ADRENALINE
Adrenaline – the ‘fight or flight’ hormone
Adrenaline (epinephrine), known as the energy hormone is produced in the adrenal glands and helps your body react more quickly. Once the amygdala in the brain sends a stress signal, the hypothalamus activates the sympathetic nervous system by sending signals through the automatic nerves to the adrenal glands. Adrenaline increases your heart rate, elevates your blood pressure, increases the blood supply to the brain and muscles and boosts energy supplies.
CORTISOL
Cortisol – Stress and Activity Hormone
Cortisol is a steroid hormone that regulates a wide range of vital processes throughout the body, including metabolism and the immune response. It also has a very important role in helping the body respond to stress. The secretion of cortisol is mainly controlled by three inter-communicating regions of the body; the hypothalamus in the brain, the pituitary gland and the adrenal gland. Almost every cell contains receptors for cortisol and so cortisol can have lots of different actions depending on which sort of cells it is acting upon.
Dopamine
Motivation and Reward Chemical
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter, released by hypothalamus and is involved in focus, attention, memory, drive, muscle control and ovulation. It is associated with alertness, memory, cognition, happiness and vigilance. Low levels of dopamine in the body can result in depression, impulsivity, mood swings, attention deficit, cognitive issues, compulsive behaviour, cravings, apathy and loss of satisfaction in life activities.
Serotonin
Happiness Hormone
It regulates wide range of physiological and biological functions including mood, arousal, aggression, thinking abilities and memory. Right levels of serotonin are related to relaxation, mood upliftment. Excess of serotonin causes sedation and apathy, whereas deficiency of serotonin is associated with low mood, lack of will, poor appetite control, anxiety disorders, depression, social behaviour and sexual problems.
Progesterone
Female Ovulation and Calming Hormone
Progesterone is a female sex hormone produced by a temporary gland within the ovaries called corpus luteum and plays a key role in reproduction. Our brain is highly responsive to progesterone concentrations. Insomnia, anxiety and migraine are commonly seen with imbalance of oestrogen and progesterone.
Endorphins – Pain reliever
Endorphins block pain, but they’re also responsible for our feelings of pleasure. It’s widely believed that these feelings of pleasure exist to let us know when we’ve had enough of a good thing and also to encourage us to go after that good thing in order to feel the associated pleasure. Maintaining a balance in these brain chemicals is a key for balanced emotions.
Oxytocin – The Bonding Hormone
Oxytocin is a hormone that is made in hypothalamus and released into the blood by pituitary gland. It plays a role in pro-social behaviour, sexual reproduction, and during and after child birth. It evokes feelings of contentment, calmness, security and reductions in anxiety levels, thus known as the ‘cuddle hormone’. Oxytocin inhibits activity in the brain areas associated with behavioural control of fear and anxiety and protects against stress.
Testosterone – Primary Male Hormone
Testosterone, a hormone produced by testes in men and to smaller extent by ovaries in women. It helps in muscle building, increasing libido, bone mass, muscle strength and energy level.
Testosterone also influences the parts of the brain responsible for regulating emotions. People with high endogenous testosterone levels, have significantly less activity in prefrontal brain regions and less communication between the prefrontal brain and the amygdala (the emotion control regions of the brain), ultimately increasing chances of aggressiveness, depression, impulsivity, anger, mood swings and lowering levels of empathy.
Too little testosterone can also have deleterious effect on male emotional vitality, leading to more passivity, depression, anger, irritability, feelings of insecurity, anxiety.
Estrogen – Female Emotional Hormone
Estrogen, known as the hormone linked to women’s emotional well being such as premenstrual syndrome. It is mainly produced in the ovaries for women. It acts everywhere in the body including the area of the brain responsible for emotion. Some effects in the brain include increasing the level of serotonin and modifying and the effects of endorphins, the ‘feel-good’ chemicals. The impact of estrogen on emotion is individual to each woman. Some report that the administration of estrogen increases good mood whereas others report increased anxiety. Men also produce estrogen (converted to estriadol) mainly in the testes. In a study, men reported increased emotional responses when administered with estrogen. Too much estrogeni in males has been linked to infertility and depression. Alcohol can affect oestrogen levels in males.
Progesterone – Female Ovulation and Calming Hormone
Progesterone is seen as female sex hormone produced by a temporary gland within the ovaries called corpus luteum and plays a key role in reproduction. Males need some progesterone to produce testosterone. Our brain is highly responsive to progesterone concentrations. Insomnia, anxiety and migraine are commonly seen with imbalance of oestrogen and progesterone. Progesterone counterbalances the action of oestrogen. While oestrogen has an excitatory effect on brain, progesterone has calming effect. Studies have shown that progesterone shows anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) effects by activating gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors in the brain. GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that assists in relaxation and sleep.
Dopamine – Motivation and Reward Chemical
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter, released by hypothalamus and is involved in focus, attention, memory, drive, muscle control and ovulation. It is associated with alertness, memory, cognition, happiness and vigilance. Low levels of dopamine in the body can result in depression, impulsivity, mood swings, attention deficit, cognitive issues, compulsive behaviour, cravings, apathy and loss of satisfaction in life activities.
Endorphins – Pain reliever
Endorphins block pain, but they’re also responsible for our feelings of pleasure. It’s widely believed that these feelings of pleasure exist to let us know when we’ve had enough of a good thing and also to encourage us to go after that good thing in order to feel the associated pleasure. Maintaining a balance in these brain chemicals is a key for balanced emotions.
