Signs Of Hypothyroidism

The thyroid is a gland that produces metabolism-regulating hormones. If an individual has a thyroid that doesn't produce enough hormones to regulate how their body uses energy, they have hypothyroidism. Doctors sometimes test for thyroid disorders during routine check-ups, but often they rely on a patient sharing symptoms before conducting blood tests to diagnose it. Blood tests will be able to confirm whether a patient's levels of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) are within the healthy range or not. Since the thyroid affects the brain, heart, lungs, muscles, skin, menstrual cycles, and weight, early detection of deficiencies are very important. Anyone who experiences one or more of these common symptoms should ask their doctor about testing for hypothyroidism.

Weakness

Having an underactive thyroid means the body is not regulating energy well. If your body thinks it's not getting enough energy, it will begin breaking down muscle tissue to produce more. This process is called catabolism and will cause the muscles to continually degrade. This leads to muscle weakness and aches unrelated to any strenuous activity or illness. Sometimes this symptom can be quite uncomfortable and can cause shakiness almost as if the individual has low blood sugar. If thyroid deficiencies cause weakness, the feeling will not improve after eating. Feeling weak over a period of more than a few weeks or weakness that gets worse over time may be a sign of hypothyroidism. Once treatment begins, patients should be able to regain strength and build back lost muscle mass.

Continue reading to reveal the next common symptom of hypothyroidism.

Fatigue

Hypothyroidism causes an energy imbalance, making patients feel fatigued. This exhaustion is unrelated to lack of sleep or working hard. Individuals with overactive thyroids (hyperthyroidism) will experience the opposite, and they will be jittery and hyper-alert instead. Extreme physical exhaustion is the most common symptom of hypothyroidism because of unregulated energy production. Individuals with low TSH levels may feel the urge to nap and might wake up tired after a full night's sleep. The thyroid affects so many processes in the body, so much so it is not surprising for patients with hypothyroidism to feel like they are slowing down in both body and brain. Fatigue could have many other explanations, such as disrupted sleep, stress, depression, and food allergies. If a patient can rule out common causes of fatigue, they may need to get their thyroid checked.

Get ready to learn about the next symptom of hypothyroidism now.