Between the long days and the cold weather, winter can inflict a host of physiological effects on both men's and women's bodies. This can, in turn, alter our hormones.
Our environment is filled with toxins that can harm our health, and endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are among the most common. We come into contact with these chemicals daily, and they can have profound effects on our hormones, from increasing inflammation to negatively impacting reproductive health.
We find clear seasonal patterns: The effector hormones peak in winter−spring, whereas most of their upstream regulating pituitary hormones peak only months later, in summer. This delay of months is unexpected because known delays in the hormone circuits last hours.
Heat induces a stress hormone response
Exposure to heat induces a stress response characterized by activation of the autonomic nervous system and hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, which in healthy humans acutely increases noradrenaline and cortisol secretion12,13,14.
Less sunshine in winter significantly affects our menstrual cycle. It causes the thyroid and endocrine system to slow down making the metabolism slow down as well as leading to longer periods. FSH less-follicle stimulating hormones secreted during winter compared to summertime leads to longer periods.
A review of studies published from the 1940s onwards indicates that heat exposure affects hormones involved in processes ranging from the stress response, blood glucose control, fertility, and breast milk production.
Hormonal belly is when a person gains weight around the abdomen due to hormonal fluctuations. This could be due to changes in thyroid, adrenal, reproductive, or other hormone levels.
Vitamins B12, B6, and B3 are essential in helping to regulate hormones. Vitamin B12 helps to create the adrenal hormones adrenaline and cortisol, while vitamin B6 is essential in regulating estrogen levels. Vitamin B3 helps to detoxify excess amounts of steroid hormones, reducing the risk of hormone imbalances.
Extreme temperatures and adverse weather conditions can affect some people's libido and sexual desire, so excessive heat can have various effects on the body and mood, which can influence the sexual response.
However, some individuals experience continuous irregular hormone imbalance. There are various reasons for its cause. This could be due to increased stress, genetics, disease, medication, blood sugar levels, or a certain diet or food that we tend to consume in high amounts.
Reduced sunlight can cause a drop in serotonin that may trigger depression. Melatonin levels. The change in season can disrupt the balance of the body's level of melatonin, which plays a role in sleep patterns and mood.
Steroids. Certain medications. Autoimmune conditions, including Graves' disease, type 1 diabetes, Hashimoto's disease, polyglandular syndromes and Addison's disease. Endocrine gland injury caused by radiation therapy, infection, trauma, excessive blood loss or damage from surgery.
Pharmaceuticals, dioxin and dioxin-like compounds, polychlorinated biphenyls, DDT and other pesticides, and plasticizers such as bisphenol A (BPA) are endocrine disruptors.
Cortisol belly simply looks like abdominal fat, and there is no way to identify it by appearance. More important than its appearance is what cortisol belly can do to your health. Visceral fat is considered particularly dangerous because of its location near vital organs and its metabolic activity.
This can happen especially if you don't exercise and eat a lot of processed food. Additionally, some people have a genetic predisposition to having FUPA. This means their body is programmed to store fat in the mons pubis which leads to bulging mons even if they're skinny elsewhere in their body.
Progestin-only pills. A progestin-only pill (POP), also called a minipill, contains progestin but no estrogen. Like COCs, a POP can help manage hormonal imbalances in people with PCOS and has many of the same benefits. A person may need to take the POP continuously without a break.
Fatigue is one of the most common symptoms of a hormone imbalance. Excess progesterone can make you sleepy. And if your thyroid -- the butterfly-shaped gland in your neck -- makes too little thyroid hormone, it can sap your energy. A simple blood test called a thyroid panel can tell you if your levels are too low.
Spearmint tea is delicious, refreshing and has been shown to have numerous health benefits, particularly for women dealing with hormonal imbalances such as PCOS. This tea contains compounds that have been found to help regulate hormone levels and reduce androgen levels in women, which can lead to improved symptoms.
Sunlight and cold weather's impact on hormones
Queue those sluggish and lethargic feelings. It's more difficult to absorb vitamin D when the days are shorter, as well, and a lack of vitamin D can impact the body's mood, energy levels and immune system.
A- Symptoms of high progesterone include fatigue, mood swings, bloating, weight gain, headaches or migraines, breast tenderness, changes in libido, and menstrual irregularities.