How I Balanced My Hormones Naturally After 40: What Helped Me

Is it possible to balance hormones naturally? I gave it a try!

I didn’t go looking for a hormone problem. I just felt off. Low energy, could lose a few pounds, and my skin looked a little dull.

It wasn’t toooo bad but just not quite like myself. But when the breakouts started showing up alongside the dryness, I finally decided to look into what was actually going on.

I started with a saliva-based test through Veracity, which gave me a helpful baseline. There are a lot of options out there—blood tests, DUTCH panels, full hormone panels through your doctor—so what you choose depends on how deep you want to go. For me, I just wanted something simple to get started without needing a prescription.

I expected high cortisol because my Oura Ring kept warning me that I was constantly stressed. But what came back was the opposite: everything was low. Estrogen, progesterone, cortisol…all of it flatlined!

It turns out that cortisol can run high for so long that it eventually drops, and your whole system slows down (link to study). Only my testosterone was in the normal range. That was the moment I stopped brushing off how I felt.

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A Quick Note on Hormones and Why They Matter

Hormones are the body’s chemical messengers. They affect just about everything including energy, mood, sleep, metabolism, skin, appetite, and stress.

Here’s a quick rundown of the ones that tend to shift in your 40s:

• Estrogen
  Supports skin thickness, bone health, mood, and menstrual cycles. When it starts to drop, you might notice changes in your skin, sleep, or energy.
• Progesterone
  Helps with sleep and keeps you feeling calm and balanced. Lower levels can leave you feeling anxious, irritable, or restless at night.
• Testosterone
  Yes, women need it too. It supports muscle tone, libido, focus, and motivation. If you feel flat or low on drive, this could be a factor.
• Cortisol
  Your main stress hormone. If it stays too high for too long or drops too low, you’ll feel it in your sleep, mood, energy, and how your body stores fat.
• Insulin
  Controls blood sugar. When it’s off, you might feel hangry, foggy, or stuck in a cycle of cravings and crashes.

Even small shifts in these can change how you feel every day. Once I saw what was happening in my own numbers, a lot started to click.

Here’s what I’ve been doing since then to support my hormones naturally. I’m not claiming this is a cure-all… it’s just what’s helped me get back to feeling like myself.

Stabilizing Blood Sugar Made a Bigger Difference Than I Expected

I started wearing a  Lingo continuous glucose monitor (they can be purchased over the counter now!)  and while it initially felt a little obsessive, it was eye-opening.

My go-to morning smoothie, which I thought was super healthy (frozen fruit, vegan protein powder, almond milk, spinach, collagen), was spiking my blood sugar hard. Looking back, it made sense that I was always craving a second coffee or something sweet about an hour after drinking it.

Once I saw how my body was actually reacting to food, I started focusing more on building meals around protein, healthy fat, and fiber. That naturally led to lower-carb meals. Not no-carb, just more mindful.

Ezekiel bread worked fine for me, but I stopped leaning so heavily on quick carbs or “healthy” snacks that didn’t really fill me up.

What I didn’t realize at the time is that blood sugar and hormones are directly connected.

When your blood sugar is constantly spiking and crashing, your cortisol and insulin levels follow, which also messes with estrogen and progesterone. Stabilizing my meals took the pressure off my system. Fewer energy dips, fewer cravings, and a noticeable shift in how my body handled stress. It didn’t fix everything, but it definitely helped lay the groundwork.

Adding to my Diet to Support Liver Function

Even though my hormone test didn’t show high estrogen, I started noticing a pattern. On days when I was backed up, I’d break out. Apparently, this can increase the cycle of estrogen in your body.

There’s even research linking lower bowel transit time with reduced estrogen levels and lower breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women. That was enough motivation for me to start paying more attention to how my body was eliminating waste.

I added more broccoli, Brussels sprouts, arugula, and other cruciferous veggies to my meals since they are fiber-rich and help estrogen metabolism. I found it easiest just to eat a big salad for lunch (some recipes here if you want!).

I also started drinking dandelion tea at night a few times a week to support liver function.

Getting Serious About Sleep (Even More Than I Already Was)

Sleep has been part of my routine for a while.

I already had the basics down: evening shower, skincare, supplements, tea, and lights out by 11. I was getting around seven hours a night, sometimes a little less.

I decided to challenge myself to go a step further. I aimed for 30 more minutes, which meant lights out by 10:30 at the latest. To make that happen, I shifted everything earlier—tea, skincare, and even just mentally wrapping up the day before I felt tired. I also started using blue light glasses in the evening, and I swapped my phone for a Kindle, so I wasn’t scrolling right up until sleep.

Supplement-wise, I take magnesium glycinate most nights and sometimes a low dose of melatonin.

That extra half-hour of sleep made a difference, especially with energy, mood, and how I handled stress the next day. Sleep impacts everything, and when your hormones run low, your body needs more recovery time than ever.

Staying Consistent With my Lifting Routine

Nothing feels better than knocking out a workout first thing in the morning. Once I started getting a little more sleep, I had the energy to lift earlier in the day—and honestly, it made me feel absolutely f*ing productive for the rest of it. It’s like a magic reset button. Total mood shift, more energy, better focus. Just a solid way to start the day.

I keep in maintainable for me – one lift day on, and the next day off. I average about 3-4 lifts a week and by body LOVES it. Way better for me that trying to do 5+ days a week.

Cutting Back on Alcohol Was a Big Deal

I didn’t make some grand declaration about giving up alcohol, but I started paying attention to how even one or two drinks made me feel. and it wasn’t great.

Sleep got worse (and my Oura ring always told me so), anxiety crept in, and I could literally feel my recovery tank the next day. Not to mention what it did to my skin.

Alcohol can mess with hormone balance, especially in your 40s when your body isn’t bouncing back the way it used to. It can spike cortisol, impact blood sugar, disrupt sleep, and throw off estrogen metabolism.

So I started skipping the wine most nights and saving it for the rare dinner or social thing that really felt worth it. And honestly? I don’t miss it. My sleep got deeper, my skin looked better within a few weeks, and my energy felt more consistent. No judgment if you’re not there yet, but for me, cutting back made a noticeable difference.

Cleaning Up My Products Was Worth It

I actually like products that smell good. I’m not a “natural skincare only” person, and I don’t love the overly earthy, essential oil-heavy, everything-in-a-glass-jar vibe. But after seeing my hormone levels bottom out, I started paying more attention to what I put on my skin daily – especially products loaded with synthetic fragrances or questionable ingredients.

I tried OSEA, and I actually loved it. That brand made me look closer at my routine and start making swaps that still felt like me. Their body butter is my favorite. It’s rich, hydrating, and smells like something you’d find at a really good spa. I didn’t go full “clean beauty,” but I cut back on products with phthalates and parabens, replacing anything that felt overly perfumey or irritated my skin.

Some of the swaps I’ve made:

• OSEA Undaria Algae Body Oil and Body Butter – both feel luxe and are now daily staples
• Necessaire Body Wash (Eucalyptus) – clean and minimal but still smells like something you’d want to use
• ILIA Super Serum Skin Tint – light coverage, SPF, and no chemical filters
• Westman Atelier Blush and Bronzer Sticks are my forever staples. They are creamy, blendable, and feel like real makeup (not the dry, “clean” kind). You can read my full Westman Atelier review here.
• Coco & Eve Sunny Honey Bali Bronzing Self Tanner Mousse 

I’m not rigid about it, but I’m way more selective now. I just want to cut back on the hormone-disrupting stuff where I can, without giving up the products I like.

Let’s Talk About the Skin Part

I noticed hormonal shifts in my skin before I noticed them in my mood. I was breaking out and drying out at the same time. Sometimes, I looked dull, and I was losing that natural glow.

What’s been helping:

• Rotating my prescription tretinoin with over the counter Retinol a few nights a week (too strong of Retinol irritates my skin)
• Ceramide-rich moisturizers to rebuild my barrier
• Peptides under the eyes and around my mouth, where thinning shows up first
• Red Light therapy almost every day
• Eating a whole foods diet with omega 3s and tons of water (not “new” for me but I’ve been

I also tried micro needling with PRP treatments—those definitely helped firm up my skin and give it more life. I wouldn’t say you need it, but it worked for me.

On the supplement side, I’ve been consistent with:

• DIM (to support estrogen metabolism)
• Magnesium (for sleep and stress)
• Omega-3s (for inflammation and skin health)
• NAD

Still figuring out the right dosage on a few things, but it’s been a helpful start.

Quick Recap: What’s Actually Helping

It’s so hard to pinpoint the exact things that help especially when you start multiple habit shifts at once.

• Using a CGM and focusing on protein, fat, and fiber at meals
• Eating more cruciferous veggies and supporting digestion – a whole foods diet is my secret weapon
• Keeping consistent with a full body lifting routine a few days a week (the one I follow is here)
• Limiting alcohol
• Adding magnesium and melatonin to my sleep routine
• Cutting back on synthetic fragrances and swapping out products (hard to “tell” if this makes a difference but it all adds up – right?!)
• Getting serious about hydration, omegas, and red light therapy

Where I’m At With It Now

This wasn’t about trying to feel like I did in my 30s. I just wanted to feel like myself again. Once I started looking at hormone health as something I could actually support without flipping my whole life upside down, I felt more steady and clear, and my skin finally calmed down.

I haven’t tested my saliva hormones test yet but I do feel so much better.

If something feels off, it probably is. You’re not being dramatic. Pay attention, start small, and trust that you can take your health seriously even if everything looks normal on the outside.

Have you found anything to balance your hormones naturally? Let me know!

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