Stress and Thyroid

Stress and Thyroid – Stress affects your thyroid through a chain reaction — the stress you go through affects your adrenal system, and your adrenal system affects your thyroid adversely, causing a drop in your levels of thyroid hormones. Because so many of us are dealing with chronic stress, our thyroid systems are constantly facing threats to their ability to function properly.

A chronic exposure to stress, and thus a chronic drain on your thyroid’s ability to work, increases your chances of developing high blood pressure (in addition to any immediate effects on blood pressure from the stress itself), fluctuating blood glucose levels, obesity, and higher levels of cholesterol. You can also develop adrenal fatigue, a condition that often accompanies thyroid disorders.

Stress is not just a result of events in your life. Your body can face environmental stress from toxins and pollution (everything from smog to the pesticides on your lawn) as well. Because your body faces stress from some sources that you can’t really control daily, you have to take charge and try to reduce the stress that you can control. In some cases this calls for eating better or finding a new job, but for most people, exercise is a fantastic way to reduce much of the stress they face.

Exercise has direct effects on your thyroid, including making it more productive hormone-wise. And you don’t need to exercise all the time to see these benefits — just take a walk for 30 minutes daily.

Of course, it’s better to get a little more exercise in the form of strength training because the additional muscle you gain influences your metabolism in a very positive way. To complete the trifecta of good health, get a proper amount of sleep so that your body has time overnight to recuperate from the previous day.