Tag Archives: oxytocin

How Hormones Affect Your Body

Hormones do more than influence your reproductive system. Hormone levels can increase your risk of an exercise injury. A study from the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center found that women in the first half of their menstrual cycles (when estrogen is the dominant hormone) tend to have less neuromuscular control than women in the second half of their menstrual cycles (when progesterone is the dominant hormone). In other words, the muscle timing is different. Hormone levels can affect your response to addictive behaviors. The brain seems to be more responsive to pleasure and reward when estrogen levels are high … Continue reading →

Hormone Basics

Hormone levels are more than just a “that time of the month” joke. Studies have shown that changing hormone levels can affect your mood, worsen chronic health issues, and even make you more susceptible to injury! Hormones have an impact on your entire body, not just your reproductive system. There are four types of hormones: Estrogen: a class of hormones that is necessary for sexual development and a healthy reproductive system. Also affects brain function, bone health, and cancer risk. Oxytocin: a hormone responsible for contractions during labor, milk production during breastfeeding, and the nurturing instinct. Progesterone: a hormone produced … Continue reading →

Sex and Stress

Well, we all suspected that sex can reduce stress levels but now scientists in the UK have proven that the physical act of sex can reduce stress, bodily tension, and lower blood pressure. In order to successfully prove that sex actually does diminish tension levels, researchers were required to select an activity which was known to cause stress for the majority of people and use that as a benchmark against which the effects of intercourse could be measured. Human beings have many fears: spiders, snakes, heights, commitment. But polls repeatedly demonstrate that the greatest source of fear known to man … Continue reading →