Very moody, have trouble sleeping, or can’t stop overthinking? Your Hormones Could Be Out of Whack – How to Spot the Signs

WHEN your hormones are out of balance, it’s not just your physical health that is affected.

It can also have a significant impact on your mental well-being – including your ability to regulate your thoughts, experts say.

Consider yourself a serial thinker? While this could be due to just anxiety or panic disorder, it could have a hormonal cause.

And feeling extremely grumpy or having trouble sleeping? This could also mean that there is an imbalance at play.

There are more than 223 million posts related to “overthinking” on TikTok, and Google searches for how to stop doing it have increased by 227% in the last month.

Here, hormonal health expert Mike Kocsis reveals why hormones may be to blame for your rumination and how to stop your thoughts from running wild forever.

ESTROGEN

Estrogen plays an important role in regulating mood.

“The best-known example of this is PMS, where the drop in estrogen before menstruation causes emotional mood swings, irritability and difficulty concentrating, which can lead to an increase in overthinking,” Mike from Balance my hormoneshe said.

“During perimenopause and menopause, estrogen levels decrease significantly, which can lead to symptoms such as anxiety and depression.

“These hormonal changes can make it more difficult to control intrusive thoughts, overthinking, and rumination (dwelling on negative thoughts).

“If you haven’t always overthought and the tendency to ruminate started around the time you started perimenopause or menopause, it could be a sign that it’s due to your hormones.”

SEROTONIN

Serotonin, the “happiness hormone”, regulates mood and sleep patterns.

“When serotonin levels drop, you may experience symptoms of anxiety, depression, fatigue and rumination,” Mike said.

Rumination is the act of fixating on negative thoughts, emotions, and experiences – playing them over and over in your head.

Low serotonin levels can make it harder for the brain to rid itself of negative thoughts, creating a vicious cycle of overthinking and unhappiness, Mike added.

PROGESTERONE

Progesterone influences neurotransmitters in the brain, such as gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA).

GABA has a calming effect and progesterone binds to GABA receptors, which enhances this effect.

“But when progesterone levels fluctuate during the menstrual cycle, pregnancy and menopause, the calming effect is disrupted,” Mike said.

“This can cause mood swings, depression and anxiety, and the drop in progesterone can also cause cognitive symptoms such as brain fog and memory problems, contributing to the overthinking cycle.”

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CORTISOL

Cortisol regulates your body’s responses to stress.

It is released after ‘fight or flight’ hormones such as adrenaline, so you can remain on high alert and be able to respond to danger.

“However, if you experience chronic stress, your cortisol levels will constantly rise, and this can cause difficulty sleeping, a weakened immune system, and excessive thinking,” Mike said.

“This can make you hyperaware of potential threats – real and imagined – and can make it difficult for your brain to switch off and let go of worries.”

Cortisol can also affect the prefrontal cortex, which is the part of the brain responsible for critical thinking and emotional regulation, making it harder to put negative thoughts and overthinking into perspective, Mike added.

OXYTOCIN

Oxytocin promotes feelings of calm and confidence.

It’s the hormone your brain emits when you bond with your friends or fall in love.

While the “love hormone” can reduce anxiety, it can also intensify memories, especially stressful ones.

“If you have an argument with your partner or best friend, oxytocin can strengthen that memory and make you more likely to replay it in your mind and ruminate on the negativity,” Mike said.

HOW TO KNOW IF IT’S HORMONAL, NOT JUST STANDARD EXCESSIVE THINKING

Overthinking due to hormones is often more persistent and intense than everyday worries, Mike said.

“It consumes your thoughts for hours or even days rather than coming and going depending on the situation,” he added.

“If your excessive thinking becomes overwhelming and difficult to control with techniques that usually help, it could be a sign that your hormones are playing a role.”

The hormone specialist recommends monitoring your symptoms.

“This includes what you are overthinking, what triggers it, and any other symptoms you are experiencing,” he added.

“Talk to your doctor, who will be able to assess whether it’s a hormonal problem—from blood tests and thyroid function tests to psychological tests that can help rule out things like anxiety, depression, or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).”

How to Stop Overthinking Hormones

After your doctor evaluates your hormone levels, he or she may recommend hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

“Combined HRT includes estrogens and progestins (or just estrogen if you’ve had a hysterectomy) to increase the levels of these hormones in your body, and this can treat symptoms of anxiety, improve mood regulation, and reduce overthinking,” Mike said.

But if HRT isn’t suitable, there are other options and things that can help, according to Mike.

Mindfulness practices like meditation and deep breathing when you feel stimulated can help calm the mind and keep you from spiraling into overthinking.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) strategies that a therapist can teach you can help you identify negative thought patterns that lead to overthinking.

Writing your worries and concerns in a journal can also help you gain perspective and end the cycle of overthinking.

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Avoiding caffeine and alcohol may be helpful.

Caffeine is a stimulant that can increase your heart rate, causing feelings of anxiety and making it difficult to relax your mind, Mike said.

Alcohol may initially have the opposite effect and make you feel more relaxed, but as it wears off, it can disrupt your sleep and lead to “anxiety,” making you overthink everything you did and said the night before, he added.

Studies have suggested that low levels of vitamin D may be linked to mood swings and anxiety, and other studies suggest that if the brain lacks omega-3s, it can induce behavioral and psychiatric disorders.

Supplements can potentially reduce anxiety symptoms that lead to overthinking.

Regular exercise can help your body release endorphins, the “feel-good” hormones, which fight stress hormones like cortisol and have mood-enhancing effects.

Exercise increases blood flow throughout the body, including to the adrenal glands and ovaries.

This improved circulation can support the production and increase levels of hormones like estrogen and progesterone, according to Mike.