January is Thyroid Health Awareness Month: How Do I Know if I Have a Thyroid Problem?

Here is what you need to know.

The month of January is Thyroid Health Awareness Month. At Blessings4Ever, our duty and calling as an organization is to not only provide a comprehensive of suite of home care services, but to educate our patients, clients, and partners about important health topics in our time.

According to the American Thyroid Association:

"An estimated 20 million Americans have some form of thyroid disease. Up to 60 percent of those with thyroid disease are unaware of their condition. Women are five to eight times more likely than men to have thyroid problems. One woman in eight will develop a thyroid disorder during her lifetime." [1]

The thyroid is a small gland of the neck that is part of the endocrine system. This small gland helps regulate your body's metabolism. Problems occur when the thyroid creates too much of the hormone, or too little.

Symptoms that arise from the thyroid producing too much hormone include:

· Restlessness

· nervousness

· racing heart

· irritability

· increased sweating

· shaking

· anxiety

· trouble sleeping

· thin skin

· brittle hair and nails

· muscle weakness

· weight loss

· bulging eyes (in Graves’ disease)

Symptoms that arise from the thyroid producing too little hormone include:

· fatigue

· dry skin

· increased sensitivity to cold

· memory problems

· constipation

· depression

· weight gain

· weakness

· slow heart rate

· coma

If you or a loved one are experiencing these systems, please contact your doctor for an evaluation and assessment of these symptoms.[2]

[1] https://www.thyroid.org/media-main/press-room/

[2] https://www.healthline.com/health/common-thyroid-disorders