Science
How Hormones Affect your Mood and Emotions
Hormones refer to chemical messengers in the bloodstream. The bloodstream transports them to various organs and tissues to perform a particular function. Hormones are responsible for different roles in our bodies. The main tasks in general include:
- Reproduction and sexual function and health
- Growth and development
- Maintenance of body temperature
- Digestion of food
- Cognitive function
Hormone secretion
Hormones are secreted from a variety of endocrine glands in the body. Each endocrine gland specifies a particular function. The various endocrine glands include:
- Adrenal glands
- Pituitary glands
- Thymus
- Pancreas
- Ovaries
- Testes
- Thyroid glands
- Pineal glands
These glands secrete hormones in microscopic amounts. A slight increase or deficiency in the number of hormones secreted can lead to diseases.
The endocrine system releases the hormones into the bloodstream. The hormones then communicate with the target cells, which have the receptors for that hormone. The receptor acts as a signal to the released hormone. The hormone binds to its receptor on the target cells, thus causing a biological response.
The most important hormones for mental health
As mentioned earlier, the purpose of this article is to establish the effect of hormones on our mental health. Mood is a vital part of our mental health. Several hormones affect and intertwine with mood.
Progesterone. Progesterone hormone stimulates our GABA receptors. GABA neurotransmitters are a set of neurotransmitters in the body which help us feel calm. Less progesterone leads to higher levels of anxiety and higher chances of brain fog and insomnia.
Insulin. Insulin hormone regulates blood sugar levels in the body. Insulin signals the storage of blood sugar and releases it into the bloodstream. Excess insulin levels in the bloodstream lead to brain inflammation, which causes mood problems.
Cortisol. Cortisol hormone is the primary stress hormone, thus commonly referred to as the stress hormone. It increases blood sugar level, enhances your brain utilization of glucose, and increases the accessibility of materials that repair tissues.
Cortisol is also essential for reflexes such as fight or flight. Most cells in the body have cortisol receptors. The more cortisol moves around the body, the higher the anxiety and stress levels. Cortisol hinders other neurotransmitters such as dopamine, GABA, and serotonin, which are vital in mood regulation. Thus, high cortisol levels affect mood negatively.
Testosterone. Testosterone is mainly a male sex hormone made in the testicles. Both males and females produce testosterone, however, males produce a higher amount. Less testosterone released leads to increased anxiety levels. Having adequate testosterone levels leads to pleasurable moods and increased motivation.
Estrogen. Estrogen is one of the primary female sex hormones. The hormone is also known as estrogen. Both males and females have estrogen, but it plays a more significant part in women.
Estrogen primarily affects female emotions and mental health. For example, if we have high estrogen levels, we tend to be highly irritable and have higher anxiety levels. On the flip side, low estrogen levels cause low and tearful moods.
Triiodothyronine and thyroxine. Thyroid hormones work as a group and affect all the cells and organs of the body. Thyroid hormones also affect body temperature, energy, and metabolism. A hyperactive thyroid leads to a tense and stressful mood, while an underworking thyroid affects concentration, causes fatigue, and affects our mood negatively in general.
How does sleep affect mood?
To explain the relationship between sleep and mood, we need to understand the circadian rhythm. The circadian rhythm is responsible for managing our sleep, wake time, thinking, metabolism, and other roles. The circadian rhythm responds to signals that help manage its roles. These signals can be light and/or physical activities.
In relation to sleep, the pineal gland senses when it is dark and releases melatonin. Melatonin hormone is responsible for making us sleepy. When it gets lighter, the pineal gland senses the change, and melatonin production is stopped, thus making us feel awake.
Sleep has an immense impact on our mood. Less sleep causes bad moods, high anxiety levels, and increased irritability. Lastly, sleep deprivation suppresses growth hormone production. Prolonged sleep disturbances can be the cause of growth hormone deficiency in adults. This may lead you to a doctor where you will be prescribed growth replacement therapy. And the average cost of HGH therapy is about $1000 per month, so get enough sleep to save you that amount.
There is another hormone involved in the sleep-wake cycle known as adenosine. Adenosine hormone is the opposite of the melatonin hormone. Adenosine is released in large amounts when we are awake and fewer amounts when asleep. Adenosine slows down the activity of nerve cells by binding with our cell receptors, this causes drowsiness. Therefore, the more adenosine levels you have in the bloodstream, the drowsier you will be.
Hormone changes during puberty
There is an unsteady production of hormones during puberty, leading to fluctuating moods and anxiety levels in some individuals. Studies show that estrogen is linked to depression. Thus, females tend to go through more psychological challenges.
During puberty, we go through physical changes. Our mental health may be interfered with as we try to cope with the physical changes. Most individuals struggle with self-consciousness and self-esteem during this stage.
Aging changes in hormone production
As we grow older, there is a decrease in progesterone, estrogen, and testosterone. Usually, it begins to decrease at the age of 35. As mentioned earlier, lower progesterone leads to higher cortisol levels, leading to anxiety, brain fog, and insomnia. Around the mid-40s, there is a decrease in melatonin, the sleep hormone, leading to sleeping problems.
Menopause is also a significant stage in aging that affects our mental health. During menopause, progesterone and estrogen levels drop, leading to low mood and high irritability. Menopause has also been found to affect sleep, thus causing fatigue and anxiety.
The effect of hormones on physical well-being
Hormones affect our physical health since they play a role in biological processes within our bodies. Therefore, inadequate or excess production of hormones might lead to physical health problems. Physical health problems directly impact our mental health. For example, when we experience challenges such as infertility and terminal illness, we tend to be in a low mood, become stressed, depressed, and experience high anxiety levels.
The takeaway
Hormones are vital in many processes within our bodies, including our mental health. Different levels of hormones affect anxiety levels, stress levels, and mood. Knowledge of how hormones affect mental health is essential in helping manage mental health. For example, people with sleeping problems can regulate the light to enhance melatonin production and take melatonin supplements if the problem persists.
Also Check:
Effective Ways To Counteract The Deterioration of Sleep Quality
Signs Your Immune System is Weak – Tips on How to Boost it?
NEW YORK — To save power, NASA turned off another scientific equipment on its long-running Voyager 2 spacecraft.
NASA Switches Off Instrument On the Spacecraft To Save Power
The space agency announced on Tuesday that 2’s plasma science instrument, meant to study the movement of charged atoms, was turned off in late September to allow the spacecraft to continue exploring for as long as possible, which is estimated to be into the 2030s.
NASA turned off a suite of instruments on Voyager 2 and its twin, Voyager 1, after exploring the gas giant planets in the 1980s. Both are currently in interstellar space or the region between stars. The plasma instrument on Voyager 1 stopped working years ago and was finally shut off in 2007.
The remaining four instruments on 2 will continue to collect data on magnetic fields and particles. Its mission is to investigate the regions of space beyond the sun’s protective sphere.
NASA Switches Off Instrument On Voyager 2 Spacecraft To Save Power
It launched in 1977, is the only spacecraft to have visited Uranus and Neptune. It is now more than 12 billion miles (19.31 billion kilometers) from Earth. 1 is more than 15 billion miles (24.14 billion kilometers) beyond Earth.
SOURCE | AP
MIAMI — Hurricane Kirk’s waves could generate life-threatening surf and rip current conditions this weekend throughout the United States East Coast, as well as in Bermuda, the Greater Antilles, and the Bahamas, according to forecasters.
Kirk was a Category 3 hurricane in the middle Atlantic Ocean that might grow further but was predicted to stay away from land, according to the Miami-based National Hurricane Center on Thursday.
Hurricane Kirk Could Cause Dangerous Surf Conditions Along The US East Coast
Kirk-generated swells were forecast to reach parts of the Leeward Islands on Friday, Bermuda and the Greater Antilles on Saturday, and the East Coast and the Bahamas on Sunday, according to the center.
No coastal watches or warnings were in effect. The major storm was around 1,130 miles (1,820 kilometers) east of the Leeward Islands, with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph (205 km/h).
Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Leslie formed late Wednesday in the eastern Atlantic and is expected to strengthen into a hurricane in the following days, forecasters said. It was also not considered a threat to the land.
Hurricane Kirk Could Cause Dangerous Surf Conditions Along The US East Coast
The storm was about 540 miles (870 kilometers) southwest of Cabo Verde’s southernmost tip, with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (75 kph), according to the center.
The storms raged in the Atlantic as rescuers in the United States Southeast sought for missing persons after Hurricane Helene struck last week, leaving a trail of death and devastation.
SOURCE | AP
NASA has announced astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are safely in orbit on the first crewed flight test of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft heading for the International Space Station.
As part of NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test, the astronauts launched a ULA (United Launch Alliance) Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 10:52 a.m. EDT Wednesday for an end-to-end test of the Starliner system.
“Two brave NASA astronauts are well on their way to this historic first test flight of a brand-new spacecraft,” stated NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “Boeing’s Starliner represents a new era of American exploration. Human spaceflight is a risky endeavor, but it is worth it. It is an exciting time for NASA, our commercial partners, and the future of space exploration. “Go Starliner, Butch, and Suni!”
The flight test is part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program and will help validate the transportation system, launch pad, rocket, spacecraft, in-orbit operations capabilities, and return to Earth with astronauts aboard as the agency prepares to certify Starliner for rotational missions to the space station. Starliner has already completed two uncrewed orbital missions, including a test to and from the space station, as well as a pad abort demonstration.
Boeing Starliner Makes Orbit
“With Starliner’s launch, separation from the rocket, and arrival in orbit, Boeing’s Crew Flight Test is right on track,” said Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager for Boeing’s Commercial Crew Program. “Everyone is focused on giving Suni and Butch a safe, comfortable, ride and performing a successful test mission from start to finish.”
Boeing’s mission control center in Houston will supervise a sequence of autonomous spacecraft maneuvers while Starliner is in flight. NASA teams will supervise space station activities from the Mission Control Center at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
“Flying crew on Starliner represents over a decade of work by the Commercial Crew Program and our partners at Boeing and ULA,” said Steve Stich, Commercial Crew Program Manager at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “For many of us, this is a career-defining occasion, ushering in a new crew transportation capacity for our agency and our country. We will take it one step at a time, putting Starliner through its paces and remaining watchful until Butch and Suni safely land back on Earth at the end of this test journey.”
At about 12:15 p.m., Starliner will dock autonomously to the forward-facing port of the station’s Harmony module. Thursday, June 6, and will remain at the orbital laboratory for almost a week.
Wilmore and Williams will help ensure that the spacecraft is functioning properly by testing the environmental control system, the displays and control system, and moving the thrusters, among other things, during flight.
Wilmore and Williams will join the Expedition 71 crew, which includes NASA astronauts Michael Barratt, Matt Dominick, Tracy C. Dyson, and Jeanette Epps, as well as Roscosmos cosmonauts Nikolai Chub, Alexander Grebenkin, and Oleg Kononenko.
NASA’s arrival and in-flight event coverage is as follows (all times Eastern and subject to change depending on real-time operations):
NASA Television channels will continue to broadcast the Starliner’s mission.
Thursday, June 6
9:30 a.m. – Arrival coverage begins on NASA+, the NASA app, and YouTube, and continues on NASA Television and the agency’s website.
12:15 p.m. – Targeted docking
2 p.m. – Hatch opening
2:20 p.m. – Welcome remarks
3:30 p.m. – Post-docking news conference at NASA Johnson with the following participants:
- NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free
- Steve Stich, manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program
- Jeff Arend, manager for systems engineering and integration, NASA’s International Space Station Office
- Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager, Commercial Crew Program, Boeing
Coverage of the post-docking news conference will air live on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website.
To attend the post-docking briefing, U.S. media must contact the NASA Johnson newsroom at: [email protected] or 281-483-5111 by 1 p.m. Thursday, June 6. To join by phone, media must contact the NASA Johnson newsroom by 3 p.m. Thursday, June 6.
5:50 p.m. – NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy, Associate Administrator Jim Free, Associate Administrator for Space Operations Ken Bowersox, and Johnson Space Center Director Vanessa Wyche will speak with Wilmore and Williams about their launch aboard the Starliner spacecraft.
Coverage of the Earth to space call will air live on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website.
Saturday, June 8
8:50 a.m. – NASA astronauts Wilmore and Williams will provide a tour of Starliner.
Coverage of the in-orbit event will stream live on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website.
Monday, June 10
11 a.m. – Williams will speak to students from Sunita L. Williams Elementary School in Needham, Massachusetts, in an event aboard the space station.
Coverage of the Earth to space call will air live on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website.
Tuesday, June 11
3:15 p.m. – Wilmore will speak to students from Tennessee Tech University in an event aboard the space station.
Coverage of the Earth to space call will air live on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website.
-
News3 years agoLet’s Know About Ultra High Net Worth Individual
-
Entertainment2 years ago
Mabelle Prior: The Voice of Hope, Resilience, and Diversity Inspiring Generations
-
Health3 years agoHow Much Ivermectin Should You Take?
-
Tech2 years agoTop Forex Brokers of 2023: Reviews and Analysis for Successful Trading
-
Lifestyles2 years agoAries Soulmate Signs
-
Movies2 years agoWhat Should I Do If Disney Plus Keeps Logging Me Out of TV?
-
Health3 years agoCan I Buy Ivermectin Without A Prescription in the USA?
-
Learning2 years agoVirtual Numbers: What Are They For?