cause hormone alterations. These conditions can be natural or not. Knowing what can cause changes can allow a person to anticipate and prepare for changes. 

• Age - Age is one of the most common reasons that hormones will change. Typically a person’s needs change as they age and their hormones will change according to their needs. After puberty, the hormone composition in a body undergoes a wide variety of changes. 
• Diabetes - This is one of the most well known conditions and many people don’t realize just how it affects hormones. People with diabetes are unable to regulate their blood sugar. Normally when the body consumes sugar and carbohydrates, it releases a hormone to counteract the excess amount in the bloodstream through the pancreas. With Diabetes, this hormone isn’t produced, and the body suffers from a variety of short and long term damage. 
• Other Conditions - There are a lot of different conditions which can affect a person and their hormone levels. For example, hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) is a condition in which people find their urges for physical intimacy are nearly non-existent. They also often suffer from dyspareunia. Hyperthyroidism occurs when the thyroid starts producing huge amounts of hormones (the inverse is also possible).