Hypothyroidism & mental health – how it can affect you
Have you noticed that your mental health isn’t quite right since your hypothyroid diagnosis? Or perhaps it was one of the first indicators that led to you seeking medical advice?
An underactive thyroid gland is not just about weight gain or fatigue. It has some very real impacts on your mental wellbeing. So if you’ve been diagnosed as hypothyroid, you need to know how it can affect your mental health.
Let’s take a closer look at the link between an underactive thyroid and mental health concerns.
This is how hypothyroidism can mess with your mood
Your mood, your emotions, and even your thoughts can be influenced by your thyroid gland. This is because the thyroid hormones are truly master hormones – they affect all cells in the body, including those in your brain and nervous system.
Some of the ways that an underactive thyroid can directly impact your mental wellbeing include:
Regulating brain chemicals – the thyroid is responsible for ensuring we produce healthy levels of chemicals such as serotonin, dopamine and GABA that help us to feel happy, balanced and calm. But when there isn’t enough thyroid hormone to go around, this can lead to symptoms of depression, anxiety, mood swings, and an inability to cope with stress.
Memory & cognition – the thyroid also supports general brain function. So when there isn’t sufficient thyroid function, it can lead to poor concentration, brain fog, feeling mentally fatigued and memory issues.
Sleep disturbances – when it comes to mental health, both quality & quantity of sleep are key. But when your thyroid is underactive, it can disrupt your sleep patterns. As a result, you may oversleep, feel chronically tired, and in some cases, suffer from insomnia. This can all feed into poor mental health.
Reduced stress tolerance – the thyroid works closely with the adrenals and other hormones that influence your ability to cope with stress. So when thyroid levels are low, your stress hormones are affected, as is your tolerance level of stress. This means that things that would usually be easy to cope with feel far more overwhelming, contributing to poor mental health.
What about the indirect impact?
It’s not just the direct effects of the symptoms that can cause issues. There is also the emotional and mental strain of having a chronic condition.
The indirect impacts on your mental wellbeing include:
Increased stress overall – it can be a lot to deal with having a chronic condition! There are more medical visits, having to take medication, changes to your diet and lifestyle, the stress of flare-ups… all of this adds up to more baseline stress than what you likely had before your diagnosis.
Self-confidence – an underactive thyroid can affect your physical appearance. For example, you may experience weight gain, hair loss, or even changes to your skin. These can reduce your self-confidence and interfere with your mental health as a result.
Feeling isolated – people with chronic illness can often feel disconnected from friends and family who don’t have major health concerns. You might have to cancel plans, say no more often, and you may even have people in your life who simply don’t understand what it’s like to have a chronic condition. This contributes to feelings of loneliness, isolation and depression. It can also exacerbate feelings of anxiety and stress because you’re constantly thinking about what you can and can’t do.
Financial concerns – like any chronic condition, it can be pricey to manage hypothyroidism, particularly in the early stages. You may need to see specialists, try different medication options, and even add in some diet, supplement & lifestyle changes. The additional expenses can mean you feel stress about your money situation, which adds to the overall stress burden.
THE POWER IS IN YOUR HANDS
When you receive a thyroid disease diagnosis, there’s a good chance you’ll feel overwhelmed and powerless. It could even be that you’re not clear on what’s driving it or where it came from!
But even if you’re still uncovering the cause, it doesn’t mean you need to suffer the symptoms forever! Your daily habits can make a massive difference – all you need to do is learn about your condition and empower yourself.
READY TO FEEL IN CONTROL OF YOUR WELLBEING AGAIN?
Check out my Ultimate VIP Thyroid Recovery Program here.