Do hormones affect energy levels?
Hormones play a vital role in many body processes, so when they are out of balance, they can disrupt the normal functioning of our body. This can lead to various symptoms, including reduced energy levels and feeling tired all the time.
In this article, we explore how hormones affect energy levels and some of the known links between certain hormones and exhaustion. This will help you understand if hormones could be the root cause of the symptoms you’re experiencing and how testing can help you understand more about your energy levels and overall health.
How do thyroid hormones affect energy?
The thyroid gland is responsible for producing hormones that help control your metabolism, the chemical reactions in your body’s cells that change food into energy.
If your body makes too many of these hormones, you have an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism), but if it doesn’t produce enough, you have an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism). Both can affect your energy levels in different ways:
Underactive thyroid - your body processes start to slow down, making you feel tired, cause you to gain weight, and experience problems with your memory.
Overactive thyroid - you may suffer from restlessness or anxiety, which can make it more difficult to switch off at night, causing problems with your sleep that can lead to increased tiredness.
At Bluecrest Wellness, we offer a range of private blood tests, including hormone tests, to help you gain vital insights into your general wellbeing. Our health MOTs packages deliver the most comprehensive insights into your health by including all the tests needed to enable you to take a proactive approach to monitoring and improving your health.
We use the latest technologies to ensure accurate results, and all our tests can be booked at a time and location that’s convenient for you. In addition, every full health assessment comes with a comprehensive Results Report and free access to a 24/7 GP helpline for a year for complete peace of mind following your health assessment.
How does oestrogen affect energy?
Oestrogen is often known as the female sex hormone but is present in both males and females. It is responsible for various functions and plays a key role for women in puberty, the menstrual cycle, and pregnancy.
It is normal for female oestrogen levels to fluctuate throughout their lifetime. However, lower levels are typically associated with tiredness or a lack of energy. This is most commonly seen in women approaching or going through menopause, as during this time, oestrogen levels naturally start to decrease.
Oestrogen and your monthly cycle
Oestrogen levels also play a vital role in the menstrual cycle, and rising and falling oestrogen hormones are known to impact energy levels.
Oestrogen levels increase in the first two weeks of the monthly cycle (the follicular phase and during ovulation), which can often boost energy levels.
However, by the third week of the cycle, oestrogen levels fall, which can lead to a drop in energy and feelings of fatigue.
Does progesterone make you tired?
There is no simple way to answer the question, “Does progesterone make you tired?” depending on the individual, the answer can be yes or no.
Progesterone is an important hormone in a woman’s monthly cycle and in supporting early pregnancy. Although high levels of progesterone hormones and exhaustion are linked, progesterone can also help improve sleep quality, which for people who don’t normally sleep well can result in them feeling less tired than normal.
Progesterone and the menstrual cycle
Levels of progesterone are generally at their highest in week three of a woman’s cycle or during the early stages of pregnancy. This increase in progesterone can make women feel more tired than usual. However, as mentioned, for people who have trouble sleeping, heightened progesterone levels during this time can also help improve their sleep, which may boost their energy levels slightly.
If an egg isn't fertilised in week four of a woman’s monthly cycle, progesterone levels fall, which can cause problems sleeping and lead to increased tiredness.
Progesterone and menopause
Women’s progesterone levels also naturally decrease during menopause. For many women, this can impact their sleep and, as a result, leave them feeling more tired than usual.
Signs you need an energy assessment
Hormones and exhaustion are linked, but there are many other potential causes of unexplained fatigue, from other medical conditions like diabetes to burnout.
If you are concerned about feeling tired all the time, you may want to consider booking an energy assessment to understand more about the cause of your symptoms.
Signs you need an energy assessment can include:
- Fatigue – constantly feeling tired all the tired
- Problems sleeping – either getting too much or too little sleep
- Difficulty doing activities you normally enjoy
- Unexplained weight gain – which could be linked to an underactive thyroid
- Brain fog
- Increased anxiety – which could be linked to an overactive thyroid
- In women, unexpected changes to the menstrual cycle
Test your energy levels
At Bluecrest Wellness, our Essential Energy Profile test has been designed to identify common causes of fatigue, including thyroid function, iron and protein levels, diabetes, and more. This test provides more comprehensive results than standalone hormone tests, providing a holistic overview of your general health and insights into what may be causing low energy levels.
Our Essential Energy Profile uses the latest technologies to ensure accurate results and can be booked at a time and location that’s convenient for you. In addition, it comes with a comprehensive Results Report with each test result explained in plain English and given a ‘green, ‘amber’, or ‘red’ flag so it is easy for you to identify areas of concern.
BOOK AN ESSENTIAL ENERGY PROFILE TEST TODAY
