Dopamine: Often called the "happy hormone," dopamine results in feelings of well-being. A primary driver of the brain's reward system, it spikes when we experience something pleasurable.
Estrogen increases the production of serotonin and this happy musketeer in turn displays it's act on 2 fronts. In the brain it enhances mood, sexual function, dispels fear and anxiety and opens the doors to better clarity and focus.
When it comes to happiness, in particular, the primary signaling chemicals include: Serotonin. Dopamine. Endorphins.
Happiness hormones that the body is capable of producing by itself include: dopamine, which makes us feel good; serotonin, which reduces depression; and endorphins, which make us happy and thus help to reduce physical pain.
4. Estrogen. This happy hormone helps form serotonin and protects you from irritability and anxiety, keeping your mood steady. Estrogen decreases with menopause, and lifestyle factors such as smoking and extreme exercise can also lower it.
Estrogen helps protect the heart from disease, potentially by maintaining higher levels of good cholesterol, called high-density lipoprotein (HDL), in your blood. Lower estrogen levels, especially during menopause, can increase your risk of developing heart disease.
Serotonin is another hormone that affects mood, appetite and sleep. It is also a neurotransmitter, which means that it transmits messages between nerve cells. Fewer hours of sunlight means that less serotonin is produced. If you have SAD, your serotonin levels may be lower than average during the winter.
Dopamine: Often called the "happy hormone," dopamine results in feelings of well-being. A primary driver of the brain's reward system, it spikes when we experience something pleasurable. Praised on the job?
However, recent studies have begun to investigate oxytocin's role in various behaviors, including orgasm, social recognition, bonding, and maternal behavior. For this reason, it is now sometimes referred to as the “love hormone” and many such names described earlier.
Androsterone can change the way people perceive someone's desirability. Androsterone is a human sexual pheromone that is produced by the adrenal glands, testes, and ovaries and is released through sweat, skin, hair, and urine. Women also produce and release the pheromone but at a rate four times less than men.
Though it may feel like love strikes us in the heart, it is understood that the release of sex hormones estrogen and testosterone is what drives our lustfulness arousal (1). Testosterone plays a role in initiating sexual activities and pursuing sexual desire and behaviour in both men and women (2).
Oxytocin is a hormone that's produced in the hypothalamus and released into the bloodstream by the pituitary gland. Its main function is to facilitate childbirth, which is one of the reasons it is called the "love drug" or "love hormone."
In the brain, oxytocin signals not only to the classical appetite-regulating centers but also to brain regions involved in food reward. Oxytocin preferentially suppresses the intake of sweet-tasting carbohydrates, both by actions on the reward systems of the brain and by effects on sweet taste receptors.
Cortisol, the primary stress hormone, increases sugars (glucose) in the bloodstream, enhances your brain's use of glucose and increases the availability of substances that repair tissues. Cortisol also curbs functions that would be nonessential or harmful in a fight-or-flight situation.
After the amygdala sends a distress signal, the hypothalamus activates the sympathetic nervous system by sending signals through the autonomic nerves to the adrenal glands. These glands respond by pumping the hormone epinephrine (also known as adrenaline) into the bloodstream.
Estrogen acts everywhere in the body, including the parts of the brain that control emotion. Some of estrogen's effects include: Increasing serotonin, and the number of serotonin receptors in the brain. Modifying the production and the effects of endorphins, the "feel-good" chemicals in the brain.
A Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center study involving postmenopausal, overweight, and obese women who took 2,000 IUs of vitamin D daily for a year found that those whose vitamin D blood levels increased the most had the greatest reductions in blood estrogens, which are a known risk factor for breast cancer.
Vitamins and minerals that play a role in hormonal balance and managing estrogen deficiency symptoms include B complex, vitamin C, vitamin D, calcium, magnesium, and boron. Herbs and dietary supplements, including dong quai, black cohosh, astragalus, and DHEA, may have a more direct effect on low estrogen levels.
As estrogen levels drastically change in perimenopause, high levels can cause bloating, breast tenderness, and heavy bleeding. Once these levels become more consistently low, that can cause hot flashes, night sweats, mood changes, changes in fat distribution (new or growing “spare tire”), insomnia, and fatigue.
Your skin also becomes thinner, because the levels of collagen and elastin also dip along with estrogen. The hormone estrogen is responsible for making skin look younger due to the hyaluronic acid it produces. Estrogen not only affects your skin but also your muscle mass, metabolism, and energy levels.
Elevated estrogen levels in women have been linked to conditions such as polyps, fibroids, PCOS, endometriosis pain, and ovarian tumors [1]. Other conditions associated with high estrogen levels include dementia, heart disease, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, insulin resistance, and uterine cancer [4,6].
As oxytocin is associated with trust, sexual arousal and relationship building, it's sometimes referred to as the “love hormone” or “cuddle chemical.” Oxytocin levels also increase when you're hugging someone and when you're experiencing an orgasm. Oxytocin is an essential hormone for childbirth and lactation.