Impact of Chronic Stress on Hormones

Hormones affect our mental, physical, and emotional health, and when they are out of balance, it can create imbalances throughout the body.

Studies have found that many lifestyle factors can disrupt hormone balance, such as nutrition, pollution, and chronic stress. Each hormone in the body affects other hormones. For example, the adrenal hormones have a powerful effect on all other hormones, and stress can produce changes in our digestion, immune system, mitochondrial function (which diminishes the ability to produce energy and adenosine triphosphate, an organic compound that provides energy to drive and support many processes in living cells), and the ability to detoxify. Stress can also increase symptoms for those with existing hormone imbalances.

A tenet of functional medicine is to “start with the adrenals” when treating hormone imbalances because of how influential they are on other hormones. There is growing evidence that many lifestyle factors may help contribute to hormone balance and equilibrium. One such lifestyle factor, physical activity, has many benefits, including lower levels of stress and higher levels of muscle-maintaining hormones that decline with age. For those who cannot perform vigorous exercise, even regular walking may improve hormone levels and potentially improve strength and quality of life.

Research has also shown that stress-reducing techniques like meditation and massage are associated with lower levels of stress. A 2005 review of studies found that massage therapy not only reduced cortisol (stress hormone) levels by an average of 31% but also increased levels of serotonin (a mood-boosting hormone) by 28% and levels of dopamine (a pleasure hormone) by an average 31%.