The thyroid gland is a small organ at the base of your throat – but great things tend to come in small packages! It’s main responsibility is controlling the metabolism (your weight!), but it has a plethora of additional functions. It helps control your breathing, heart rate, muscle growth, menstruation, body temperature, and more! The thyroid is a serious powerhouse.
The thyroid produces two main hormones: Triiodothyronine (T3) and Thyroxine (T4). It is so so sooo important to keep these hormones in balance (not too high or not too low) in order to keep your thyroid healthy. And a healthy thyroid leads to a healthy weight, heart rate, menstruation… you get the idea!
Hyperthyroidism occurs when you have too much T3 or T4 production, and can lead to things like:
- Anxiety
- Nervousness
- Sweating
- High body temperatures
- Shaking
- Hair loss
- Missed periods
On the other hand, hypothyroidism occurs when you have too little T3 or T4 production, and can lead to:
- Poor sleep
- Fatigue
- Lack of focus
- Dry skin
- Depression
- Low body temperatures
- Heavy periods
These symptoms are not meant for diagnosis – they are meant to bring awareness to possible problems you may have in your body. The only person that can diagnose your thyroid levels is your doctor, and he or she will have to do a blood test to properly diagnose (yes, needles!). So if you are doing everything you can to get a healthy metabolism, but nothing is working, ask your doctor if the thyroid is functioning properly.
And for natural ways to balance your thyroid, read our article on Balancing Your Thyroid.
