Hormones regulate how well you sleep, how often you eat, your sex drive, your energy level and the way you handle stress.
And now you're aware that hormones don't just die once prom night is over.
Wouldn't it be wonderful if we had a way to optimize all of these things? It seems like there's not much you can do about it, short of taking medication if there happens to be an imbalance.
But hormones were functioning long before hospitals and modern medical equipment.
And there are plenty of things we can do at home to make sure they stay that way.
High blood pressure causes many hormone related conditions.
You'll want to keep blood pressure around 115/75.
One way to keep your blood pressure at an optimum level is physical activity.
Exercise works to drop excess pounds that can elevate blood pressure.
What's more, exercise will increase your muscles' sensitivity to glucose.
This means, that instead of glucose staying in your body as fat it's used as fuel.
So you'll stay slim and keep your blood pressure controlled, too.
Nutrition is as more about the benefits of certain foods than it is about the taste.
What you eat contributes to how you feel in many ways.
The same goes for your hormones.
Certain foods can be eaten to correct hormones that have been thrown out of whack or maintain health levels.
Studies suggest that ginseng, tea and cinnamon help to fine tune the way insulin works in your body.
Statistically shown to prevent type 2 diabetes, a spoonful of cinnamon or cup of tea can go a long way.
Start by replacing one cup of coffee a day with a cup of green or black tea.
Broccoli and cauliflower contain estrogen-producing substances that can help protect women from breast cancer.
Olive oils, fish oils, calcium and fruits all help keep your arteries healthy.
Eating a diet high in lean protein, green vegetables, fruit and healthy fats will not only keep you looking good.
It will also regulate your energy level, control blood pressure and reduce mood swings.
Avocados might seem exotic to some, but it is a food rich in healthy fat, as well as magnesium and potassium.
Magnesium regulates metabolism and lowers blood pressure when necessary.
And potassium helps nerve and muscle functioning.
By keeping your systems working properly, magnesium and potassium help hormonal stability.
Staying informed about your health even when you're not particularly under the weather is a smart and vital practice.
Since hormonal processes and their imbalances occur subtly, they slip under medical radar until it's a serious problem.
Regularly monitoring hormonal activity by getting your blood pressure, blood sugar level and thyroid tested.
You'll be one step ahead in the event something starts to go wrong.
Also, feel free to ask for these tests and also to suggest that hormones may be the cause of a recent illness.
Doctors need all the information they can get to make an accurate diagnosis.
Hormones can help you or they can hurt you.
And as you can see, you have more power to control the outcome that you may have previously thought.
If you do suspect you are suffering from a hormonal imbalance, visit a doctor, as most problems can be successfully treated with medication.