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Seriphos

General Update #7

Read the last blog in this series. After finding out I had adrenal dysfunction in the form…

General Updates #1 to #5

General Updates #1 to #5

(This post combines all information I previously published in many, much smaller posts, condensed in to…

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theinvisiblehypothyroidism

👟Exercising with thyroid disease can prove diff

👟Exercising with thyroid disease can prove difficult and if you used to be a very active person before the onset of your thyroid condition, it can be hard to accept that your exercise regimen may need to change so as not to make yourself more unwell.

•••

😫 The ability to withstand the same exercise as before can be affected, So the important first step is learning how to adapt your exercise by listening to your own body.

🙌🏻 No two thyroid patients are the same, but we can all benefit from going at our OWN pace.

🏋️‍♀️Still enjoying the same exercise as you did before your diagnosis with no negative consequences? Great! But it’s not the same for all of us.

🥴 Over exercising is a real issue for many thyroid patients, and doing this can cause you more harm than good, actually hindering your recovery from thyroid symptoms and stopping you from getting your thyroid condition under control.

😱 Repeatedly engaging in overly demanding exercise can cause a surge of biochemical imbalances to occur within the body which can further affect thyroid function.

👂 Listening to our bodies is crucial and taking things at our own pace will help us to avoid overexercising or doing the wrong kind for our bodies.

🚶‍♂️ Exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle and can help us to feel better with our thyroid condition as long as we get it right.

🏊‍♀️ Exercise options that tend to be popular among thyroid patients include yoga, Pilates, walking, swimming, gentle cycling and dancing.

🔑 The key is to find something that can be done at your own pace and gradually increased in terms of frequency and intensity until you find the right match for you.

❓How will you know when you’ve got it? The right exercise will be promoting more energy instead of draining you further. You should feel energised after exercise and not worse off or worse thyroid symptoms such as fatigue.

•••

👇Let me know in the comments what exercise works for you! and remember that you can find this kind of info & so much more useful stuff in my bestselling book ‘Be Your Own Thyroid Advocate’, available on Amazon! 📖

- Rachel 🦋💙

Hi! 👋 I’m Rachel Hill, and I am… •••

Hi! 👋 I’m Rachel Hill, and I am…

•••

👋 A thyroid patient (I have Hashimoto’s - in remission - and hypothyroidism)

👋 The leading UK thyroid advocate - which means I represent the thyroid patient experience, advocate for better treatment and diagnosis, spread awareness and generally want to share what I have learned as a thyroid patient myself!

👋 I am multi-award winning. ☺️ Having won awards that recognise my advocacy efforts in the online world!

👋 I have authored 3 books for thyroid patients and their friends and family! All became instant bestselling status and number 1 new releases on Amazon.

👋 I speak at events about thyroid disease. I am also frequently on podcasts and have been on radio and tv.

👋 I write (email newsletters, online articles).

👋 I have many social media communities - this Instagram page, a busy Facebook page, as well as a bustling Facebook group of 125,000+ people.

👋 I have been on various boards, councils and more (non-profit, judging awards, patient leadership council)

👋 I have worked with UK thyroid charities and US thyroid organisations.

👋 I am a mother of two young boys, born two years apart, which has been interesting on my thyroid health (which I’ve documented!)

👋 I have gone from barely living with thyroid disease to thriving again - and all the ups and downs in between! Combining conventional and functional / lifestyle medicine, which I share all about online and in my books.

👋 I believe there is no one-size-fits-all thyroid treatment. So I share all about this! I’m on Armour + Levo myself, but also needed a lot of lifestyle changes / support to recover.

👋 You will always find me being honest about these experiences!

👋 I love reading, walking, growing plants, cooking and baking, retro fashion, games nights and travelling. I turn 31 this year.

•••

👀 Anything else you want to know?

- Rachel 🦋💙

😴 Does this feel familiar?! ••• The typ

😴 Does this feel familiar?!

•••

The types of sleep issues I am asked about frequently include:

💤 Not being able to get to sleep. Feeling ‘Tired but wired‘.

💤 Waking up frequently during the night.

💤 Waking up at 3am and not being able to get back to sleep.

💤 Waking up feeling unrefreshed or perhaps ‘more tired’ than when you went to bed the night before.

💤 Thyroid symptoms keeping you awake, such as muscle cramps and aches and pains.

💤 Sleep apnea.

💤 Night Sweats.

•••

If you’re experiencing any of these, be sure to check:

✅ Adrenals: cortisol levels. Too high especially and it can really disturbed your sleep.

✅ Thyroid: non-optimised Free T3 levels can impact sleep and feeling well-rested. Having Hashimoto’s can also be linked to having sleep apnea. Keeping thyroid antibodies low can help with this.

✅ Getting in some exercise, sunlight and fresh air during the day.

✅ Having a consistent bedtime routine. Make it a time to unwind and turn off screens a couple of hours before!

✅ Diet: alcohol and caffeine are notorious for affecting sleep but you can also look at your blood sugar. Try a protein focused snack just before bed.

✅ Vitamin levels: iron, ferritin, b12, D etc.

✅ Sex hormones: oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone. Imbalances can cause night sweats as well as sleep disturbances.

•••

👇 Let me know your experiences with this in the comments and as always, follow me for more thyroid info and please check out the resources linked in my bio for more support!

- Rachel 🦋💙

❗️these are only a few! ••• There is

❗️these are only a few!

•••

There is also:

🦋Tiredness or fatigue
🦋Poor stamina
🦋Feeling weak
🦋The need to nap more than others
🦋Long recovery period after activity
🦋Arms feeling like dead weights after activity, limb numbness
🦋Inability to exercise, or withstand certain exercises
🦋Diagnosis of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
🦋Sensitivity to cold or heat
🦋Weight gain and inability to lose weight
🦋Unintentional weight loss (less common)
🦋Constipation
🦋Depression
🦋Anxiety
🦋Feeling more emotional than usual / mental health struggles
🦋Slow movements, speech and thoughts
🦋Brain fog, confusion and memory problems
🦋Itchy and sore scalp. Dry, tight skin. Eczema.
🦋Muscle aches, pains, cramps and weakness
🦋Poor appetite
🦋Brittle hair and nails
🦋Hair loss
🦋Hair not retaining hair dye
🦋Loss of libido (no sex drive)
🦋Numbness in limbs
🦋Irregular periods or heavy periods, any period complaints
🦋Fertility issues
🦋Migraines and headaches
🦋Hoarse voice
🦋A puffy-looking face, “Moon Face”
🦋Thinned or partly missing eyebrows
🦋A slow heart rate or one that increases more so than a healthy person’s after physical activity (e.g. after walking up the stairs or emptying the washing machine)
🦋Hearing loss, tinnitus
🦋Anaemia
🦋Poor circulation
🦋High or rising cholesterol
🦋Acid reflux
🦋Poor levels of iron, B12, Vitamin D etc.
🦋IBS / gut issues
🦋Easy bruising
🦋Swollen legs that impede walking
🦋Frequent shin splints
🦋Difficulty standing on feet for long

•••

❗️Many people find that they have their own combination of this long list of symptoms or even experience something not shown here.

❗️In fact, this list is by no means exhaustive; I’m always hearing about new symptoms. Feel free to add yours below!

❗️As thyroid hormone is required for every cell and every function in the body, when we don’t have enough of them, the effects are far reaching.

•••

👇 I have created comprehensive articles for most of the symptoms listed here! So if you want an article on a specific symptom, drop the symptom below and I’ll send you that article. ☺️

(the articles cover how to overcome those symptoms)

- Rachel 🦋💙

© Rachel Gask and The Invisible Hypothyroidism, 2015-2024. All Rights Reserved.

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