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Symptoms to look for that are related to thyroid include losing hair, gaining or losing weight quickly, irregular periods, feeling too hot or too cold and being tired all the time.
News18
Thyroid disorder cases have been gradually rising over the past few years, especially in younger adults and the younger working generations. Even though genes and autoimmune disorders play a role, the way we live our lives is becoming a reason for thyroid problems. We speak to Dr Aravind Badiger, Technical Director, BDR Pharmaceuticals, to understand the causes for this rise in thyroid issues in modern India.
The thyroid gland helps with metabolism, energy, heart rate, mood, digestion and hormone balance. If the thyroid hormone levels get out of balance a little bit it can affect our daily life.
Estimates indicate that about 1 in 10 Indians suffers from some form of thyroid dysfunction, with women being 5 to 8 times more likely to be affected than men.
People suffering from work stress, emotional stress, the constant bombardment with digital information and a lack of proper rest. The body makes too much cortisol (also called a stress hormone) when it is in a state of prolonged stress. Chronic increases in cortisol may affect the endocrine system and lead to abnormalities in the synthesis and control of thyroid hormones.
Thyroid disturbances caused by stress can be seen in the following ways:
● Always feeling tired
● Anxiety, irritability and changes in mood
● Mental fog and trouble focusing
● Disturbed sleep cycles
● Unexplained weight fluctuations
Lifestyle is also significantly contributing to thyroid dysfunction. Over time eating irregularly, relying much on processed foods, not exercising and poor eating habits can affect hormone balance and metabolism negatively. Thyroid problems may also be caused by not getting iodine, selenium, zinc, iron and Vitamin D.
Some modern lifestyle patterns which are now associated with thyroid dysfunction are:
● Eating too many processed and packaged items.
● Sitting lifestyle that involves little exercise.
● Bad sleep quality from using screens too much
● Unhealthy ways of losing weight, like extreme dieting.
● Caffeine with unmanaged stress
One concern is that we are constantly around chemicals that mess with our hormones all the time. These chemicals are in plastics, makeup, sprays to kill bugs and things we use at home. They can really affect our body’s hormone system. That can be bad for our thyroid for a long time.
Another big problem with thyroid issues is that people do not know what to look for or they think it is just because they are tired or stressed out. There are some signs that we should pay attention to like losing hair, gaining or losing weight quickly, having periods that’re not regular, feeling too hot or too cold or being tired all the time.
Taking care of our thyroid health is not about taking medicine, it is about stopping problems before they start and changing how we live. If we sleep well, eat food, exercise every day, manage our stress and go to the doctor when we need to, it can make a big difference in not having thyroid problems that last a long time.
