Harness Your Hormones

Rebalancing your body’s chemistry can boost energy and improve your mood.

Have you ever felt you’re at the mercy of your hormones? There are times when PMS makes us feel irritable or emotional – and, despite our best intentions, we struggle to resist that 3pm bar of chocolate when we’re feeling tired and stressed. It’s little wonder really, as hormones regulate virtually every function in the body, including brain function and metabolism.

Although it’s true that some imbalances require medical attention, there are lots of ways to tap into this most powerful natural resource. Here’s some advice.

MELATONIN

Struggling to sleep at night? Your melatonin levels could need some readjustment. Commonly known as the sleep hormone, melatonin is produced by the pineal gland – located in the centre of the brain – during darkness and helps to regulate your body clock. Melatonin production declines with age, which is why we often have trouble sleeping as we get older. Do this:

SNACK ON CHERRIES AND GRAPES As well as fitting blackout blinds in your bedroom and resisting the temptation to use any digital device in bed, eat well-chosen snacks regularly. Food sources of melatonin include cherries, bananas, pineapple, oranges, grapes and cereals based on corn, oats and rice. When we consume foods rich in melatonin, we significantly boost the melatonin levels in our blood.