Meet Lauren Chambers, Hormone Health Coach, Mama and creator of So Fresh N So Green
If you missed our IG Live together-do not fret! Lauren is here to share her wealth of knowledge with the TWF community. In today’s post, Hormone Health Coach Lauren Chambers offers you an action plan to help you easily boost your health + wellbeing, feel supported, heard + have fun!
In our IG live we touched on three area where hormonal imbalances can hinder our ability to thrive! Below we will touch on sleep, skin & stimulants, the hormones associated with them and how to find balance ASAP.
SLEEP
Hormones + Sleep
Adrenal Dysfunction/Cortisol
Hormonal imbalances like excess cortisol can really mess with your sleep. Cortisol’s job is to create energy, so with a normal circadian rhythm it’s meant to be highest in the morning and low at night, but chronic stress can elevate these levels and make it harder to fall asleep at night. Chronic stress can lead to adrenal dysfunction, which leaves you feeling tired no matter how many hours you get.
PMS/Perimenopause
Imbalanced hormones (especially estrogen dominance or low progesterone, which negatively impacts the production of melatonin, your sleep hormone) can lead to worsened PMS symptoms, with insomnia being one of them. Can be especially bad after 35 when perimenopause starts to come in.
What to do
Limit caffeine + alcohol (get into that more next)
- Listen to your body’s signals to rest (sleep is about what you do all day, not just at night)
- Have a nightly winddown routine
- Limit electronic use or wear blue-blocking glasses
- Supplements like magnesium, b6 (supports progesterone production) or vitex (boosts progesterone) adaptogens like ashwagandha or rhodiola (good for stress)
STIMULANTS
- Caffeine
- Depletes micronutrients needed for hormone balance + fertility (b vitamins, folate)
- Increases cortisol + stresses the adrenals (making it harder to sleep and messing with ovulation)
- Associated with increased infertility + miscarriage
What to do
- Try switching to an alternate coffee source like mushroom or dandelion tea
- Gradually + slowly decrease amount
- Take supplements like b vitamins , magnesium, adaptogens
- Do not drink late in the day
- Make sure you’re having it with a meal to balance blood sugar
Alcohol
- Alcohol + drugs must be processed by your liver, which ALSO has the job of breaking down your hormones, like estrogen. If your liver is overburdened, it must prioritize the alcohol first, dumping unfiltered hormones like estrogen back into your bloodstream, which can cause estrogen dominance (associated with painful periods, PCOS, fibroids, endo, etc.)
- Disrupts your blood sugar, which needs to be balanced for optimal hormone balance
What to do —
- Take a good vitamin b complex (restores vitamins your liver breaks down
- Have it with meals to help balance blood sugar
- Try swapping every now and then with mocktails like sparkling water + herbs, hormone helper hot chocolate, etc.
- HYDRATE as much as possible
- Eat cruciferous veggies to support your liver
SKIN
Cycle
Your skin appearance fluctuates with your cycle and the rise and fall of your hormones. During the first half of your cycle (follicular + luteal) when estrogen rises it improves the elasticity + thickness of skin, making it appear more youthful and glowing. Testosterone rises to keep skin thick as well, but if you have a hormone imbalance (especially related to blood sugar imbalance/insulin resistance) and your body isn’t able to process both estrogen + testosterone effectively, it can fuel acne.
- Excess estrogen — leads to skin inflammation
- Testosterone — causes sebaceous glands to produce more oil
- Low progesterone — more oil
This spike in estrogen + testosterone (if hormones are unbalanced) leads to breakouts in your luteal phase, with the rise and fall of progesterone making them even worse. As estrogen drops your skin also becomes thinner and retains less moisture.
Hormonal acne especially shows up around the jawline, and the temple, with your forehead a sign of a gut imbalance.
What to do
- Cycle Sync — living in a way that nourishes your cycle is literally the best tool for balance hormones and smoothing out fluctuations to even out skin
- Nourish your gut — eat foods that nourish your gut like cruciferous veggies, leafy greens, cold water fish, nuts, seeds, etc. bone broth + fermented food, tailor it to phases of your cycle
- Do masks + facials first half of cycle, gua sha luteal — oil-based serum to help with excess oil, menstruation — calming, restoring + soothing skin like a collagen plumping mask
- WATER
Think you may have a hormone imbalance? Head over to So Fresh N So Green to take the quiz or try her 28 day Hormone Balance Reset Plan! Get intone with your body and eat your way to balanced hormones. Lauren is a light of warming energy. Make sure you follow her on Instagram for delicious recipes and all things hormone health.