Is It Just Because of Midlife? (A Possible Hypothyroidism)

While you're feeling weak and tired and have trouble concentrating, you always justify things and blame them on midlife. You consider the signs and symptoms of normal aging process as the reason for your weight, hair, dry skin, and aches and pains. Not all sluggishness and weakness are due to aging. The above-mentioned symptoms can be due to your thyroid gland that is functioning in an abnormally slow fashion.

The slow thyroid (Hypothyroidism)

Your thyroid gland is a butterfly-shaped gland in your neck. It functions to regulate hormones of your body that are responsible for metabolism. Low levels of thyroid hormone can result to fatigue, weakness, constipation, dry skin, brittle nails, hair changes, and pains here and there. In general, you feel down. If undiagnosed and untreated, it can lead to high cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, and heart disease.

Women are more likely to have thyroid problems compared to men. More particularly, in some women, the onset starts when they get older, and the development is at a slow phase. In some, the phase may be in the course of just a few weeks.

If you have the following symptoms, visit your doctor. It might not be just normal aging process but a thyroid problem:

1. Fatigue. You feel unusually tired and have less energy.

2. You feel cold and chilly when people around you are comfortable.

3. You have loss of appetite but you are gaining weight. It's because of slow metabolism of breakdown of the foods you eat.

4. You have heart disease symptoms. You catch your breath and easily get tired and suffer from chest pains when going into flights of stairs or simply walking. You have high bad cholesterol and you have high blood pressure.

5. You difficulty in concentrating. You have memory problems. You have loss interest in the things you usually engage into and with.

6. You suffer from muscle aches and pains. You notice changes in your hair, skin and nails. You suffer from constipation.

Your doctor will examine you and he will request for blood examinations to check your thyroid function. Low thyroid function or hypothyroidism is treated with a daily dose of synthetic thyroid hormone, taken as a pill. Your doctor will regularly check your improvement.