Found inside each and every one of us are small substances that affect our bodies in different ways, be it mood or function. Known as hormones, these chemicals serve as messengers that control virtually every major body function we have. Because of this, understanding how they work is key to better understanding ourselves.

Found inside each and every one of us are small substances that affect our bodies in different ways, be it mood or function. Known as hormones, these chemicals serve as messengers that control virtually every major body function we have. Because of this, understanding how they work is key to better understanding ourselves.

Blood Sugar

Insulin is actually a hormone. Produced in the pancreas, it is in charge of telling our bodies how to use the carbs and fat we eat. Most famously, however, it is connected to diabetes.

If we eat too much junk food, our bodies remain pumped full of the insulin hormone. Eventually, the body becomes resistant to the hormone, resulting in an inability to regulate its own processing of fats and carbs.

Stress

In order to deal with stress, the body releases a hormone known as cortisol. This then takes over many internal functions, such as metabolism and immune system responses, so we can better deal with stressful situations.

Unfortunately, , eventually leading to sickness. A clinical technician will be able to tell whether your stress has to do with internal hormonal imbalances or more external factors.

Puberty

For women, the hormone is estrogen. For men, it’s testosterone. These two work to transform the body from child to adult. They also affect emotions with men becoming much more conflict driven.

As for women, they receive a healthy dose of two hormones each month, resulting in the emotional fluctuations associated most commonly with PMS.

Sleep

Our tiredness is spurred on by a hormone. Known as melatonin, this grows in amount during darker times to make the body sleepy and promote rest. Like all the other hormones, it can build up if not flushed out with a good night’s sleep.

Depression

Even after professional imaging specialists looked to determine the physical location of depression, most find this disease to be hormonally charged as well as physically present in the brain. PET scans of brains with and without depression show many markers of why this disease is caused.

While happiness isn’t driven by one hormone alone, the main instigator is serotonin. Without high enough levels of this chemical, happiness becomes nearly impossible to feel.

Brooke Chaplan is a freelance writer and blogger. She lives and works out of her home in Los Lunas, New Mexico. She loves the outdoors and spends most her time hiking, biking and gardening. For more information on medical screening for brain health, check out online bachelor’s degrees in radiology. Contact Brooke via Twitter @BrookeChaplan.