Feeling tired. Gaining or losing weight unexpectedly. Feeling unusually cold or hot. Noticing changes in your mood, heart rate, or sleep.
On their own, symptoms like these can have many explanations. But when several start happening together, your thyroid may be one of the things worth considering.
The thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland located at the front of your neck. Despite its size, the hormones it produces help regulate many important processes throughout the body. When thyroid hormone levels become too low or too high, the effects can show up in ways that are easy to mistake for stress, aging, lifestyle changes, or other health concerns.
What Does Your Thyroid Actually Do?
Your thyroid produces hormones that help regulate your metabolism, which affects how your body uses energy.
Thyroid hormones also influence functions involving your heart, digestive system, muscles, body temperature, brain, and other parts of the body.
This is one reason thyroid disorders can produce such a wide range of symptoms. There isn’t necessarily one specific change that immediately points to the thyroid.
Two of the most common thyroid problems involve producing either too little or too much thyroid hormone.
When Your Thyroid Is Underactive
An underactive thyroid is known as hypothyroidism. It occurs when the thyroid does not produce enough thyroid hormone to meet the body’s needs.
Symptoms can develop gradually, which sometimes makes them difficult to recognize.
Possible signs of hypothyroidism can include:
- Fatigue or feeling unusually sluggish
- Unexplained weight gain
- Increased sensitivity to cold
- Dry skin
- Thinning or dry hair
- Constipation
- Muscle weakness or aches
- Changes in mood or difficulty concentrating
- A slower heart rate
- Changes in menstrual periods
Not everyone experiences the same symptoms, and their severity can vary.
Many of these changes can also occur for reasons completely unrelated to the thyroid. Fatigue, for example, is extremely common and does not automatically indicate a thyroid disorder.
What Happens When the Thyroid Is Overactive?
An overactive thyroid, known as hyperthyroidism, occurs when the thyroid produces more thyroid hormone than the body needs.
Because thyroid hormones influence how quickly many processes occur within the body, symptoms can sometimes feel like things have sped up.
Possible signs can include:
- Unexplained weight loss
- Rapid or irregular heartbeat
- Feeling nervous, anxious, or unusually irritable
- Increased sweating
- Greater sensitivity to heat
- Difficulty sleeping
- Muscle weakness
- More frequent bowel movements
- Trembling or shakiness
- Changes in menstrual periods
Again, symptoms vary from person to person. Some people may experience several noticeable changes, while others have much subtler symptoms.
Why Thyroid Symptoms Are Easy to Overlook
One of the challenges with thyroid disease is that many of its symptoms overlap with everyday experiences and other medical conditions.
Feeling tired could be related to poor sleep. Weight changes could result from changes in nutrition or activity. Feeling anxious or having difficulty concentrating could have numerous causes.
Age can make the picture even less obvious. Some symptoms may simply be attributed to “getting older” when another explanation deserves consideration.
That’s why symptoms alone aren’t enough to determine whether you have a thyroid disorder.
How Are Thyroid Problems Identified?
Blood testing plays an important role in evaluating thyroid function.
A common starting point is a thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) test. Depending on the results, symptoms, and medical history, additional thyroid hormone tests or other evaluations may be appropriate.
A physician may also examine your thyroid and ask about symptoms, medications, personal medical history, and family history.
If a thyroid nodule or enlargement is discovered, additional evaluation such as imaging or, in some cases, a biopsy may be recommended. Having a thyroid nodule does not automatically mean that it is cancerous, but appropriate evaluation can help determine whether further care is needed.
When Should You Have Your Thyroid Checked?
Having one vague symptom doesn’t necessarily mean you need thyroid testing. But a combination of persistent or unexplained changes may be worth discussing with a physician.
Pay particular attention if symptoms are new, continue over time, or begin interfering with your normal routine.
A personal or family history of thyroid disease, certain autoimmune conditions, pregnancy or recent pregnancy, medications, and other health factors can also influence thyroid function or the likelihood of developing thyroid disease.
Don’t Try to Diagnose Your Thyroid From Symptoms Alone
It’s tempting to search a list of symptoms and conclude that your thyroid must be the explanation. The problem is that symptoms associated with thyroid disorders overlap with many other conditions.
Testing helps separate suspicion from diagnosis.
At SMC Physicians, our Endocrinology specialists evaluate and manage thyroid disorders as part of comprehensive endocrine care. If you’ve noticed persistent changes in your energy, weight, temperature tolerance, heart rate, or other symptoms that could be related to thyroid function, contact SMC Physicians to schedule an evaluation.
Your thyroid may be small, but when it isn’t functioning as it should, the effects can be felt throughout your body.
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