Hormones are the body’s messengers. They are produced by glands and organs, carried into our bloodstreams and then, circulated throughout our bodies. Tissues are equipped with the appropriate hormone receptors then receive the message and produce the desired response.
What can happen in some of us are what’s called hormone imbalances. The general symptoms are feeling unwell, shaken, and/or in a negative mindset. There are all sorts of hormone imbalances, including with stress, the thyroid, and sexually with estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. Would you be able to recognize a stress hormone imbalance if you had one? Hormone imbalances like these are known as ‘adrenal fatigue’.
The adrenal glands produce and regulate the stress hormone cortisol, among other things including neurotransmitters and blood pressure regulating hormones. When a person has acute or chronic stress, cortisol imbalances appear. Over time, this can cause the body all sorts of negative reactions.
Understandably, we all get stressed from time to time. Some of us work long hours, have busy social lives, are always on-the-go, use coffee to keep us awake, and work hard to satisfy our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual goals. The more stress we put on our bodies, the more we engage in a ‘fight or flight’ response. This means our bodies produce more cortisol as a mechanism of survival.
How we treat stress varies person to person. A lot of people require sleep, relaxation, no over-exercising, more protein, avoiding carbs or overly processed foods, and more. A sauna treats hormone imbalances related to stress very well. Essentially, how this works is by putting temperature-related stress on the body. This allows muscles to release tension of course but this tension release is actually experienced throughout the body. This is great news!
Going back to the adrenal glands, the act of sauna bathing sends a hormonal message to produce less cortisol which brings the body less stress. From here, all those negative symptoms relating to stress begin to minimize and eventually disappear because there is less hormone imbalance. In a way, you’re manually regulating how much stress hormones are flowing through your body regardless of the stressful situations you’re put in. Once you can control your stress like this, there’s so much more positive benefits that come with sauna bathing.
Managing stress with a sauna and other techniques is an ongoing strategy. It’s not something done once and then, you’re cured. Some of us are more prone to stress than others. If that’s you, regular sauna sessions can keep you focused, enjoying life, and hopefully without or with only minimal stress. Adrenal health should be a big focus in stress management as this is where everything stress-wise originates. Once this is under control and you feel less stress, you may be able to change medications or cease taking them altogether under the guidance of your physician.
Are you ready to make a change? Don’t let a stress hormone imbalance control you. If you are not getting what you want from your life right now and you’re over-stressed, get a sauna, start a routine every week, and get back to feeling like yourself again. Be it high cortisol or low cortisol, get those numbers back to somewhere in the middle. Resolve hormone imbalances through all-natural means!