Stress and The Thyroid: What’s the Real Connection

Stress and The Thyroid
January 29, 2021

Stress may indeed worsen an underlying thyroid condition. However, stress alone cannot cause a thyroid condition. For example, if hypothyroidism runs in your family, excessive stress can make your body release the hormone cortisol. Too much cortisol can interfere with your body’s thyroid hormone production mechanism, leading to a thyroid condition. Additionally, stress can slow down your metabolism and can cause insulin resistance.

What are early warning signs of thyroid problems?

If you have hyperthyroidism, some of your significant symptoms include:

  • Anxiety
  • Irritability
  • Insomnia
  • Elevated heart rate
  • Mood swings
  • High blood pressure
  • Brittle hair

In contrast, if you suffer from hypothyroidism, the major symptoms of the condition include:

  • Weight gain
  • Bloating
  • Memory loss
  • Fatigue
  • Difficulty processing information
  • No tolerance to cold temperatures

Also Read – Which Chemicals Cause Thyroid Problems?

Thyroid Anxiety in The Morning: Can thyroid problems cause anxiety?

Yes, thyroid disease can affect your mood and cause other medical conditions such as anxiety or depression. Hyperthyroidism is explicitly linked with anxiety. Remember that the severity of the mood swings increases with the severity of the thyroid disease.

Also Read – Hypothyroidism vs. Hyperthyroidism: What’s the Difference?

Can thyroid problems cause anger?

Yes, thyroid problems can affect a person’s mood considerably. If you are suffering from hyperthyroidism, your thyroid gland produces too much thyroid hormone. This can cause anxiety, which you may need to treat with medications.

Does stress affect TSH?

When a person is stressed out, a person produces a higher amount of cortisol hormone as a response to stress. Cortisol can suppress pituitary function and keep the TSH or thyroid-stimulating hormone from being released. This can induce hypothyroidism.

Can stress cause thyroid nodules to grow?

A thyroid nodule is basically a lump that can build up in your thyroid gland. They can appear as a single nodule or as a cluster of nodules and can be solid or filled with fluid.  Stress alone cannot cause a thyroid condition. However, stress can worsen an underlying thyroid condition.

Also Read – Thyroid Disease: Do You Have a Scalloped Tongue?

Can thyroid problems cause a lack of sleep?

Yes, thyroid imbalances can cause sleep problems. A classic symptom of hypothyroidism is feeling cold and sleepy. Hyperthyroidism can cause difficulty in sleeping due to continuous arousals from irritability, nervousness, or muscle weakness. A constant feeling of tiredness can also keep you from having a good night’s rest.

Does Vitamin D Help thyroid?

The primary function of vitamin D is regulating calcium, phosphorus homeostasis, and bone metabolism. Low vitamin D levels have also been associated with autoimmune thyroid diseases such as Graves’ disease (GD) and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT).

Can Your Thyroid go from hyper to hypo?

Yes, this can happen very rarely if the person is suffering from an autoimmune thyroid disease called Graves’ disease (GD). There have been patients who switch from hyperthyroidism to hypothyroidism. Similarly, a rare percentage of patients have also been observed switching from hypothyroidism to hyperthyroidism.

If you have thyroid disease and are looking for expert thyroid treatment near you, call us today at 843-572-1600 or schedule an appointment today with our thyroid treatment experts. We will be more than happy to provide assistance to you for your thyroid problems, including thyroid nodule treatment.

Also Read – Bromine and Thyroid: Things to Know to Keep Your Thyroid Healthy