The thyroid is such a small gland that sits at the bottom of your neck. It has a narrow middle section connecting two wing shaped side pieces. Though this gland is small, it plays an important role in your health.
That’s why, when this gland goes haywire, it can wreak havoc on your entire body. Making sure that your thyroid hormones are in balance is one of the best things that you can do for your health.
Many people don’t even realize that the gland is malfunctioning until some pretty noticeable side effects begin to crop up. Anyone can develop a thyroid impairment that leads to hormonal imbalance.
Even children and teenagers can have problems with their thyroid – but thyroid problems leading to hormonal imbalance is more common in women. Your thyroid is the gland that gives you many different hormones.
Each of these hormones is important for your overall health. Two of the most important hormones the gland produces are known as the T4 and T3 hormones. Without the right amount of these hormones, it causes some big problems.
One of the first outwardly noticeable signs that something is wrong with your thyroid is a lump or swelling at the base of the throat. Some women with thyroid hormone imbalance report feeling like their ability to swallow food has been impaired or they feel pressure toward the bottom of the neck.
This is because when the thyroid is having problems, one of the symptoms of that can be swelling and this causes the thyroid to become enlarged. As it grows in size, it puts pressure on the windpipe and can lead to a goiter on the outside of the throat.
Some women with thyroid hormone problems can develop nodules on the gland. If your thyroid swells, that’s a common sign that it’s not producing enough of the hormones that it’s supposed to make.
If your thyroid isn’t producing enough of the hormones, you’ll notice that you feel fatigued. You’ll also notice mood swings – especially sadness or depression. You might struggle to lose weight even when you’re barely eating enough calories.
You’ll feel cold even when in a warm environment. Brain fog, thinning hair, constipation and dry skin are all signs that you’re lacking hormones. On the flip side, if your thyroid production is too high, you’ll have an excessively fast heart rate, your skin may get clammy, you’ll feel hot all over or have hot flashes, fatigue and you’ll lose weight rapidly.
Without a normal thyroid hormone balance, you simply can’t function well. If you have a family history of thyroid health problems, you need to get tested to see if you also have it since it can go undetected for years. You want to try to catch a malfunctioning thyroid before it wreaks havoc on your health.