Thyroid issues and lack of sleep.

[krazykchan]

I just came back from an appointment with my Endocrinologist and apparently, my diagnosis has been changed from regular plain old hypothyroidism to Hashimoto's. My TSH levels were better last time (had to have my dose lowered) to being way over the top again.

Does anybody know if lack of quality sleep (eg, sleep apnea) messes with thyroid function? I really hope my slacker thyroid doesn't get worse and worse! Maybe when I start CPAP therapy things will get better?

For a couple of nights after my CPAP titration, my body was fighting me about getting even a little bit of sleep. It was kinda annoying. I'm back to "normal" now though.

[Babette]

Haven't a clue. Hope someone else with thyroid problems will speak up.

Generally speaking, lack of sleep contributes to just about every health issue. Getting better sleep can only help. I doubt it will contribute to a degradation of your thyroid condition.

Cheers,
B.

[travismcgee]

I just came back from an appointment with my Endocrinologist and apparently, my diagnosis has been changed from regular plain old hypothyroidism to Hashimoto's. My TSH levels were better last time (had to have my dose lowered) to being way over the top again.

Does anybody know if lack of quality sleep (eg, sleep apnea) messes with thyroid function? I really hope my slacker thyroid doesn't get worse and worse! Maybe when I start CPAP therapy things will get better?

For a couple of nights after my CPAP titration, my body was fighting me about getting even a little bit of sleep. It was kinda annoying. I'm back to "normal" now though.

I believe your thyroid condition will contribute far greater to your lack of quality of sleep than your sleep apnea will contribute to your thyroid function. Hormones produced by the thyroid gland have an enormous impact on your health, affecting all aspects of your metabolism. If it isn't functioning properly your body will not be in "synch" and this usually leads to poor sleep quality among other things of which I'm sure you are aware of. Treating your thyroid should be your top priority and can only make your CPAP therapy more beneficial.

[BML]

I also have the Hashimoto variety of hypothyroidism. It is basically an auto-immune issue - your immune system turned on your thyroid at some point.

Usually, when you have an hypo-active thyroid, among many other symptoms, you feel more/very tired. I used to sleep a lot or feel very tired when my TSH levels were very high. Getting as much sleep as possible helps but getting your TSH and T4 levels back to normal is what matters most to feel better again.

There is a link, how strong I am not certain, between hypothyroidism and OSA. BUT the hypothyroidism is seen as a potential cause or aggravating factor for OSA, not the other way around. If you are feeling very tired from your current hypothyroid state, the CPAP treatment along with stabilized TSH/T4 levels will help you to get the sleep and the rest you need to recover and feel like your old self again.

Bernard

[sagesteve]

travismcgee...DITTO here. My step-dad had his thyroid "killed" in his late 30's ( he just passed away at age 86 ). Funny, I JUST found out about it from my mother!! Would explain A LOT about him. I've always been pretty healthy and have raised my thyroid numbers with Iosol Iodine. I was running in the "norm" at age 61...I want to "feel" like I'm 30 again--it WORKS!
You can find it here: http://www.wellnessresources.com/produc ... iodine.php it's the ONLY one to use.

[JoyD.]

Hi Krazykchan,

I have had Hashimoto's Thyroiditis for some time, and I also have a medical background though I am not a physician, PA or nurse. Here is what I know: if you are over 50, your TSH may not be a reliable indicator of your hypothyroid state. Your physician may need to look at "FREE T3" . . . not the regular T3 which is bound, but to "free T3". This lab test usually has to be sent out, as even my University of Kentucky reference lab doesn't do it.

"Free T3" will tell you if your aging body is still able to convert the "inactive" T4 hormone (Synthroid, for example) into the "active" T3 hormone. If your body is no longer able to do this (because of aging) then you are suffering hypothyroidism even if your TSH is "normal". The only way to become euthyroid or normal would be to take the T3 hormone (Cytomel) along with your Synthroid (or other T4 brand). Thyrolar is a combo product which contains both T3 and T4. (Those who take "Armor Thyroid" don't have to deal with this issue, because the pig extract naturally contains T3 and T4.)

If you wish to PM me I can go into further detail. One reference you can give to your physician from the respected New England Journal of Medicine is: http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/340/6/424 Note: T4 = Thyroxine; T3 = triiodothyronine

You might also wish to read Mary Shoman's book "Living Well with Hypothyroidism: What Your Doctor Doesn't Tell You That You Need to Know" (ISBN#0380808986) which gets into this whole issue of the need to monitor FREE T3. She also has a great website chock full of good and reliable information (use her SEARCH engine) : http://thyroid.about.com/

You will not know whether your tiredness is because of your OSA or your hypothyroidism until you are sure your hypothyroidism is really brought to normal levels (that both your TSH AND your FREE T3 are normal).

CPAP wouldn't make your Hashimoto's worse. CPAP is only normalizing an obstructed air passage.

Joy

[riverdreamer]

I have Hashimoto's thyroiditis also. With Hashimoto's, your thyroid levels can fluctuate, sometimes very low, sometimes high. The thyroid kind of stutters as it is being damaged. For me, getting my thyroid hormone levels high enough to suppress production in the thyroid gland finally stabilized me. My TSH is almost undetectable, which is what you want. TSH is thyroid stimulating hormone. Stimulation is the last thing your thyroid needs when it is stressed. To get there, I have to take both Levoxyl (T4) and Armour thyroid (T4 + T3). Everyone is different, though, and needs to experiment to see what best balances them.

On the iodine, some people with Hashimoto's find that iodine aggravates their illness. You can find really good info on thyroid issues at http://thyroid.about.com.

I tend to agree with the people who are suggesting that thyroid illness would lead to OSA, rather than the other way around. However, getting good sleep can help with almost everything, so it may be circular, with each problem contributing to the other.

It can take time to feel the benefits of thyroid treatment. When I first started, I was told it could take up to two years to feel all the benefits, once I was at my optimum dose. Thyroid hormone affects every cell in the body, and the healing process takes time once the body has what it needs.

[howkim]

I just came back from an appointment with my Endocrinologist and apparently, my diagnosis has been changed from regular plain old hypothyroidism to Hashimoto's

I guess I'll join the club, here. I have Hashimoto's also.

In reality, the only thing that changed is that you now know the cause of your thyroid dysfunction. The Hashimoto's diagnosis does not generally change the treatment, which is to replace the thyroid hormone that the body is no longer capable of making. I will second the recommendation of Mary Shomon's books and the thyroid.about.com website as excellent resources.

[araminta]

I have been diagnosed with hashimoto's for about 2 or 3 years now. I understand it's a syndrome, not a disease, that often is associated with peri-menopausal issues.

The results of periodic blood tests showed that my thyroid #'s often would fluctuate between getting better, and then the next test is worse again.

Instead of taking a pill every day, and turning off my thyroid, I chose to turn to my acupuncturist for help. At this point, my test result (as of a few days ago) is WELL within the midle range of normal. And so it's been for the past 2 tests.

If you are open to alternative health care, and have access to a very good acupuncturist, I encourage you to resist taking the pills and try to manage the condition through other means. If you want to PM me for more info, I'm happy to help.

[JoyD.]

Ariminta wrote:

I have been diagnosed with hashimoto's for about 2 or 3 years now. I understand it's a syndrome, not a disease, that often is associated with peri-menopausal issues.

The results of periodic blood tests showed that my thyroid #'s often would fluctuate between getting better, and then the next test is worse again.

Instead of taking a pill every day, and turning off my thyroid, I chose to turn to my acupuncturist for help. At this point, my test result (as of a few days ago) is WELL within the midle range of normal. And so it's been for the past 2 tests.

If you are open to alternative health care, and have access to a very good acupuncturist, I encourage you to resist taking the pills and try to manage the condition through other means. If you want to PM me for more info, I'm happy to help.

Hashimoto's Thyroiditis is an autoimmune disease. It usually begins in women of reproductive age, and it also occurs in men. The thyroid gland is no longer producing sufficient thyroxine hormone (which the body converts to the active triiodothyronine hormone which is necessary for proper metabolism & affects almost every organ system). The medications or the pig thyroid extract used to treat it are not "drugs" that turn off the thyroid, but rather, "hormone replacements" to replace the hormones that the thyroid gland can no longer produce on its own. I can't imagine acupuncture being able to replace hormones.

My personal physician in Internal Medicine is a Complementary Physician, meaning she combines Traditional Medicine with Alternative Medicine and she continues to choose hormone replacement though she has a compounding pharmacy compound the exact portions of T3 and T4 individualized for each patient, based on "functional laboratory" testing.

[krazykchan]

I believe your thyroid condition will contribute far greater to your lack of quality of sleep than your sleep apnea will contribute to your thyroid function. Hormones produced by the thyroid gland have an enormous impact on your health, affecting all aspects of your metabolism. If it isn't functioning properly your body will not be in "synch" and this usually leads to poor sleep quality among other things of which I'm sure you are aware of. Treating your thyroid should be your top priority and can only make your CPAP therapy more beneficial.

Treating my thyroid has always been my number 1 priority. I've been fighting this for a good 2 years now (right around the time I started to sleep like crap...likely not a coincidence). I thought for sure that my lab numbers would come back normal since they were close to normal last time I had an appointment. But my TSH went up 2 points instead. My synthroid is up to 137 mcg now. I think treating both will do wonders for me. I'm really struggling to get through my college classes with all these health issues.

[krazykchan]

There is a link, how strong I am not certain, between hypothyroidism and OSA. BUT the hypothyroidism is seen as a potential cause or aggravating factor for OSA, not the other way around. If you are feeling very tired from your current hypothyroid state, the CPAP treatment along with stabilized TSH/T4 levels will help you to get the sleep and the rest you need to recover and feel like your old self again.

Bernard

There is a link? There is something I will have to research for sure. It seems that all five of my currently diagnosed health issues are related to each other in same form. I just feel like I'm falling apart and I'm only 22.

[krazykchan]

Hi Krazykchan,

I have had Hashimoto's Thyroiditis for some time, and I also have a medical background though I am not a physician, PA or nurse. Here is what I know: if you are over 50, your TSH may not be a reliable indicator of your hypothyroid state. Your physician may need to look at "FREE T3" . . . not the regular T3 which is bound, but to "free T3". This lab test usually has to be sent out, as even my University of Kentucky reference lab doesn't do it.

"Free T3" will tell you if your aging body is still able to convert the "inactive" T4 hormone (Synthroid, for example) into the "active" T3 hormone. If your body is no longer able to do this (because of aging) then you are suffering hypothyroidism even if your TSH is "normal". The only way to become euthyroid or normal would be to take the T3 hormone (Cytomel) along with your Synthroid (or other T4 brand). Thyrolar is a combo product which contains both T3 and T4. (Those who take "Armor Thyroid" don't have to deal with this issue, because the pig extract naturally contains T3 and T4.)

If you wish to PM me I can go into further detail. One reference you can give to your physician from the respected New England Journal of Medicine is: http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/340/6/424 Note: T4 = Thyroxine; T3 = triiodothyronine

You might also wish to read Mary Shoman's book "Living Well with Hypothyroidism: What Your Doctor Doesn't Tell You That You Need to Know" (ISBN#0380808986) which gets into this whole issue of the need to monitor FREE T3. She also has a great website chock full of good and reliable information (use her SEARCH engine) : http://thyroid.about.com/

You will not know whether your tiredness is because of your OSA or your hypothyroidism until you are sure your hypothyroidism is really brought to normal levels (that both your TSH AND your FREE T3 are normal).

CPAP wouldn't make your Hashimoto's worse. CPAP is only normalizing an obstructed air passage.

Joy

Thanks for the informative comment! I'm definitely not over 50. And I already know about the whole T3 thing. (I research a lot of things on my own). I figured that I shouldn't ask for that to get tested UNLESS my TSH levels were normal and I was still having symptoms. Should I be asking for it now? I mentioned it to my Endo once before and she basically told me that the T3 is not the problem.

[araminta]

I'm not a health care expert.

but I can say with great confidence that western medicine is quite limited in many specific areas of treatment.
e.g. years ago Bill Moyers did a wonderful series on this topic and documented the use of acupuncture to control pain, to replace the need for anesthesia during surgery, etc. But the Western docs couldn't begin to utilize an art that wasn't "measurable" -- acupuncture needles -- despite its proven effectiveness. This is a result of a bunch of issues, not the least of which is the concern over malpractice litigation.

For me personally, acupuncture's been remarkable in addressing many issues more effectively than western medicine, among them high blood sugar and thyroid. Of course, the reverse is also true: I'd never turn to acupuncture for help in setting a broken bone.

[krazykchan]

I tend to agree with the people who are suggesting that thyroid illness would lead to OSA, rather than the other way around. However, getting good sleep can help with almost everything, so it may be circular, with each problem contributing to the other.

It can take time to feel the benefits of thyroid treatment. When I first started, I was told it could take up to two years to feel all the benefits, once I was at my optimum dose. Thyroid hormone affects every cell in the body, and the healing process takes time once the body has what it needs.

I am not really comfortable with taking the iodine since I heard that it's a hit or miss thing. Everyone reacts differently to different things. I would rather not risk doing more damage to my thyroid that's for sure!

"It can take time to feel the benefits of thyroid treatment." Oh believe me I know. I've only been at this for 2 years. However, I know that I had thyroid problems before that. (The doctors just kept prescribing me Anti-depressants. ) There was also a time when I went for a year without health insurance and didn't take any replacement hormone for a year. I was stupid for doing that, I think I really did some damage to my body by not taking anything.