6 Tips For an Energy Boosting Morning Routine as a Thyroid Patient

It’s no secret that many of us find mornings to be difficult when living with hypothyroidism, and often, other things alongside this too (such as adrenal dysfcuntion, Hashimoto’s, gut issues, chronic fatigue etc.)

Waking up feeling fatigued, nauseated, dizzy, weak, brain fogged and understandably grumpy are all reported back to me by fellow thyroid patients on a regular basis. One of the biggest complaints I hear is around waking up feeling unrefreshed and in fact more tired than when we got in to bed the night before!

Since my diagnosis of hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s, as well as experiencing ‘adrenal fatigue’ (thought it is more accurately referred to as ‘hypothalamic-pituitary axis dysfunction’), blood sugar imbalances and leaky gut – which all formed part of my ‘big thyroid jigsaw puzzle‘ over the years – I’ve learnt a lot when it comes to starting my day off as positively as possible.

The below tips are things that I have personally found to help me in the morning.

1. Stick to a Bedtime Routine

To have energy in the morning, one of the best things we can do is ensure we get to bed at a reasonable time every night and maximise how quickly we fall asleep once there. You can’t expect to roll in to bed late, ignoring your body’s natural rhythms and cues, and feel rested and recharged when you wake up.

Much like children need a good bedtime routine so their behaviour isn’t all over the place and they’re not throwing tantrums every second (think about how they often misbehave when overtired), we’re not going to feel at our best physically or mentally if we don’t prioritise good rest.

Figure out a realistic time to head to bed for you. I head to bed at 10:30pm and get up around 8am, though I often wake up naturally earlier. After a few weeks of sticking with a set time, it should become a solid routine and your body should naturally start to get sleepy at your set ‘bedtime’.

As hard as it can feel when you’re fatigued, try to avoid napping during the day, as this can really throw your body off when it comes to the evening.

For the last hour or two before bed, step away from screens (TV, phone, laptop), change any bright lights to warmer lamps and find activities that help you to wind down. These can include meditation, reading a book or taking a soothing bath (with Epsom Salts) or shower. Using a hot water bottle in bed can also help you to feel relaxed and cosy.

Using electronics too late in to the evening can interfere with your production of melatonin, the ‘sleep hormone’.

These tips can help you to get off to sleep without a hitch and wake up feeling better rested and ready to start your day. Read more about common sleep complaints and causes here.

2. Take Your Thyroid Medication

Please do make sure you’re taking your thyroid medication and taking it correctly. Take your thyroid medication routinely, at the same time everyday. It is most effective taken on an empty stomach, with recommendations to stay clear of food for at least half an hour and an hour for coffee. [1]

To get around this, an option could be to take your medication at night. Some studies have shown that taking Levothyroxine at bedtime may improve absorption. It also allows for you to have your morning cup of coffee without worrying about it affecting your thyroid medication. However, taking T3-containing medication at night is often not advised.

Making sure you’re not taking your thyroid medication within four hours of magnesium, calcium, oestrogen or iron containing supplements and medications, is also important. These rules help you to fully absorb the thyroid medication.

Missing doses of your thyroid medication can lead to you feeling rather unwell. To help me remember to take my medication in the morning, I use phone alarms to remind me but I also place my meds on top of my phone, so that when I turn my alarm off, I have to pick the medication up. 

3. Swap Mindless Scrolling for Something Engaging

What you’re exposed to when you wake up, impacts your first thoughts and feelings of the day. Instead of reaching straight for your phone and scrolling mindlessly, perhaps seeing some negative, political or moaning posts upon waking, stick some uplifting music on and ban social media for the first hour of your day.

I’ll switch it up and sometimes listen to music or an uplifting podcast depending on my mood. I may even play a YouTube video whilst getting myself ready for the day – one which is humorous, makes me smile or otherwise engages my brain better than non-beneficial scrolling on social media.

Music can be really powerful, especially your favourite feel-good songs, so create a playlist of them and make them part of your morning routine. Check out my playlists for thyroid patients here.

I also avoid watching the news first thing in the morning, as I find it to be a major source of negativity and don’t wish to hear all the things going wrong in the world when I’m still gearing myself up for the day. I can always catch up on the news later on.

4. Fuel Your Body

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

Having a health condition that affects energy levels, it is crucial that we give our bodies the best start to the day possible, with a substantial, energy-boosting breakfast.

Research has shown that having Hashimoto’s puts us at an increased risk of blood sugar imbalances or glycemic impairments and this then places extra stress on our adrenals, which isn’t helpful. [2]

You can find an at home blood sugar/glucose testing kit here, which is very easy to use and can help you to monitor your levels.

The best options for a blood sugar balancing breakfast revolve around protein, including: eggs, meat, cheese, quinoa and nuts.

Aiming to fuel yourself up substantially and balance your blood sugar will help to combat a crash in energy later on, but also any nausea and feeling weak. Many of us with thyroid conditions have extra sensitive blood sugar levels, so being mindful about eating with the aim of balancing this is really important.

Switching sugary cereal for porridge, or jam on toast for chicken sausages and toast, I’ve noticed this small change makes a big difference in how I feel in the morning. I no longer feel sick, faint, brain fogged or have acid reflux.

I would frequently experience nausea, dizziness and sweating before making these changes. Cereal was sending my blood sugar crazy, leaving me with an inadequate start to the day and resulting in a difficult walk to work. Having a substantial, protein-rich breakfast sees me through to lunch, ensures clearer thinking (goodbye brain fog), no nausea and more energy.

You can also try a mug of hot water with half a lemon’s juice squeezed in, as a morning pick me up. It’s a great way to kickstart your day, tastes delicious and gets your digestive system moving. You may want to use a straw though, in order to protect the enamel on your teeth.

5. Get Yourself Moving, Even a Little Bit

I’m not saying to go for a run first thing in the morning (and this is often not a great idea for thyroid patients anyway), but some gentle exercise to help warm up your body and get blood pumping can be a good way to start your day.

Gentle stretches, such as yoga practise, can be done in just a few minutes and give your body a gentle wake up to the day. YouTube provides free videos and tutorials and you can do them beside your bed!

Related article: What Is the Best Exercise for Thyroid Patients?

6. Investigate Reasons for Low Energy

As well as putting in place the tips above, it’s also important to investigate the possible reasons for low energy levels, too.

It’s worth exploring the below, in order to restore energy on a long term basis:

• Optimising thyroid hormone levels (you may need a change in thyroid medication to achieve this)
• Lowering any high thyroid antibodies (Hashimoto’s)
• Optimising vitamin levels
• Checking for adrenal dysfunction
• Checking for sex hormone imbalances
• Optimising gut health
• Looking for any food sensitivities (such as gluten)
• Ensuring you’re not over-exercising or doing the wrong type for your body
• Ensuring you’re not overcommitting your energy by understanding and implementing ‘The Spoon Theory‘
• Checking for Lyme Disease (You can find a test for Lyme Disease here.)

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Creating Your Own Morning Routine

Work out a comfortable amount of time you need to get yourself ready in the morning and stick to it. I usually give myself an hour from waking up to leaving the door.

Mornings will start flowing more easily and become more manageable once you’re confident that you can get yourself ready on time and feeling physically well.

If you need to take things slowly, such as resting between showering and getting dressed, then that’s fine; take it at your own pace but plan for the extra time needed. 

Do you have a morning routine that helps you to manage your thyroid condition?

References:

[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28153426

[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22378092