Resolving Fatigue, Stress and Thyroid Dysfunction

Are you tired of being tired?

It’s common for everyone to get a little worn down, but this can be something quite different, for example, long term fatigue caused by high levels of stress. Stress alone will not cause a thyroid disorder, but it can make the condition worse. The impact of stress on the thyroid occurs by slowing your body’s metabolism. This is another way that stress and weight gain are linked. All the while, you may experience hypothyroid symptoms, such as fatigue or weight gain. Fatigue and severe exhaustion can be key indications of undiagnosed or insufficiently treated thyroid conditions.

Stress is a word that seems all too common in today’s society especially with COVID-19 Virus. Not only can chronic stress affect your overall health and wellbeing, but it can affect your thyroid.

Stress and Hypothyroidism

Your thyroid works in tandem with your adrenal glands. The adrenal glands, which are above your kidneys, can handle small amounts of stress well. When you encounter stress they release cortisol, which enhances various bodily functions.

The thyroid is a gland that sits across the wind pipe and manufactures hormones that basically manage our metabolism and energy.

One noticeable sign that your thyroid levels aren’t properly regulated may be fatigue. It can develop slowly or come on suddenly, leaving you barely able to lift your head off the pillow in the morning. You may feel like you can’t get through a day without a nap, or you sleep more than usual but still feel completely exhausted. You may not have the energy to exercise, or you may fall asleep during the day or very quickly at night and find it difficult to get up in the morning.

If your' experiencing exhaustion, which is frequently seen along with other hypothyroidism symptoms, the problem may be that your hypothyroidism isn’t sufficiently treated.

In order to manufacture these hormones it needs to have certain nutrients, predominantly iodine and selenium. Both of these minerals are deficient in NZ soils, hence many people have hypothyroidism.

Signs

• Tiredness

• Being colder than other people

• Weight gain

• Constipation

• Hair loss

• Feeling like you could sleep all the time

Hypothyroidism can be diagnosed via blood tests that measure the thyroid hormones T4 and T3 and also TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) that triggers their production.

How is it treated?

If you are diagnosed with adrenal fatigue, a first step is to make sure you have optimised your thyroid treatment. If does not resolve fatigue, there are other lifestyle, nutrition and treatment approaches to help get your thyroid function back into balance and improve your energy and stress levels.

1. Get enough sleep

It is recommended you get an average of 7-8 hours sleep per night.

2. Avoid stimulants

Stimulants such as caffeine, nicotine, and simple sugar — as well as prescription stimulants such as amphetamines — may provide a short-term boost of energy, but in the longer term, they may further exhaust the adrenals, and make it harder for them to recover full function. Experts recommend that you limit or avoid any stimulant substances.

3. Learn to manage stress

It’s important to learn to manage your stress levels. While some stress is unavoidable, you can make lifestyle changes, such as:

• Avoiding stressful news and media

• Limiting exposure to high-stress, toxic people

• Changing a high-stress job, or getting off a night-shift job

• Avoiding multitasking

4. Good nutrition

Processed and sugary foods, foods filled with pesticides and hormones, and foods contaminated with heavy metals are all dietary stressors. Experts recommend that for thyroid health, you should limit or remove these dietary stressors as much as possible such as gluten, dairy and sugary foods. A hair test can be done to test for any food intolerances.

5. Supplements

Taking supplements such as Selenium, Iodine, Vitamin C, Magnesium, Astragulus, Fish oil, just to name a few may also help support your fatigue, stress and thyroid. However, it is recommended you see a qualified practitioner to make sure you are getting the correct supplement and the correct dose. If you need further information or need support please email threelampschiropractic@outlook.co.nz or call

09 378 0069.

6. Exercise

When you’re exhausted, exercising doesn’t come to mind as a solution. Research shows that regular, low-intensity exercise oxygenates your blood, improves heart and lung function, and can decrease your fatigue by 65 percent, and increase your energy by 20 percent.

7. Drink water

Even mild dehydration is associated with an increase in fatigue. Getting enough water — known as rehydration — can reverse these effects and help improve your energy level. The old "eight glasses of water a day" is a good place to start. Some experts suggest as much as 1 ounce of water per pound of body weight. At minimum, drink enough so your urine is pale yellow or colorless.

If you are suffering from fatigue, feeling stressed or if your thyroid is not functioning properly and need some support to help resolve these issues email threelampschiropractic@outlook.co.nz or call

09 378 0069.