As many as 50% of people with a thyroid problem don’t realise they have it (and most are women).

The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland located in the front centre of your neck. Just about midway between the under part of your chin and that dip at the base of your neck. The thyroid serves as the body’s thermostat: regulating energy, temperature and metabolism. It also controls everything from your mood to your menstrual cycles. Not to mention about a thousand other functions including how efficiently you burn calories and how easily you lose weight.

10 Signs Of A Thyroid Problem 

  1. Unable to lose weight despite eating a proper diet and exercising (hypothyroidism), or dropping weight too quickly (hyperthyroidism).
  2. Energy issues such as feeling sluggish (hypo) or feeling overly anxious and agitated (hyper).
  3. Sleep problems such as always feeling tired (hypo) or rarely feeling tired and unable to fall asleep easily (hyper).
  4. Moodiness such as lethargy and depression (hypo) or frequent irritability and anger (hyper).
  5. Unusually low (hypo) or high (hyper) appetite.
  6. Slow digestion (hypo) which can also cause constipation and bloating, or fast digestion (hyper) which can cause frequent loose stools.
  7. Irregular periods, heavy periods, fertility problems, or miscarriage.
  8. Joint pain.
  9. High cholesterol readings, even with a healthy diet.
  10. Being too hot (hyper), or too cold (hypo).

The good news is that, if identified, thyroid problems can be repaired.

Of course, it’s important to be careful not to get over-diagnosed and unnecessarily treated if you don’t actually have a thyroid problem. Your first port of call should be your GP.

Sometimes thyroid function can be recovered and restored with natural methods like stress reduction, diet, herbs, and supplements. Other times, prescription medications are needed long-term. But overall, it’s important to identify whether you have a thyroid problem in the first place so that you can get the help you need to feel like yourself again.