Thyroid symptoms don’t have to be the end of it. If you can manage your stress, you can manage your symptoms.
Stress is a part of life for everyone, but has it become a contributing factor to your thyroid problems? It’s commonly known that chronic stress is bad for your health. Many people don’t realize it can also directly impact thyroid function and can cause thyroid symptoms. That’s why it’s essential to learn more about how stress works in your body. Some of the most vital factors to know include:
Stress Affects Hormone Levels, Triggering Thyroid Symptoms
When you are under stress, it’s more than just a feeling you have to deal with. It causes your adrenal glands to release a hormone named cortisol. Cortisol is essential, but too much can interrupt the production of thyroid hormones. Thyroid hormones are needed for your body to function normally. Many people notice symptoms like trouble losing weight and constant fatigue when stressed.
As those adrenal glands continue to produce extra cortisol (which is typical for individuals dealing with chronic stress), the entire body, including the thyroid, can begin to shut down. This can even lead to an overactive immune system. An overactive immune system can further disrupt the functionality of the thyroid.
The Problem With Traditional Care
When you see your traditional care provider for help with low thyroid, they may give you one or two tests to see what level your thyroid hormones are at. Unfortunately, they don’t do any other testing to uncover the actual root cause of the problem. This is an issue if you suffer from chronic stress or other health problems. If you don’t want to leave every appointment wondering whether or not you received the information you need, it’s important to seek help elsewhere.
By choosing an alternative care provider, such as a functional neurologist, you will get the comprehensive testing you need to learn more about your health. Their priority is to uncover the root cause of your thyroid problem. That means looking at everything from stress hormone levels to the immune system. Once they identify the dysfunctions, imbalances, or deficits, you’ll know why your thyroid hasn’t worked well.
Thyroid Symptoms and Dealing With Stress
Once your testing is complete functional neurologist will provide you with a drug-free solution plan to help address your health issues. If stress does turn out to be something that’s affecting your thyroid function, then they may recommend solutions such as: relaxing more, taking up yoga, getting more sleep, or many other things that may help lower stress hormone levels.
As you continue utilizing the recommended solutions, you may notice positive changes in how you feel. However, to truly see your progress, your functional neurologist will regularly meet with you to update your test results. This may help you gain confidence knowing you’re making positive changes that can benefit you in the long run.
