Sleep is important for everyone, but it's especially important if you have hypothyroidism. That's because fatigue is a hallmark of the condition. Hypothyroidism is a deficiency in thyroid hormones that causes metabolism and many other bodily functions to slow down.
Some studies show that sleeping less than 6 hours a day is associated with disorders of energy metabolism8. This indicates that normal sleep is necessary for the regulation and release of thyroid hormones.
Hypothyroidism also can affect your sleep by making you feel too cold or causing joint or muscle pain. Some people with hypothyroidism also feel extremely sleepy in the daytime, to the point that it's hard to stay awake. That condition is called hypersomnia.
You might feel run down, even if you're taking medication. Yet all too often, “people with hypothyroidism don't get enough sleep, or the sleep they're getting isn't good quality,” Hatipoglu says. Aim for 8 hours of sleep every night.
Take a nap. “Napping in the afternoon is a natural human thing because we have a dip in our energy levels in the afternoon as part of our normal daily cycle,” says Abrams. If you limit your sleep to just 20 to 25 minutes, you won't enter a deep sleep cycle, which means you won't wake up groggy.
Certain foods like fatty meat and cruciferous veggies may interfere with the production of thyroid hormone. Hypothyroidism can be a tricky condition to manage, and what you eat can interfere with your treatment.
Not enough iodine.
The thyroid gland needs the mineral iodine to make thyroid hormones. Iodine is found mainly in seafood, seaweed, plants grown in iodine-rich soil and iodized salt. Too little iodine can lead to hypothyroidism. Too much iodine can make hypothyroidism worse in people who already have the condition.
[1] A large laboratory data-based study by Ehrenkranz et al. showed that there is a significant circadian variation in the TSH levels with peak levels occurring between midnight and 8 am and nadir levels between 10 am–3 pm and 9–11pm.
Typically, people feel some improvement by one week and much improved by two weeks. Once the TSH level stops rising, this means the thyroid hormone is working. For most people with mild elevations in TSH (i.e. not higher than 20), it typically takes four to eight weeks for the TSH to come down to a normal range.
You may feel nervous, moody, weak, or tired. Your hands may shake, your heart may beat fast, or you may have problems breathing. You may be sweaty or have warm, red, itchy skin. You may have more bowel movements than usual.
Your thyroid hormones are involved with metabolism, which is how you get energy for the day. Without enough hormones, your metabolism slows down, causing weight gain, which means less energy throughout the day. Less energy equates to more intense fatigue. This can occur suddenly or can develop over time [2].
The afternoon crash means your blood sugar has dropped too low for your brain and body to function normally, causing you to become drowsy, mentally foggy, tired, and unmotivated. Unstable blood sugar is notorious for making it difficult to manage an autoimmune disease such as Hashimoto's hypothyroidism.
Lifestyle Changes Can Improve Hypothyroidism
If you're not feeling well, there's much to be gained from focusing on a healthy diet, regular exercise, stress management, and more to help you feel your best with hypothyroidism, says David Borenstein, MD, an integrative medicine physician in New York City.
The most common cause of hypothyroidism is an autoimmune disorder. This means your immune system starts to attack itself. It makes antibodies against the thyroid gland. Another cause may be treatment for an overactive thyroid gland.
An underactive thyroid is a lifelong condition, so you'll usually need to take levothyroxine for the rest of your life. If you're prescribed levothyroxine because you have an underactive thyroid, you're entitled to a medical exemption certificate.
Over time the thyroid usually returns to its normal state. Because the stored thyroid hormone has been released, patients may become hypothyroid (where their thyroid gland produces too little thyroid hormone) for a period of time until the thyroid gland can build up new stores of thyroid hormone.
The most severe form of hypothyroidism is myxedema, a medical emergency.
Primary hypothyroidism is the most common type of hypothyroidism. It occurs when the dysfunction is in the thyroid gland itself. Secondary hypothyroidism occurs when there is dysfunction in the pituitary gland. Tertiary hypothyroidism results from hypothalamus disorders.
How Long Does Hashimoto's Flare Up Last? Most patients who experience flare-ups say that their symptoms last about two weeks, although there are cases where the symptoms return for months or even years at a time.