Have you heard of the neuroendocrine system?
I hadn’t either until recently, and discovering it opened my eyes to an important part of our body's internal systems—one we can influence with the right knowledge and tools.
So, what exactly is the neuroendocrine system?
The neuroendocrine system is how your nervous system and hormones work together to control stress, mood, energy, and much more. Your brain sends signals to glands like the adrenal glands, which release hormones like cortisol to help you handle stress. But here's the catch: when stress is constant, your neuroendocrine system can remain activated, keeping hormone levels elevated for longer than they should. This disrupts the balance of hormones in your body, including estrogen and progesterone, which can lead to symptoms like mood swings, fatigue, and irregular cycles. Over time, this imbalance can significantly impact your health.
How Stress Affects Your Hormones:
Stress affects your hormones through the neuroendocrine system. When you're under stress, your brain signals your glands to release cortisol, the stress hormone. This hormone helps your body react quickly, increasing energy and focus. However, if stress is ongoing, this system can stay activated, leading to chronically high cortisol levels. Over time, this imbalance can affect your mood, energy, sleep, digestion, and even immune function.
Hormones, Menstrual Cycles, and Menopause:
The neuroendocrine system plays a vital role throughout your life, especially during the menstrual cycle and menopause. Here's how:
The Menstrual Cycle:
Throughout the menstrual cycle, hormones like estrogen and progesterone fluctuate, and these fluctuations affect our emotional and physical states. For example:
Estrogen peaks during the first half of the cycle (follicular phase), often boosting mood, energy, and resilience to stress.
Progesterone rises during the second half of the cycle (luteal phase), which can make you more sensitive to stress and lead to mood swings or irritability.
Menopause:
In menopause, hormonal changes become more pronounced as estrogen and progesterone decline. This drop can make it harder to handle stress and increases the likelihood of feeling anxious, fatigued, or overwhelmed. Chronic stress can, in turn, worsen these symptoms. It becomes essential to prioritise nervous system health during this challenging time to feel our best and thrive.
What Does This Mean for You?
Whether you’re pre-menopause or post-menopause, your hormonal health is closely tied to your nervous system health. Understanding how stress impacts your hormones can help you navigate these changes more effectively.
But what can you do about it?
Practical Tips to Support Your Neuroendocrine System and Hormonal Health:
Here are a few practical tools to help manage stress and support your hormones:
Mindful Breathing: Slow breathing techniques can bring your body back to a state of calm and balance via the parasympathetic nervous system. This can help to lower cortisol levels and reduce stress. Simple breathwork techniques such as Balanced Breathing can be very beneficial.
Exercise Regularly: Regular physical activity helps regulate hormones and reduce stress. Aim for at least 30 minutes of exercise daily, including both strength training and cardiovascular exercises. If you're feeling highly activated or overwhelmed, calming practices like yoga can be especially beneficial.
Balanced Nutrition: Eating nutrient-dense meals with a balance of protein, healthy fats, and complex carbs supports hormone balance. Avoid excessive caffeine and sugar, as they can cause blood sugar spikes and crashes, leading to increased stress.
Prioritise Sleep: Good quality sleep is crucial for hormonal health. Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep each night, and establish a relaxing bedtime routine to help calm your nervous system.If you struggle to fall asleep, the balanced breathing practice I shared above can be very beneficial.
Connection: Self-care is powerful, but so is the care of others. Humans thrive on safe, caring, and supportive relationships. Reaching out to a friend or family member, cuddling your pets, e can all help soothe a frazzled nervous system.
Nature: Spending time in nature is known to lower stress, reduce anxiety, and promote relaxation by helping your nervous system return to a ventral vagal (parasympathetic) state, restoring balance and calm.
Seek Support: If stress feels overwhelming, talking to a coach or therapist can help. Support from someone who understands how stress impacts the body and mind can be a game-changer.
Final Thoughts:
Understanding how the neuroendocrine system impacts your hormones and how stress plays a role is an essential step toward better health. Whether you're navigating the ups and downs of your menstrual cycle or experiencing the changes of menopause, the tools above can help you manage stress, balance your hormones, and feel more in control of your well-being. The information in this post is not designed to replace the advice of your medical practitioner.
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You can find all of my videos discussing the nervous system, breathwork, nutrition and fitness on my YouTube Channel.
To your best health.
Melanie Briony x
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