hello and welcome to math simplified i'm dr umar malik and today in this video we'll be talking about a very important hormone in our body the thyroid hormone and what happens when you have low levels of thyroid hormone in your body the thyroid gland is a small organ that's located in the front of our neck wrapped around the windpipe also known as trachea it is shaped like a butterfly smaller in the middle with two wide wings that extend around the side of your throat the thyroid has a very important job to do releasing and controlling the levels of your thyroid hormone a main role of thyroid hormone is to control many vital functions of your body including your metabolism and metabolism is a process where the food you take into your body is transformed into energy this energy is used throughout your entire body to keep many of your body systems working correctly the two hormones created by the thyroid regulate how much energy is being used in the body when your thyroid works properly it will maintain the right amount of hormones to keep your metabolism working at the correct rate and thyroid disorders are very common in fact about 12 percent of people will experience abnormal thyroid function at some point during their lives and an estimated 20 million people in the united states are suffering from some type of thyroid disorder women are eight times more likely to develop a thyroid disorder than men also thyroid problems increase with the age and may affect adults differently than children thyroid problems can occur when the hormone levels are too high or too low on this basis the symptoms of thyroid disease can be divided into two groups those related to having too much thyroid hormone also known as hyperthyroidism and those related to having too little thyroid hormone also known as hypothyroidism in this video we will be taking a short look at how low thyroid hormone levels also known as hypothyroidism affects our body and what symptoms it can produce keep in mind that these are just symptoms and they are not definitive proof of the disease itself so before jumping to any conclusions on your own always consult a doctor for professional opinion so let's begin and look at the 10 symptoms you can experience if you have hypothyroidism number one feeling tired one of the most common symptoms of hypothyroidism is feeling worn out thyroid hormone controls energy balance and can influence whether you feel ready to go or ready to nap thyroid hormone receive signals from the brain and coordinate cells to change their functions depending upon what else is going on in your body those with high levels of thyroid hormone feel nervous and jittery in contrast people with low thyroid hormone levels feel exhausted and sluggish low thyroid individuals feel unrested even though they may be sleeping more in a study 50 of people with clinically diagnosed hypothyroidism felt constantly tired while 42 of people with low thyroid hormone levels said they slept more than they used to feeling sleepier than usual without a good explanation could be a sign of hypothyroidism number two gaining excessive weight unexpected weight gain is another very common symptom of hypothyroidism when thyroid levels are low metabolism switches modes instead of burning calories for growth and activity the amount of energy you use at rest or your basal metabolic rate decreases as a result your body tends to store more calories from the diet as fat because of this low thyroid hormone levels can cause weight gain even if the number of calories eaten remain constant in fact in one study people with newly diagnosed hypothyroidism gained an average of 15 to 30 pounds in one year since their diagnosis if you've been experiencing weight gain first consider whether changes in your lifestyle might explain it if you seem to be gaining weight in spite of a good diet and exercise plan bring it up with your doctor it might be a clue that something else is going on number three feeling cold heat is a byproduct of burning calories even when you're sitting you're burning a small amount of calories however in case of hypothyroidism your basal metabolic rate decreases reducing the amount of heat you generate that's why low levels of thyroid hormone cause you to feel colder than others around you about 40 percent of low thyroid individuals feel more sensitive to cold than usual if you have always wanted the room warmer than people you live and work with this may just be the way you are built but if you have noticed yourself feeling colder than normal lately it could be a sign of hypothyroidism number four weakness and aches in muscles and joints low thyroid hormone levels flips the metabolic switch of proteins towards catabolism which is when the body breaks down body tissues like muscles for energy during catabolism muscle strength decreases potentially leading to feelings of weakness the process of breaking down muscle tissue can also lead to aching a study showed that 34 of low thyroid individuals get muscle cramps in the absence of recent activity and one study in 35 individuals with hypothyroidism showed that replacing low levels of thyroid hormone with a synthetic thyroid hormone called levothyroxine improved muscle strength and decreased aches and pains compared to no treatment weakness and aches are normal following sternous activity however new and especially increasing weakness or aching in the muscles is a good reason to make appointment with your physician number five hair loss like most cells hair follicles are regulated by thyroid hormone because hair follicles have stem cells that have a short lifespan and rapid turnover they are more sensitive to low thyroid levels than other tissues low thyroid hormone causes hair follicles to stop regenerating resulting in hair loss this will typically improve when the thyroid issue is treated in one study about 25 to 30 percent patients seeing a specialist for hair loss are found to have low thyroid hormone levels consider hypothyroidism if you are experiencing unexpected changes in the rate or pattern of your hair loss particularly if your hair becomes patchy or coarse number six itchy and dry skin like hair follicles skin cells are also characterized by rapid turnover therefore they are also very sensitive to losing growth signals from the thyroid hormone when the normal cycle of skin renewal is broken skin may take longer to regrow this means that the outer layer of skin has been around longer accumulating damage it also means that dead skin may take longer to shed leading to flaky and dry skin one study showed that 74 percent of low thyroid individuals reported dry skin additionally the study showed that 50 of people with hypothyroidism reported that their skin had gotten worse over the past year number seven feeling down or depressed hyperthyroidism is linked to depression the reasons for this are unclear but it might be a mental symptom of an overall decrease in energy and health 64 of women and 57 percent of men with hypothyroidism report feelings of depression feeling depressed is a good reason to talk to a physician or therapist they may be able to help you cope regardless of whether the depression is caused by thyroid problems or something else number eight trouble concentrating or remembering many patients with hypothyroidism complain of mental fogginess and trouble concentrating the way this mental fogginess presents itself varies by person in one study 22 percent of low thyroid individuals described increased difficulty doing everyday math while 36 percent described thinking more slowly than usual and 39 percent reported having a poorer memory the cause for this are not yet fully understood but difficulties in memory improve with treatment of low thyroid hormone difficulties in memory or concentration can happen to everyone but if they are sudden or severe and increasing there could be a potential sign of hypothyroidism number nine constipation low thyroid levels can put the brakes on your colon according to one study constipation affects 17 of people with low thyroid hormone compared to 10 percent of people with normal thyroid levels in this study 20 of people with hypothyroidism said their constipation was getting worse compared to only six percent of normal thyroid individuals if you are experiencing constipation but otherwise feel fine try these natural laxatives before worrying about your thyroid if they don't work your constipation worsens you go several days without passing a stool or you begin having stomach pain or vomiting seek medical advice number 10 heavy or irregular periods both irregular and heavy menstrual bleeding are linked to hypothyroidism one study showed that about 40 percent of women with low thyroid hormone experienced increased menstrual irregularity or heavy bleeding in the last year compared to only 26 percent of women with normal thyroid levels thyroid hormone interacts with other hormones that control the menstrual cycle and abnormal levels of weight can disrupt their signals also thyroid hormone directly affects the ovaries and uterus there are several problems beside hypothyroidism that can cause heavy or irregular periods if you have irregular or heavy periods that disrupt your lifestyle consider talking to a gynecologist before worrying about your thyroid if you have any of these do consult your physician for further evaluation once diagnosed the treatment of hypothyroidism is by daily intake of levothyroxine tablets your physician will decide the optimum dose by correlating your blood work and improvement levels so friends here were 10 signs and symptoms that may indicate that you have hypothyroidism to know more about other thyroid related problems and how to manage them stay tuned on our channel for our upcoming videos if you like this video don't forget to share it with your friends and family you might just help someone who is confused about your 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