Hypothyroidism Symptoms Checklist is a list of symptoms, which are most commonly associated with hypothyroidism. If you have any of these symptoms, it does not necessarily mean you have hypothyroidism. However, suppose you do have a number of these symptoms, and your doctor rules out other possible causes. In that case, you will likely be tested for hypothyroidism and treated appropriately. Thyroid medication and alcohol consumption are closely related to each other.
What is hypothyroidism?
Your thyroid gland makes two hormones: thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). Most of the T4 produced by your thyroid gland is converted into the active T3 hormone, affecting almost every cell in your body, making it crucial for your body to function correctly.
Hypothyroidism Symptoms
Symptoms of low thyroid levels, or hypothyroidism, are caused when the thyroid gland doesn’t make enough hormone because the pituitary gland is not signaling in the brain that it needs more (or it’s signaling but only a fraction of what it should be receiving). This results in symptoms such as (but not limited to):
- Weight gain, weight loss, or difficulty losing weight. This is due to changes in your body’s metabolism. It can also be caused by fluid retention and edema.
- Fatigue and sluggishness, disturbed sleep patterns, constant tiredness, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), or Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome. These are all symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome/chronic fatigue immune dysfunction syndrome (CFS/CFIDS).
- Depression, decreased energy levels, reduced memory skills, loss of interest in daily activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed – are all symptoms of depression. They can also be part of CFS/CFIDS.
- An increase in sensitivity to cold temperatures is sometimes the only symptom experienced with hypothyroidism. This can result in an itchy rash on your arms, legs, and other areas exposed to the cold weather because your body is attempting to keep warm.
- Constipation, diarrhea, bloating, indigestion or reflux are all symptoms of candida Albicans – an overgrowth of the naturally-occurring yeast in your gut. This can be caused by several factors, including hypothyroidism and lack of sleep due to fatigue. Candida overgrowth tends to make you tired and cause a host of other symptoms such as depression and memory loss.
- Tremor (shakiness) in hands and fingers is a common symptom when there isn’t enough T3 hormone available from the thyroid gland to allow for proper nervous system stimulation, which results in the shaking sensation.
- Sensitivity to hot temperatures changed sense of taste, and swollen glands are all signs of an autoimmune disease such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, or Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.
- Unexplained hair loss is one of the first symptoms you may experience if your hypothyroidism is not treated quickly enough (or at all). This can be followed by thinning the outer third of your eyebrows – this can be one of the first signs that you’re having problems with low thyroid levels before any other symptom presents itself.
- Cold hands and feet or Raynaud’s Phenomenon. Cold hands and feet, especially during the winter months when it’s cold outside (often referred to as Raynaud’s phenomenon), is a common problem for those who have undiagnosed or poorly managed hypothyroidism.
- Dry skin and/or coarse, dry hair that breaks easily is a problem for many women with hypothyroidism – especially during winter when central heating can cause your body to get even more dehydrated than usual. This results in itchiness and scratching, which often makes the issue worse rather than making it better.
- Hair loss (alopecia). As well as hair loss on the head, you may notice increased hair growth elsewhere on your body, such as your pubic area and other areas where hair would typically not be found (hirsutism).
- Increased sensitivity to noise or pain, lightheadedness upon standing up too quickly, frequent dizzy spells, or fainting are all related to low blood pressure and low blood sugar – both of which can result from hypothyroidism.
- Hip or knee pain that doesn’t heal with over-the-counter medication is a symptom you should take seriously. Many people have been diagnosed with hip replacements due to undiagnosed/undertreated thyroid hormone imbalance.
- Constipation, gas, bloating, abdominal cramps. If you’re experiencing any of the symptoms mentioned above regularly, then it could be related to an underactive thyroid or other digestive issues such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). One way to discern whether this is something more severe than IBS would be through mapping your stool transit time – possibly through a program such as ” Colilert. “
- One of the most common early symptoms that almost all hypothyroid patients experience is depression. This can result in decreased interest in activities you enjoy and may even become so severe that suicidal thoughts arise.
- Fatigue, low energy levels, feeling tired after only a few hours of sleep, or restless despite sufficient rest. These are signs of a thyroid hormone imbalance when it has been left untreated long enough for your body to develop resistance to its effects – when this happens. It takes more stimulation from T4 to have any impact and leaves you feeling tired all the time without explanation.
- Difficulty concentrating, forgetfulness, or poor memory. Often experienced, those who have been undiagnosed for many years cause hormonal resistance. This can be accompanied by low energy levels, fatigue, and depression, making it very difficult to concentrate on work or any tasks which require mental alertness.
- Other symptoms of hypothyroidism include anxiety, chronic pain, constipation or diarrhea, cold hands/feet/pulse, chronic nasal congestion that doesn’t respond to decongestants, dry hair & skin, heart palpitations, joint swelling & stiffness.
- Constant muscle cramps are often related to an underactive thyroid level – especially in the lower leg area where people commonly have Achilles tendon issues which cause severe spasms when the muscles are tight enough. Low blood sugar is known to contribute to this problem because when your body isn’t able to make enough energy from your carbohydrates, fats, and sugars – it begins breaking down muscle tissue as a last resort.
- A common problem with hypothyroidism is “brain fog,” which makes thinking difficult and can contribute to insomnia (it’s tough to sleep when you’re suffering from brain fog). Many notice that their hair seems grayer than they remember and also more brittle and drier. They find themselves looking older than they feel because hypothyroidism speeds up the aging process.
- Though this symptom isn’t seen until the disease has progressed for many years, uncontrolled weight gain is due to hormonal disruption rather than caloric intake or activity level. This makes keeping weight off of those suffering from long-term hypothyroidism nearly impossible without proper treatment.
- Ketosis, menstrual cramps, hair loss, brittle fingernails, hair loss, inability to cry – all of these are signs that your body is in urgent need of thyroid hormone replenishment and signals it with the above side effects.
- Thyroid hormone imbalance can also cause sleep apnea or worsen existing cases because lack of energy prevents the muscles in the back of the throat from relaxing during sleep. This, combined with enlarged tonsils, can result in several lost hours of sleep every night for years before someone finally gets a diagnosis and treatment begins, which results in quality rest once again.
- In severe cases, patients will experience extreme weight gain despite eating very little food due to their suppressed metabolism that makes burning difficult. This is a dangerous situation which in the early stages, is reversible with medication and proper dosage since, in some cases, it can lead to heart attack or even death.
The list of hypothyroidism symptoms is a lot longer than what is mentioned above. However, this is a list of the most common symptoms typically associated with hypothyroidism.
Many who develop thyroid problems are women over the age of 40 because they naturally experience a slowing of their glandular activity, which causes hormonal imbalances known as ” menopause. ”
Even if your thyroid levels are low, there could still be other things causing the symptoms that you experience. Hypothyroidism is not the only cause of these symptoms, and it’s important to rule out other possible issues even after blood work comes back with hypothyroid levels. The other possible causes include (but are not limited to):
- Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism (the most common cause of hypothyroidism) can also be caused by an autoimmune reaction from your body that attacks and damages your thyroid gland, resulting in hypothyroid symptoms. However, many people who have this condition don’t realize it since it doesn’t always show up in blood work. This is called subclinical hypothyroidism, which means you have low thyroid levels. Still, they are not low enough to be considered hypothyroid (your doctor would usually only want to treat this if TSH levels were above 10). Some people may experience fatigue, weight gain, hair loss, constipation, dry skin, depression, or slow thinking even though their TSH levels are not excessively high.
- Hashimoto’s disease can also cause infertility in some women. Autoimmune diseases such as celiac disease and lupus can also cause low thyroid function (even if you don’t have Hashimoto’s) and cause hypothyroid symptoms. Other people experience low thyroid levels due to surgical removal of part or all of their thyroid gland, radiation treatment for cancer (which also causes your body to attack the remaining thyroid tissue), and taking too high of a dose of replacement hormone.
- One of the most common causes of hypothyroid symptoms, even though your thyroid levels are acceptable, is low cortisol levels, which can ultimately affect your hormone production. This is especially true for women because women naturally produce less testosterone than men. Low estrogen and progesterone levels can cause adrenal fatigue, making it more challenging to balance hormonal levels for optimal health.
- Several different things, including tumors, can cause pituitary gland dysfunction, inflammation of the pituitary gland, trauma to the head or brain, birth control usage, smoking weed (which reduces blood flow), high prolactin levels in your bloodstream (which can also be caused by an enlarged pituitary) and certain drugs that prevent the conversion of T4 to T3.
- Another cause of hypothyroid symptoms is chronic stress. Stress is a significant contributor to low thyroid function because, under stressful conditions, your body experiences a flight or fight mode, which shuts down the production of hormones, including those needed for thyroid function. This also increases cortisol levels, preventing conversion from T4 to T3, leading to even more hypothyroid symptoms.
- Insulin resistance is another primary reason for hypothyroid symptoms because insulin reduces blood sugar. High blood sugar can affect hormone metabolism by preventing cells from burning glucose as energy, ultimately affecting hormone levels. So if you have insulin resistance, you will have not only higher levels of insulin in your bloodstream but also lower levels of testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone.
- Low serotonin levels in the brain can also cause hypothyroid symptoms because serotonin is converted into essential sex hormones essential to your thyroid health. Keeping serotonin at optimal levels through diet, exercise, and supplementation of nutrients such as tryptophan, 5-HTP, or St John’s Wort will help maintain healthy hormone production. Another major contributor to low blood sugar is chronic stress when experiencing high cortisol levels regularly (a “flight or fight” response).
- If your adrenal glands are exhausted, they may not produce adequate amounts of cortisol when needed. This frequently occurs when people experience chronic stress in their life due to financial concerns, health problems, relationship issues, work problems, or other situations. Stress occurs during a “fight or flight” response because your body perceives a threat and releases adrenaline to provide energy for those emergencies. Over time, this can release too much adrenaline, leading to fatigue, decreased ability to handle stress, weight gain, anxiety, depression, etc.
- Chronic exposure to high levels of estrogen from either birth control pills or xenoestrogens (chemicals that mimic estrogen) can also cause low thyroid function and PCOS. Xenoestrogens are chemicals that have been linked with hormone imbalance and infertility, especially in women. One common source is the pesticide glyphosate which is sprayed all over genetically modified corn and soybeans.
- Possible causes of adrenal fatigue include chronic stress, environmental toxins, eating too little fiber or too much sugar, low thyroid function, low progesterone levels, genetic predisposition to weak adrenals, liver failure or disease, steroid use (like prednisone), and DHEA deficiency.
- Poor digestion can cause hypothyroid symptoms because the digestive tract does not adequately absorb nutrients. This prevents the production of enough enzymes needed for proper thyroid function, which results in even more hypothyroid symptoms that can lead to impaired nutrient absorption. Without balanced hormones, you cannot have healthy digestion.
- Food sensitivities are another common reason for thyroid imbalance, leading to even more hypothyroid symptoms, including headaches, joint pain, body aches, and other health problems. In many cases, food sensitivities cause inflammation in the body, which is a significant cause of chronic illness and low thyroid function. In many cases, food sensitivities cause inflammation in the body, which is a significant cause of chronic illness and low thyroid function.
- An autoimmune condition causes the immune system to attack healthy tissue, especially endocrine tissue such as the thyroid gland or pancreas. Over 100 known autoimmune disorders, including Hashimoto’s disease, which causes hypothyroidism, and Graves’ disease, which causes hyperthyroidism (an overactive thyroid).