How Being Stressed Impacts Your Thyroid
How would you define stress as? It is our body’s natural reaction to a threatening situation, where we feel anxious or fidgety! However, what happens when stress becomes an integral part of our life. Well, to say the least, it can affect our peace of mind and more seriously can damage our thyroid gland.
Thyroid is a tiny, butterfly-shaped gland that is situated in the front of our neck. It is responsible for regulating hordes of bodily functions like weight, body temperature, sleep, mood, anxiety, cognitive function, metabolic function and much more. Persistent stress can interfere with the function of the thyroid gland, disrupting other bodily functions as well.
Role Of Cortisol [2],[3],[4]
When a brain recognizes a perceived threat, it releases CRH (corticotrophin-releasing hormone) which directs the pituitary gland to inform the adrenal gland to produce cortisol (stress hormone). Cortisol helps us in situations like flight or fight where greater awareness and action is needed.
However, when stress is caused by our thoughts, the body still produces cortisol hormone even though there is no real threat. Pituitary hormone can’t differentiate between the real and unreal threat and directs the adrenal gland to produce cortisol. When chronic stress occurs, cortisol is overly produced, which leads to hormonal imbalance.
Cortisol further reduces the TSH (Thyroid-stimulating hormone) levels, interfering with the production of T4 (Thyroxine) and T3 (Triiodothyronine) resulting in fatigue, infertility, poor concentration, weight gain, hair loss, depression, and infertility. This is how stress can play havoc with your thyroid gland![1]
Ways To Manage Stress [5],[6]
- Manage Your Thoughts
Negative thoughts can significantly increase your stress levels. If any negative thought arises, immediately replace it with a positive one. Read or hear motivational quotes as it can help relieve stress.
You can also train your mind transit to a different thought when a negative thought arises in mind. For any stressful situation that you may be facing, figure out coolly, how you can make things better. You will see by merely practising these methods and controlling your thoughts, you will feel eased out.
- Get Enough Sleep
Lack of it can affect our neuroendocrine system, interfering with our brain and body’s functions significantly. In order to get good quality sleep, avoid mobile phones, laptops or TV right before you sleep. This will allow your adrenal gland to relax, slow down the stress response and lead to a more restful sleep. Sleep of 8 hours or more per night help reset the circadian system and reduce stress levels.
- Exercise Regularly
Performing moderate exercises and meditation will help improve your mood, energy, stress levels and self-esteem. During exercise, our body releases a hormone, endorphin that makes us feel energetic and good. However, make sure you do not overdo the exercise as it can enhance the stress levels.
- Balanced Diet
Having nutritionally balanced meals and snacking on healthy items twice a day will boost your metabolism. Avoid high consumption of salt, sugar, coffee, tea, cold drinks, processed foods as they are known to enhance the stress levels.
Chronic stress can cause a host of different problems in the body. If not managed on time, it can greatly affect the thyroid gland and result in thyroid disorders. Though various other factors contribute to thyroid disorders, stress is a major one.
References:
1. T3 and T4 – What’s the Difference? https://www.nursingcenter.com/ncblog/march-2018/t3-and-t4-%E2%80%93-what%E2%80%99s-the-difference
2. The Impact of Stress on Hypothyroidism. https://www.everydayhealth.com/hs/healthy-living-with-hypothyroidism/stress-connection/
3. 5 Ways That Stress Causes Hypothyroid Symptoms. https://chriskresser.com/5-ways-that-stress-causes-hypothyroid-symptoms/
4. THE STRESS THYROID CONNECTION. https://www.alimillerrd.com/the-stress-thyroid-connection/
5. Stress vs. Thyroid. https://www.nahypothyroidism.org/effects-of-stress-on-thyroid/
6. How Chronic Stress Can Cause A Thyroid Condition www.naturalendocrinesolutions.com/articles-chronic-stress-thyroid-condition/