5 Signs Your Hormones Are Out of Balance — And What You Can Do About It Naturally
By Dr. Kristen Burris, DAcCHM, Doctor of Acupuncture & Chinese Herbal Medicine
Hormones run the show. From menopause, metabolism and mood to fertility, frenetic teens and sleep, these tiny chemical messengers influence nearly every system in your body. When hormones are in harmony, you feel like your best self — energized, clear-headed, and emotionally rock-steady. But, when hormones fall out of balance, even slightly, your body sends clear signals and often people around you can tell, causing challenges in many marriages, friendships and even in the workplace...or worse, on the pickleball courts.
Here are five common signs your hormones may be out of balance — plus natural solutions to restore them to a peaceful, harmonious place.
You Are Exhausted No Matter How Much You Sleep
Persistent, relentless fatigue is one of the earliest and most often ignored, signs of hormonal imbalance. Many people just keep pushing through making excuses for themselves: "I just finished graduate school" or "I just moved" or "I have kids" but honestly, it isn't normal to not feel rested. Adrenal stress, thyroid dysfunction, or sex hormone fluctuations can all lead to slow moving mornings, afternoon energy crashes, and feeling “wired but tired” at night.
What helps naturally:
Support adrenal health with vitamin C, B vitamins, and herbs (always have your provider who is trained in TCM herbal medicine choose what is appropriate for you otherwise other imbalances may occur, especially avoid one herb at a time. That is the fastest way to get side-effects.
Stabilize blood sugar by eating protein at each meal
Establish a consistent sleep-wake cycle and reduce blue light exposure before bed
Your Mood Is a Roller Coaster
If anxiety, irritability, or depression wreaks havoc on you or your daughter before menstruation, after childbirth, or during perimenopause, estrogen and progesterone are often the culprits. Cortisol imbalances can also heighten emotional reactivity and overwhelm especially if you haven't eaten in awhile or you are exhausted.
What helps naturally:
Magnesium and omega-3 fatty acids to calm the nervous system
Acupuncture to balance stress hormones, improve mood and balance hormone: it's the ideal nervous system reset
Daily calming rituals: meditation, nature walks, prayer or breathwork
Get off social media- it's a soul-suck, energy-suck and all around mood killer
Irregular Periods or Difficulty Getting Pregnant
Menstrual cycles that are unpredictable, painful, very heavy, or missing entirely may indicate imbalanced estrogen, progesterone, or ovulatory dysfunction. Mood swings that set your entire house walking cautiously on eggshells is no way for anyone to live. Crying outbursts or explosive anger, although common, are not healthy nor normal. Those are your red flag signs that you need some hormone rebalancing and some nervous system reset. Our hypothalamus pituitary ovarian axis (HPO) can get dysregulated and cause havoc on our menstrual regularity. These hormonal issues can also make conception more challenging.
What helps naturally:
Acupuncture to regulate cycles and support ovulation
Chinese herbal medicine to restore hormone balance and improve labwork results
Support liver detox pathways to metabolize estrogen efficiently: green tea, cruciferous vegetables and milk thistle are a good place to start but the best way to test for this is through functional medicine labs for specific information and pathways about detoxification of hormones.
Unexplained Weight Gain Especially Around the Middle
When hormones like insulin and cortisol get out of balance, the body tends to store fat more easily — even if you haven’t changed your diet or exercise routine. Thyroid slowing can also cause sudden weight shifts. Functional medicine testing can be really helpful. At Eagle Acupuncture we look outside the normal range for those hard to treat cases.
What helps naturally:
Balance insulin with high-quality protein and fiber-rich meals
Manage stress to reduce cortisol spikes: acupuncture is a game-changer here
Strength training to support metabolism and muscle mass
Sleep Problems and Frequent Night Wakings
Do you have a hard time falling asleep or even staying asleep? Do you find yourself waking at 2–3 a.m.? Is your heart racing or is your to-do list going off in your mind? Hormone balance is critical for sound sleep. Melatonin, cortisol, estrogen, and progesterone all influence sleep quality. For women, sleep disruption can worsen in the luteal phase of their menstrual cycle or during perimenopause.
What helps naturally:
Herbal sleep support specific to your hormonal imbalance. See a TCM herbalist for the best response to improved sleep.
Avoid caffeine after noon, even chocolate can disrupt some people's cycles
Acupuncture to calm the mind, balance hormones, reset your nervous system and regulate the sleep-wake cycle
How to Get Your Hormones Back in Sync — Naturally
You don’t have to guess what’s going on in your body. Through comprehensive evaluation, functional medicine testing, and personalized treatment plans, we can pinpoint your unique root cause and restore balance naturally using. At Eagle Acupuncture it is easy. Just ask for hormone testing or functional medicine testing and we will run the labs you want or the ones we feel are most relevant to your case:
Acupuncture
Chinese herbal medicine
Hormone-supportive nutrition
Lifestyle and stress-regulation strategies
Functional Medicine Testing with supplements or TCM herbal medicine for optimal results
You Deserve to Feel Like Yourself Again
If you recognize yourself in any of these signs or symptoms, you are definitely not alone — and you don’t have to suffer through hormonal chaos. With the right natural support, hormone balance is possible.
Serving Boise and the Treasure Valley
Schedule your consultation today and let’s bring your hormones — and your life — back into alignment.