Excessive Exercise Can Adversely Affect The Hormonal Balance

We are constantly writing articles explaining the importance and need for regular movement and physical activity to maintain and improve overall health. The benefits are truly numerous, both for physical and mental health.

But we have already talked about the other extreme – excessive exercise, and today we will stop and talk about how excessive physical activity can negatively affect the hormonal balance.

What is considered excessive exercise?

The answer to this question is complex and it is quite difficult to say how much and what kind of exercise is too much for someone. Professional athletes train for several hours every day, so it is considered that the limit for excessive training has been moved.

For the rest, the recommendations are about 150 minutes of aerobic exercise per week, but excessive effort can occur even in those 150 minutes. However, numerous factors play a role in this recommendation, namely: age, health, and choice of exercise.

To perceive and recognize the effects of overexertion and exercise, we need to perceive and assess how we feel physically and emotionally after exercise. An example of one of the effects of excessive high-intensity exercise is severe muscle inflammation and difficulty moving and functioning the next day.

How does excessive physical activity affect hormonal balance?

Excessive exercise, especially when combined with inadequate recovery and proper nutrition, can lead to a condition that significantly disrupts normal hormonal processes. Intense physical exertion activates the mechanism for the release of cortisol, the stress hormone. In moderate amounts, cortisol aids in recovery from activity and energy metabolism.

However chronic overproduction of cortisol, which is due to excessive exercise and exertion, can cause catabolism (breakdown of muscle tissue), immune suppression, and impaired recovery. Long-term elevation of cortisol suppresses and disrupts the regulation of reproductive hormones such as testosterone in men and estrogen in women.

This suppression can result in decreased testosterone levels, menstrual irregularities, and decreased estrogen production, critical for bone density and reproductive health.

In addition, excessive exercise can also impair thyroid function, leading to decreased levels of thyroid hormones (T3 and T4), a condition that slows metabolism and contributes to fatigue. This hormonal imbalance, often exacerbated by insufficient caloric intake, disrupts the body’s natural hormonal rhythm, leading to long-term health problems such as infertility, bone loss, and chronic fatigue.