{"id":1769,"date":"2018-05-07T07:14:24","date_gmt":"2018-05-07T07:14:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/?p=1769"},"modified":"2021-03-16T17:53:45","modified_gmt":"2021-03-16T17:53:45","slug":"14-hypothyroidism-symptoms-that-are-hard-to-identify","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/14-hypothyroidism-symptoms-that-are-hard-to-identify\/","title":{"rendered":"14 Hypothyroidism Symptoms That Are Hard to Identify"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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It\u2019s estimated that more than about twelve percent of Americans will develop some kind of thyroid issue during their lifetime. And we can only guess that the statistic can be estimated to be much higher when we\u2019re looking at the rest of the world for a statistic instead. We can guess that many people who are reading this article will have been affected by the symptoms of hypothyroidism \u2013 and they might not even realize it when they are reading this!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Could you spot the symptoms of hypothyroidism if they were to happen to you or to someone close to you instead? After reading this article, you should! Here are fourteen hypothyroid symptoms that are hard to identify and just how to spot them as part of the bigger picture. Could you or someone you know be suffering from hypothyroidism \u2013 and could you spot the signs in order to save them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Delayed Puberty<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Hypothyroidism<\/a> is something that can be hard to identify and diagnose in itself, which leads to the fact that many doctors and people miss the symptoms of hypothyroidism entirely when they spot the symptoms of it happening. Just one of the symptoms that can point to the onset of hypothyroidism is the sign that\u2019s most commonly known as delayed puberty \u2013 that means that your puberty kicks in later than you would normally expect it to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are some other things that can be blamed as the cause for this, which include potential malnutrition \u2013 but if no other cause for the late-onset in puberty can be found, then it\u2019s time to consider that it might be due to hypothyroidism instead. When you suspect that you might have hypothyroidism, visit your doctor immediately so that they can check out the rest of the symptoms too \u2013 it is for your own good!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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2. Increased Weight Gain<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are many things that can cause a sudden increase in weight \u2013 that is also known as weight gain<\/a> \u2013 and you should by no means think that because you are suddenly gaining more weight at a more rapid rate than usual that you immediately have hypothyroidism \u2013 as that is almost certainly guaranteed to not be the case. You should be concerned with any form of rapid weight gain though, especially if this is completely different from your normal pattern of weight loss and gain that you would otherwise experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Any increased weight gain that can be called abnormal should be reported to your doctor immediately, and they should know to start looking for the other symptoms of hypothyroidism immediately so that you can rest assured that the condition is being treated as it should. Can you really say that your weight has been as healthy as it should have been?<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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3. Slow Growth<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One symptom of hypothyroidism that we\u2019ve already mentioned earlier on in the article is slow onset puberty <\/a>\u2013 while puberty occurs in different ages in different people and we can know that no two people are the same, especially when it comes to their childhood development, we can also say that any anomalies in their growth patterns should be taken as a potential symptom of something else: And the range of things that it can be caused by is longer than your arm \u2013 hell, it\u2019s even longer than the interstate highway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But if your teenager is suddenly experiencing any kind of slow or delayed growth along with any of the other symptoms we\u2019ve already mentioned, then you should consider having them checked for hypothyroidism as a condition \u2013 it could explain a lot of their other general health issues, and you can move to treatment once you know the cause for sure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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4. Hair loss<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Hypothyroidism causes many changes to the body, and many of these changes caused by hypothyroidism affect the hormones \u2013 that is, the body\u2019s reactive substances. Hormones are what tells your body how to react, and hormones can affect pretty much everything in your body \u2013 including the most obvious things that people often think of as \u201chormonal\u201d like for example experiencing sudden hair loss or your voice becoming deeper or higher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, all of these things are caused by hormones<\/a>, and thus all of these things will be affected if your hormone levels go up or down \u2013 and it\u2019s no different when we\u2019re talking about hypothyroidism. In most cases, it will affect your body\u2019s hormone balances \u2013 and this, in turn, will affect other things in your body, which can include hair growth \u2013 in most cases, this is experienced as hair loss. You shouldn\u2019t just take hair loss as a sign of age!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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5. Hair Damage<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Losing hair is not the only way that hypothyroidism is known to affect the hair. On the contrary, instead of hair loss, hypothyroidism can also affect your hair in other, very drastic ways \u2013 including a simple thinning of the hair to severe hair damage. As opposed to the loss of your hair, your hair is instead just becoming thinner and thinner over time, or just isn\u2019t as strong as it once was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want to restore the damage to your hair, the first thing you should do is visit your doctor and have all hormone imbalances<\/a> checked out immediately. Once you\u2019ve ruled that out, you can start taking care of your hair \u2013 take a look at changing your shampoo specifically to something that\u2019s been designed to take care of oily and damaged hair. You can also add some more to your hair cleaning routine with conditioner designed to repair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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6. Feeling Cold<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Have you been feeling a little more cold <\/a>than usual lately? No, we don\u2019t mean cold as in emotionally cold \u2013 and we don\u2019t mean cold as in the proverb about revenge being a dish that\u2019s best served cold. No, we instead mean cold as in a sudden drop in body temperature \u2013 and this will be the kind of drop in temperature that you can\u2019t blame on anything that\u2019s around you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s completely normal to expect the weather to cause changes in temperature, what\u2019s not completely normal is when your body still insists that it\u2019s feeling cold when in full sun \u2013 then, we\u2019d recommend that you get it checked out and start by treating your sudden coldness as a potential symptom instead. It can be indicative of hypothyroidism, or it can mean that you need to be screened for other conditions, some of which are well known to affect the heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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7. Constipation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Hypothyroidism means that your thyroid gland<\/a> is far too active. If you want to understand what this means for your health, then you should think of the fact that your thyroid gland exists so that it can regulate the levels of certain hormones within the body \u2013 and an underactive thyroid gland means that your body will react in ways that you aren\u2019t used to. One of these reactions that your body might experience due to an underactive thyroid gland is that of constipation \u2013 which most commonly means a difficulty with bowel movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes this is because of the fact that the colon becomes dry and irritated \u2013 in which case you need to drink more water \u2013 or sometimes this is because of the fact that the diet doesn\u2019t contain enough roughage to ensure a healthy movement, and this can be fixed with some easy diet changes that include a little more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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8. Sexual Dysfunction<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The thyroid gland is present in both men and women, and in all cases, the thyroid gland has exactly the same job: The thyroid gland is there to regulate hormone levels in the body. And hormones regulate almost everything else in the body, from how you feel when you wake up to how you respond to the people around you. It might not take you long to figure out what the next symptom <\/a>on this list is: Sexual dysfunction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It can manifest itself in many forms, but all of these forms are due to changes that you experience in your hormone levels \u2013 and what these changes do to your body and sex drive in response. Sometimes this comes in the form of a highly lowered sex drive, other times this comes in the form of a heightened sex drive instead \u2013 all due to a potentially underactive thyroid gland and hormones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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9. Enlarged Thyroid<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

An underactive thyroid gland might also start manifesting itself as a physical symptom when the underactive thyroid gland becomes to swell up: This means that your glands are either blocked up or not working as they are supposed to, and this is something you should always take note of when it comes to the nodes and glands in your body, (On another note, it can also mean that the body is currently fighting off some kind of infection <\/a>and your nodes are reacting in response \u2013 so it\u2019s always worth visiting your doctor when you\u2019re experiencing any kind of enlarged glands.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The thyroid gland is located in the throat, and an enlarged thyroid gland can affect you in many unpleasant ways \u2013 including your ability to speak or swallow properly if an enlarged thyroid gland remains untreated for a very long time. You should best get it examined by your doctor immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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10. Urge to Overeat<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Any changes in your thyroid gland are categorized by a change in hormones that react accordingly. These hormones coarse through your body, and they could be the first sign that something in your body is up. Have you been feeling more emotional <\/a>lately? This can be blamed as much on hormones as the urge to overeat \u2013 something which also comes when you are in need of something or when your body has decided that it\u2019s feeling seriously unhappy because of hormone imbalances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are feeling any kind of craving, mention it to your doctor just so you can eliminate any kind of nutritional deficiencies as a possible reason for your craving \u2013 but if that\u2019s not the reason, feeling the sudden urge to eat might very well be because of your thyroid instead. This type of urge to eat tied to your thyroid gland can easily lead to other problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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11. Slow Heart Rate<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are many more unusual ways in which hypothyroidism can manifest in your body \u2013 and many of these symptoms can easily be overlooked by even medical professionals who have been trained to spot any anomalies in the body. This leads to frequent misdiagnoses<\/a> \u2013 especially if you didn\u2019t tell your doctor the full scope of your symptoms. A slower than normal heart rate can mean many things, but did you know it could point to thyroid issues?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have an underactive thyroid, you can bet that the rest of your body is affected. Overall, you should know that a slower than normal heart rate is never a good sign \u2013 and always a good reason to go to your doctor and find out what the problem is. (Or, of course, maybe make an immediate trip to the emergency room depending on just how slow your heart rate is when you\u2019re reading this…) <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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12. Tiredness<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are almost countless ways in which hormones can be said to affect the body. If you have a hormonal imbalance, you can bet that it will soon be affecting your moods, it will be having a negative effect on your overall mental health: You might find that you are more likely to feel a sudden urge to cry for no reason at all \u2013 and we do mean no reason whatsoever. You might be happy or angry and have no reason what\u2019s going on with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or, you might be extremely tired all of a sudden when you are used to having plenty of energy and some energy left over when the day is done. Extreme tiredness<\/a> can be a sign that your hormones are suddenly out of balance \u2013 and coupled with some of the other symptoms, this could all point to signs that you have an overactive thyroid gland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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13. Brittle Nails<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As part of hypothyroidism, you might experience a range of symptoms that affect your hair \u2013 and generally all also associated with hormonal changes that take place in the body. For starters, sometimes hair quickly loses its shine and starts to fall out or become brittle \u2013 other times, you can expect to see hair start growing in places where you really didn\u2019t expect hair to grow. Both of these things are hormonal changes and both could point to an underactive thyroid gland<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You could also be experiencing the same types of changes in your nails instead \u2013 nails are primarily made from the same thing that creates hair, and the same stuff that affects the one is bound to affect the other. This includes the symptoms that are associated with hypothyroidism, and if you look closely you might spot the symptoms in your nails and hair long before you spot them anywhere else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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14. Dry Skin<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Almost everything in the body is either directly regulated by or somehow influenced by hormones in the body. These hormones are usually produced by your body itself or introduced externally when it turns out that your body doesn\u2019t manufacture enough of something \u2013 or happens to manufacture too much. In the case of hypothyroidism, these changes can quickly start to affect your skin <\/a>after it has started to take on the rest of your body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In most cases, hypothyroidism manifests in the occurrence of dry skin \u2013 which usually just reoccurs when treated. You should consider that hypothyroidism might be the overall cause of what\u2019s wrong if you\u2019ve had several occurrences of dry skin and been unable to find the root cause of it so far. And, of course, start taking good care of your skin if you aren\u2019t doing so already \u2013 some moisturizer has never killed anyone before, now has it?\r\n

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