Protecting your hormonal balance day to day

The framework, first

This lesson is about documented lifestyle factors. It covers neither endocrine disease nor hormone therapy. Any suspicion of a hormonal disorder, persistent fatigue, a drop in libido, cycle disturbances, unexplained weight gain, significant hair loss, calls for a medical work-up, not an online protocol.

The four factors that genuinely matter

1. Sleep

By far the first factor.

In men, a week of sleep restricted to five hours a night reduces testosterone by ten to fifteen per cent in young, healthy subjects, according to Leproult and Van Cauter in 2011. The effect is fast and reversible.

In women, sleep deprivation disturbs the hypothalamic-pituitary axis and can affect cycle regularity.

Practical conclusion. No supplement makes up for a sleep debt. It is the number one lever, and it is free.