Hormones and Holidays: How They Affect One Another
We may think that the busy season beginning with Thanksgiving and ending with New Year’s Day is about food, family, or opening gifts. However, underneath all the traditions, all the fun, and all the stress, the holidays are all about hormones.
Did you know there’s a hormone hierarchy? Some hormones influence others, either regulating or disregulating them by boosting or reducing their production. Understanding how the body’s most influential hormones impact each other plays a critical role in balancing emotions, reducing holiday stress, and maximizing those warm fuzzies.
‘Tis the season, so let’s visualize the hormone hierarchy like a Christmas tree. Bear in mind that the hormones on the lower “levels” of the hierarchy “tree” are influenced by how regulated (or dysregulated) the levels above are. Oxytocin is the star: when we produce plenty of it, the rest of our hormones are in far greater harmony.
To keep everything merry and bright, it’s good to get a sense of how your most powerful hormones work and what to do when they’re out of whack.
Let’s explore each level of the hormone hierarchy: what each hormone is, its function, and how to keep it regulated to keep the rest of our hormones in check. We’ll start at the top of the tree and work our way down.
Oxytocin
Balancing This Hormone Helps Regulate: Cortisol, Insulin, Estrogen (and Other Sex Hormones), and Thyroid Hormones (like T3 and T4).
The hormone of connection, oxytocin, makes us feel bonded. Those wonderful feelings we get from giving and receiving love are plentiful as a result of our bodies producing oxytocin. It tempers our feelings of agitation or aggression and balances everything below it on the hormone hierarchy.
Signs our oxytocin might be “off” or low include feeling isolated, not wanting to socialize, high anxiety, or low sexual arousal: all of these are signs your body may not be producing enough oxytocin.
Depending on with whom and how we spend our time, there are lots of chances for oxytocin to drop or get a boost. An imbalance could be triggered by a lack of recognition from others, poor communication, or being in situations so stressful it feels difficult to cope.
Physical affection and emotional connection are key to kickstarting oxytocin production. Giving and receiving compliments or gifts, sharing hugs, enjoying a good meal, and being around people you enjoy are great oxytocin boosters, during the holidays and anytime.
Cortisol
Balancing This Hormone Helps Regulate: Insulin, Estrogen (and Other Sex Hormones), and Thyroid Hormones (like T3 and T4)
Cortisol regulates our stress response. It controls how our body uses fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. It suppresses inflammation, and regulates/dysregulates blood pressure, blood sugar, and our sleep cycle.
High cortisol can wreak a lot of havoc on our bodies, minds, and spirits. Some of the most common indicators of high cortisol include depression and anxiety, body pain, headaches, insomnia, concentration problems, weight gain, and skin issues.
Dietary changes can help bring cortisol levels down. Make sure you’re eating enough protein, healthy fats, earth-made carbs and staying hydrated. Helpful foods include those high in antioxidants, curcumin, and probiotics (like dark chocolate, tea, and extra-virgin olive oil). Bonus: eating bacon has also been shown to lower cortisol.
Some nutrients and herbs may help, too. Phosphatidylserine, ashwagandha, rhodiola, zinc, magnesium, selenium, omega-3s, n-acetyl-cysteine, ginseng, tribulus, schisandra, ginkgo biloba, St. John’s Wort, lemon balm, and Holy Basil may all be beneficial, depending on your body chemistry and dietary needs. [Don’t worry, your grocery list doesn’t need to be a mile long. You can find many of these in multi-mineral or herbal supplements. Also, check in with your medical provider to make sure they won’t interfere with any current prescription meds]
While the holiday season does have some nutritional pitfalls that tend to spike cortisol, gathering with others and doing things we love offer lots of opportunities to lower it. Listening to music and dancing, getting more sleep, and practicing relaxation techniques are all things to make time for. If you want to add some stress reducers to your wish list, consider bright light therapy, transcranial direct current stimulation, or magnetic stimulation acupuncture.
Insulin
Balancing This Hormone Helps to Regulate: Estrogen (and Other Sex Hormones), & Thyroid Hormones ((like T3 and T4)
Insulin is the hormone that helps your body turn food into energy and manages your blood sugar levels. You don’t have to be diabetic or prediabetic to have issues with insulin regulation. If you have insulin resistance, obesity, metabolic syndrome, polycystic ovary syndrome, high triglyceride, high uric acid (gout), hardening of the arteries, high blood pressure, you probably also experience blood sugar spikes. Low blood sugar is characterized by irritability, anxiety, and fatigue. Those can be signs your insulin is dysregulated, too.
It’s true. Even with all the dietary ups and downs, you can keep insulin regulated during the holidays through being mindful and intentional about:
Nutrition: Monitor nature's carbohydrates and limit artificial carbs and sugars as much as possible.
Movement: Consistent movement and exercise can be a great help in regulating insulin.
Reducing Stress: Any of the steps you’re taking to lower your cortisol levels will likely help your body respond better to insulin, too.
Quitting Smoking: There’s never been a better time to quit. Hormone regulation is one of the numerous benefits of quitting smoking, including smokeless tobacco and vapes.
Estrogen (Estradiol) and Thyroid Hormones (Like T3 and T4)
Balancing This Hormone Helps Regulate: neurohormones: serotonin, dopamine, GABA, and back to oxytocin…to name a few)
Did you know there are estrogen receptors in every organ of the body? In both men and women, healthy estrogen levels support bone health (including bone growth), neuroprotective effects in the brain, and improved blood flow in coronary arteries. Both sexes produce estrogen in the adrenal gland, and female bodies also produce it in their ovaries and placenta (when pregnant).
Since male bodies have a lower “normal” level of estrogen, the symptoms of low estrogen primarily affect women. They include menstrual cycle irregularities (or absence), hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, insomnia, vaginal dryness, painful urination, painful intercourse, reduced libido, dry skin, and joint instability.
These symptoms may show up for you if your cycle occurs (or gets disrupted) during the holidays. Luckily, some simple nutrition adjustments may help. Soybeans, flax seed, sesame seeds, B vitamins, vitamin D,boron, DHEA, and herbal supplements have given a lot of women great results. And don’t forget, when you keep your insulin levels in check, your estrogen levels balance out, too.
Thyroid Hormones (T3 & T4)
Even though they may not seem like the “most important” hormones on our holiday tree, thyroid hormones affect every cell in the body (and all our organs). They also play a big role in how fast (or slow) our metabolism is, and regulate how the body uses calories.
When our thyroid is out of whack, our bodies and emotions pay the price.If you’re experiencing unhealthy weight gain (or weight loss), changes in your heart rate, disruptions in your digestive system, muscle spasms, and fatigue, your thyroid levels might be abnormal. It’s important to know your thyroid levels, because this dysregulation can also affect brain development and how quickly your body replaces dying cells.
Steps to take to get things in balance vary based on whether your levels are too high or low. Generally, adequate iodine and selenium levels and antioxidant rich foods can help. Some folks have success with an autoimmune friendly diet, or going gluten free. Anything you can do to improve gut health, manage your stress levels, and get better sleep can benefit not just your thyroid levels, but your overall well-being.
If This Seems Like a Lot, Start Simply
Let’s be real. You’ve already got enough going on this holiday season, you don’t need to stress yourself out with another elaborate plan or task list when it comes to managing your hormones. Understanding your starting points, your triggers, understanding the hormonal hierarchy, and what brings you back into balance can go a long way toward keeping it together this holiday season. Having one intentional conversation can make all the difference.
Not sure where to start? I offer a free consultation to anyone considering counseling, coaching, sound baths, or corporate training. Call or text (615)-390-9122 to set up your discovery call, or email sonya@synergyclinic.co.
