Mental effectiveness, Strategic thinking & low thyroid function

For such a small gland, the thyroid certainly packs a punch. I'm often asked, “What does the thyroid do?” and I answer, “The better question is, what doesn’t it do?”.

Thyroid hormones virtually control every cell, organ and tissue in your body which explains why you can feel so out of whack when your thyroid isn’t working properly.

The brain is a major target for thyroid hormones with hormone deficiencies in scientific studies reporting decrements in intelligence, concentration, memory, perception and executive function.

As the controller of metabolism, the thyroid gland is responsible for the speed in which your food is broken down and converted to energy. Having a “fast” or “slow” metabolism is governed by your thyroid and every single cell including the brain relies on the thyroid gland to function well. Healthy thyroid hormone levels are imperative for many important functions. Here's just a few:

- Menstrual cycles & fertility

- Digestion

- Mood & overall mental health

- Heart function

- Brain function

- Bone density

When I see any TSH (Thyroid stimulating hormone) over the optimal Naturopathic range (a more narrow range than indicated on conventional blood tests), I always look more closely at the thyroid as a cause or factor in a person’s health condition.

Some common symptoms of low thyroid function I look for are:

- Weight gain despite a healthy diet & exercise

- Loss of outer eyebrows

- Inability to lose weight when you're doing everything right (weight lose near to impossible)

- Water retention

- High cholesterol

- Fatigue

- Extra sensitive to the cold; unable to warm up

- Depression & anxiety; loss of motivation

- Insomnia

- Irregular periods and fertility issues

- Cognition problems from foggy brain, to bad memory & general mental slowing

- Low libido

- Constipation & chronic gut problems (digestion slows down too!)

- Low iron levels

- Slow wound healing

- Muscle cramps

- Dry, itchy skin

- Brittle, dry hair & hair loss

As someone that has suffered with low thyroid function for many years due to the autoimmune condition, Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, thyroid health is a passion for me. It has several causes and is not just about having difficulty in burning fat, often being the cause for fatigue, brain fog and cognition issues that influence your effectiveness at work.

Noticing any cognition changes certainly warrants investigating your thyroid function in more detail and whilst more prevalent in females, males are affected.