Natural Ways to Regulate Hormones (That Work)

Your body produces over 50 different hormones. They control many biological processes that are crucial to your health and survival.

Hormones help regulate:

Normally, your body produces enough hormones to facilitate these functions. But if one or more of them are imbalanced, it can affect your well-being.

Given the role of hormones in human health, it's important that you maintain hormonal balance.

What Causes Hormonal Imbalance?

Hormonal imbalance can result from numerous factors. Some causes of hormone imbalance are:

• Aging
• Chronic stress
• Poor diet
• Lack of sleep
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Exposure to endocrine disruptors

Certain conditions can also increase your risk for hormonal imbalances. These include obesity, diabetes, and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

How to Balance Hormones Naturally

Stress and unhealthy lifestyles can cause your hormones to become imbalanced. Some hormones normally decrease with age, causing symptoms of hormonal imbalance.

Medications and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can treat some hormonal problems. But there are natural ways to promote hormonal balance.

1. Avoid eating at bedtime

Good for: People with elevated insulin and blood sugar; people diagnosed or at risk for diabetes

The human body operates on a biological clock called the circadian rhythm. It expects to receive food when you are active and when light is present.

If you eat when it is dark or when you are supposed to be asleep, it can affect your metabolism, hormones, and health. Studies show that eating close to bedtime (when melatonin levels are high) can increase your body fat.

Late-night eating is also associated with:¹

• Increased blood sugar levels until the next day
• Higher risk for obesity and metabolic disorders

Eventually, this can lead to type 2 diabetes. A person with diabetes usually has elevated levels of insulin, which is a form of hormone imbalance.

Doctors recommend avoiding food intake during hours when your melatonin is elevated, such as during bedtime, sleeping time, or very early in the morning.

2. Get good sleep

Good for: Overall health and hormonal balance

Getting enough sleep is not enough. You can have 7 to 8 hours of sleep and wake up tired if you were interrupted. What you need is good quality sleep, which means getting enough hours of undisturbed sleep.

According to research, it can help you maintain hormonal balance. It also prevent health problems that can further lead to imbalance, like diabetes, insulin sensitivity, and obesity.²

3. Eat cruciferous vegetables

Good for: Men with elevated androgen; people with high estrogen levels; menopausal women

Men with increased levels of androgen have a higher risk for prostate cancer. Women with elevated estrogen are also at risk for breast cancer.

Studies show that brassicas or cruciferous vegetables prevent hormone-related cancers. They contain indole and diindolilmentano (DIM) which block the effects of androgen and estrogen.^3,4

Examples of cruciferous vegetables are:

• Broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• Cauliflower
• Cabbage
• Kale
• Lettuce

Nutritionists recommend including them in your diet. However, people with thyroid problems should avoid eating them raw.

Vegetables under the brassica family contain goitrin, which can interfere with the production of thyroid hormones. Cooking removes goitrin and its effects.⁵

4. Consume enough iodine and vitamin B12

Good for: Thyroid hormone balance

The body needs iodine to produce thyroid hormones. A lack of iodine in your diet (called iodine deficiency) can lead to thyroid problems, including hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism.

About 30% of people with thyroid issues have a vitamin B12 deficiency.

If you want to promote thyroid health, eat foods that contain iodine and vitamin B12. Some good sources of iodine are:

• Dairy products — Cow's milk, cheese, yogurt, and ice cream
• Poultry — Chicken and eggs
• Iodized products — supplements and table salt
• Seafood — saltwater fish, seaweed, and shellfish
• Soy products — Soy milk and soy sauce

Vitamin B12 can be derived from animal sources, such as meat, fish, poultry, eggs, and dairy products. But you can also get it from fortified cereals, yeasts, and supplements.

However, you should avoid iodine-rich foods if you have a thyroid problem.

5. Add phytoestrogen-rich foods to your diet

Good for: People with decreased estrogen; menopausal women

Phytoestrogen is a plant-based compound that mimics the effects of estrogen when consumed. It is found in many fruits and vegetables.

Foods that are high in phytoestrogen include:

Some types of legumes contain more phytoestrogens than others. French, kidney, and runner beans and sugar snap peas retain their phytoestrogenic content even when cooked.⁶

According to research, phytoestrogens can regulate your endocrine system. This lowers your risk for hormone-related health problems such as diabetes, osteoporosis, cognitive decline, breast cancer, and prostate cancer.

Phytoestrogens have also been shown to help with menopausal symptoms.⁷ Thus, adding these foods into your diet may be good for hormonal health.

Soy beans and soy products should avoided, however. If you have to, eat them in moderation. These foods contain goitrin and too much phytoestrogens. They can interfere with your hormone balance.^5,6

6. Make sure you eat fibers

Good for: People with too much estrogen; menopausal women

The average American consumes 17 grams of fiber in a day. That's about 8 to 18 grams less than the recommended daily fiber intake for adults.⁸

Studies show that a high-fiber diet significantly lowers your estrogen. It can prevent breast cancer in healthy and menopausal women, as well as in women with a history of breast cancer.^9,10,11

Unfortunately, too much fiber also decreases progesterone, luteinizing hormone (LH), and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) in premenopausal women. This can cause infertility.¹¹

7. Try a Mediterranean diet

Good for: Balancing your cortisol and reducing stress

Your pancreas releases cortisol to help your body cope with stress and illness. It is a normal and healthy response. But if you have chronic stress, it exposes you to cortisol for too long.

If you are constantly stressed, consider switching to a Mediterranean diet. It reduces cortisol and offers these benefits:¹²

• Reduce stress and inflammation
• Promote regular sleep cycle
• Maintain blood sugar and blood pressure
• Facilitate healthy metabolism

The diet mostly consists of fruits, vegetables, fibers, whole grains, and olive oil. You also get some fish, lean meats, and dairy with your meals.

Here's what you can eat with a Mediterranean diet:

8. Exercise regularly

Good for: Stress reduction; balancing cortisol and insulin; women with elevated estrogen

Exercise relieves stress by reducing stress hormones. It also lowers the risk for breast cancer in women with high estrogen. Furthermore, it helps maintain a normal blood sugar and insulin levels.^13,14,15

9. Go organic

Good for: Overall health and hormonal balance

Fruits, vegetables, livestock, and poultry are often injected with hormones and antibiotics to speed up their growth and protect them from disease. Plant-based foods are also sprayed with pesticides to deter pests.

Unfortunately, these practices make food unsafe. Consuming these foods and their byproducts (e.g., eggs and milk) exposes you to endocrine disruptors and leads to hormonal imbalances.

If you can, buy organic fruits and vegetables from local farms. Replace mass-produced meats and poultry with free-range options. When buying foods, make sure they are organic, chemical-free, and pesticide-free.

10. Eat moderately

Good for: Overall health and hormonal balance

Regardless of what you eat, it's important that you do it moderately. This means eating the right amount of each food group every day.

You can choose between a standard and Mediterranean diet. Below are the recommended daily intake based on a 2,000 to 2,200 calorie diet:

11. Eat Omega 3 rich foods

Good for: Infertile and menopausal women

Studies show that a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids can:¹⁸

• Help women with infertility conceive
• Reduce menopause symptoms
• Prevent breast cancer and osteoporosis in menopausal women
• Reduce the risk for heart disease in women receiving hormone replacement therapy

For a list of omega-3 rich foods, you can refer to #6 on our list. Alternatively, you can take omega-3 supplements with your normal diet.

12. Drink spearmint tea

Good for: Women with PCOS and hirsutism; decreasing elevated testosterone in women

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common cause of infertility and sex hormone imbalance in women. One symptom of PCOS is hirsutism or excessive body hair growth.

Early studies show that spearmint tea has anti-androgen effects. It reduces testosterone and hirsutism in women suffering from PCOS.¹⁹

If you are struggling to get pregnant, you might want to get tested for PCOS.

13. Take herbs that help balance your hormones

Good for: Older men and women; people with too much androgen

Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) or male-pattern baldness is caused by elevated dihydrotestosterone (DHT) levels. It is common in older men, but it also occurs in adolescent boys, young men, and women.

Meanwhile, decreasing estrogen levels causes menopausal symptoms. These include hot flashes and mood swings.

Scientists have discovered herbs that can treat and reverse alopecia. They prevent the body from converting testosterone into DHT and promote hair regrowth. Some herbs also reduce symptoms of menopause.^20,21

Other herbs that promote hormone balance are ashwaganda and marjoram.

14. Stick to a daily routine

Good for: Overall health and hormonal balance

Your body releases some hormones at certain times of the day. Others are released when you perform certain activities.

Keeping a daily routine allows you to balance hormones. This includes:

• Sleeping and waking up at the same time every day
• Getting as much sunlight during daytime
• Creating a bedtime routine
• Dimming your room before going to sleep

15. Maintain a healthy weight

Good for: Overall health and hormonal balance

Obesity can lead to different kinds of hormonal imbalances. It affects your insulin, cortisol, and appetite hormones.

Maintaining a healthy weight will help you keep these hormones balanced.

People who are overweight or obese can improve their hormone balance by losing weight.²² You can read our review of the Best Weight Loss Apps to help with your journey.

16. Manage your stress

Good for: Decreasing stress; preventing stress-related hormonal imbalance

If you don't have time to exercise, there are other natural ways to reduce your stress and cortisol hormone levels.

Here are some stress-reduction techniques that you can do:¹³

• Slow breathing exercises
• Meditation
• Progressive muscular relaxation

17. Promote gut health

Good for: Overall health and hormonal balance

A healthy gut ensures that you absorb nutrients that promote hormonal balance. Eating fermented foods usually helps. These include:

• Greek yogurt
• Kefir
• Kimchi
• Kombucha
• Sauerkraut

You can also take probiotics to increase the healthy bacteria in your gut. There are at-home tests that help you find out how your gut health is doing.