Struggling to Lose Weight? Why Your Hormones Could Be to Blame
Your hormones play a big role in your body, including in how much you weigh. You should look at a few specific hormones if the number on the scale isn’t budging.
Always Exhausted or Agitated? 5 Hidden Signs of a Thyroid Disorder You Shouldn't Ignore
The thyroid is a tiny gland, but it plays a big role in how you feel. Your thyroid makes hormones that impact your energy levels, temperature regulation, and more. If you feel persistently off, it’s worth learning about the signs of a thyroid issue. This way, you can see if your daily challenges might be due to an issue with this gland.
If you think your thyroid could be the root of your problems, visit Ashok Kadambi, MD, FACE, and our team at Fort Wayne Endocrinology. Dr. Kadambi routinely diagnoses thyroid disorders. Then, he develops a treatment plan to help rebalance thyroid hormone levels and reduce the resulting symptoms.
Signs that something might be off with your thyroid
Thyroid disorders largely break into one of two categories: hypothyroidism, meaning your thyroid underperforms, or hyperthyroidism, meaning your thyroid does too much. That can result in symptoms, such as:
#1: Energy imbalances
Your thyroid hormones impact your energy levels. Too many of them can cause you to feel agitated regularly. You might feel nervous, hyperactive, or irritable.
Insufficient thyroid hormones, on the other end of the spectrum, can rob you of your energy. If you feel exhausted a lot of the time, it could be hypothyroidism.
This issue can also impact your sleep. If you have trouble sleeping, excessive thyroid hormones could be a contributing factor. Or if you’re prone to sleeping too much, that might trace back to low energy from an underperforming thyroid gland.
#2: Weight changes
Your thyroid hormones impact your metabolism. Too few of them can slow your basal metabolic rate, causing weight gain. High thyroid activity can lead to sudden weight loss.
#3: Temperature sensitivity
Have you noticed that you seem to run hot or are always colder than other people? It could be your thyroid.
Feeling cold is a hallmark of hypothyroidism. Or if you regularly feel uncomfortably warm, you might be dealing with hyperthyroidism.
#4: Digestive problems
Your stool can signal that something’s off with your thyroid gland. Too much thyroid hormone can contribute to diarrhea, while too little can leave you constipated.
#5: Skin changes
With hypothyroidism, your skin might feel particularly dry. On the flip side, hyperthyroidism can contribute to more oil production in your skin, along with increased sweat production.
What to do if you might have a thyroid problem
If any of these signs sound familiar, see Dr. Kadambi. He can help you determine if your unwelcome symptoms come from a thyroid issue. He can use our on-site lab to analyze your thyroid hormone levels.
If you do have an over- or underactive thyroid gland, he personalizes treatment to help balance your hormone levels and improve your symptoms. For example, if you have hypothyroidism, he may recommend taking replacement thyroid hormones. Or if you have hyperthyroidism, he can tailor treatment to decrease your thyroid’s production of hormones.
Don’t ignore symptoms that are impacting your quality of life. If you think you might have a thyroid issue, book your appointment online or contact our Fort Wayne, Indiana, office today.
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