Thinking You May Have a Sluggish Thyroid? Know the Signs!

Your Weight Gain And Other Unpleasant Symptoms Aren’t Always Because Of Your Lifestyle Choices. Sometimes, Your Thyroid Is Working Behind The Scenes And Wreaking Havoc.

So you probably hear a lot — and we mean A LOT — about the thyroid playing a role in how thin or thick a person is. For some, it’s completely true.

The thyroid produces hormones that control how fast your body burns calories, and no matter how much you try to combat it, you just can’t fight biology and genetics, at least not alone.

Thyroid hormone therapy can assist, but first, you need to know if scheduling a consultation is in your best interest.

Knowing if you have a sluggish thyroid is the first step to admitting the problems you’re facing are out of your control right now.

9 Signs of Hypothyroidism

These are some of the signs of hypothyroidism, both common and less common.

1. Weight Gain

   This is one we hear a great deal at our office. Someone comes in looking for a way to lose weight, whether they would like medical weight loss or opt for one of our sculpting treatments.

   After a workup, we see that their thyroid gland isn’t functioning within the normal range, contributing to their weight gain because their two-lobed gland isn’t producing adequate levels of the hormones necessary for their metabolism to function.

2. Daytime Sleepiness

   When your metabolism isn’t running how it should, your body struggles to produce adequate energy. As a result, you often feel sluggish or fatigued. And it’s not the “Oh, I just need to catch up on sleep” tiredness. It’s an ongoing problem where you feel tired even after sleeping for seven or more hours last night.

   At any given time during the day, you may feel as though you could lie down and sleep. Even after you first wake up, you may not feel well-rested.
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   That sleepiness can also stem from other thyroid-related issues, such as an increased risk of sleep apnea, muscle aches that keep you up, or depression that affects sleep quality and energy levels. Anxiety caused by hypothyroidism could also be to blame because your anxiousness might be causing you difficulty falling or staying asleep.

3. Sexual/Reproductive Issues

   Both women and men may feel the impact of thyroid issues on their sexual/reproductive health.

   • Women

     For a woman, the thyroid has an impact on reproductive health by affecting how the body metabolizes estrogen and can suppress ovulation by raising prolactin, which thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) elevates. Your progesterone level may decrease, causing estrogen dominance.
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     The effects of hypothyroidism on your body could lead to any of the following:

     • Low libido
     • Irregular periods, possibly including missed periods
     • Not ovulating, which is known as anovulation
     • Infertility
     • Increased likelihood of miscarriage
     • PMS symptoms

   • Men

     Men: you’ll feel the reproductive/sexual wellness effects of your thyroid not functioning as well, possibly attributing issues such as:

     • Erectile dysfunction
     • Reduced libido
     • Low sperm count
     • Decreased sperm quality

     These symptoms may come from a low level of testosterone caused by an increase in sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) or increased prolactin. Other reasons a slow thyroid can affect your sexual health and wellness include decreased dopamine, impaired blood vessel function, and decreased nitric oxide production.

4. Joint and Muscle Pain

   Thyroid hormones help muscles convert nutrients into usable energy.

   When levels are low, your muscles may ache, become stiff, cramp, and have weakness from a buildup of lactic acid and fatigue. You might have morning stiffness, aches, heavy limbs, and pain that gets worse from inactivity.

   Your joints may also look fluffy or have tightness from the accumulation of glycosaminoglycans, which attract water. Thyroid hormone supports tendon health and collagen turnover, meaning when your levels are low, you may experience joint discomfort, a decrease in flexibility, and tendon stiffness.

5. Cold Hands and Feet

   Your hands and feet may remain cold. You might be the only one around you who requires socks and mittens, even when temperatures are above freezing. Your underactive thyroid might be to blame.

   Whenever you have lower levels of T3 and T4, your cells don’t produce as much energy, so your body produces less heat. Your circulation may be lowered to your extremities because your body is focused on keeping your brain, heart, and lungs warm.

   Your peripheral circulation will also decrease, making it so that less warm blood reaches your feet and hands. Your cardiac output may lessen. You may develop fluid retention that elevates the sensation you feel when your hands and feet get cold.

6. Hair, Skin, and Nail Issues

   Hypothyroidism is known to cause hair loss, brittle nails, and dry skin. You could lose all of your eyebrows, or they may thin. Your thyroid hormones stimulate hair and skin follicles, regulate your sebaceous glands, play a role in protein synthesis, and impact circulation. Your hair, nails, and skin may feel the effects and cause any of these:

   • Increased skin flaking
   • Hair that grows slowly, breaks, or falls out
   • Dull hair
   • Dry, itchy, rough skin
   • Scalp dryness
   • Brittle nails that peel or split
   • Slow-growing nails
   • Skin that lacks elasticity
   • Pale-looking skin

7. Unexplained or Decreased Perspiration

   Your metabolism may slow, and your body may produce less heat. You’ll then sweat less. It also impacts the nervous system, which may lead to spontaneous sweating.

8. Depression and Anxiety

   Thyroid hormones help to regulate brain chemicals, including serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine, that affect mood. As a result, you may experience depression, low mood, or anxiety.

   Your brain uses a great deal of energy, and whenever your metabolism isn’t functioning at its best, your brain may not have all the energy it needs. Not to mention, not having enough thyroid hormones can disrupt your body’s stress response system, causing irritability and anxiety.

9. Other

   Your cholesterol may be high without a known cause. It’s common for a person’s heart rate to slow or for them to have mild swelling in their hands and face. When your brain isn’t getting enough energy, you might experience brain fog or struggle to concentrate. You may feel like you’re thinking in slow motion.

How to Stimulate Your Thyroid to Function Normally

You can get your thyroid functioning how it should, which will help you obtain a healthy weight and curb your other symptoms, such as depression and anxiety.

• Take Supplements

  Especially if you’re not getting enough vital nutrients through your diet, you should consider supplementation to support your thyroid function. Some to consider include:

  1. Vitamin D
  2. B vitamins
  3. Vitamin C
  4. Selenium
  5. Iodine

• Practice Positive Stress Management

  Your stress levels affect your thyroid function. By managing your stress through meditation, yoga, and deep breathing, you ease tension.

• Sleep Enough

  Aim to get seven to nine hours of sleep each night. While you’re resting, your body is healing itself, including your thyroid. If you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, try Tranquility or melatonin.

• Heal Your Gut

  Your gut assists with controlling serotonin production. In fact, 90 to 95 percent of it is produced in your gut. When your gut isn’t healthy, it could cause widespread inflammation and nutrient absorption, leading to issues with your thyroid.

  To help heal your gut, take pre- and probiotics, avoid gluten, limit processed foods, and decrease your refined sugar.

• Work with a Practitioner

  Schedule an appointment with a practitioner and have your thyroid-stimulating hormone checked, along with your thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAb) and thyroglobulin antibodies (TgAb). Based on your results combined with your symptoms, your doctor may come to the conclusion that you’re suffering from a thyroid hormone problem.

  The next step is creating a thyroid hormone treatment that’ll correct your levels and get your thyroid functioning closer to optimal.

Contacting Dr. Shel for Thyroid Hormone Therapy

If you’re suffering from multiple symptoms of hypothyroidism or are experiencing weight gain or other unpleasant symptoms, contact Dr. Shel of Dr. Shel Wellness & Aesthetic Center. We can diagnose hypothyroidism and provide treatment.

If that isn’t the problem, we can provide you with advice on managing your issue, offer hormone replacement therapy for sex hormone loss, and provide medical weight loss.

Before you decide on us, know you’re in good hands by reading our reviews.

Book your consultation today to discuss your weight gain and other symptoms and find a solution tailored to you. Call (281) 313-7453.