Highlighting the importance of thyroid health and stress’ effect on thyroid health for Thyroid Awareness Month.
Healthy regulation of hormones is critical to an individual’s overall health, and the body’s thyroid gland controls the flow of hormones, maintaining many of its most important functions. The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped endocrine gland located in the lower front portion of the neck.
The thyroid both produces and regulates hormones, which are secreted into the blood and carried into every tissue in the body. This constant system helps to keep a person’s energy stable and temperature regulated. It also keeps the brain, heart, muscles, and other organs working as they should, according to the American Thyroid Association.
Without a properly functioning thyroid gland, patients may experience a wide range of symptoms and health complications such as thinning bones and muscle issues, high cholesterol, and an irregular heartbeat leading to blood clots, stroke, and heart failure.
An estimated 20 million Americans have some form of thyroid disease, according to the American Thyroid Association, and more than 12% of the U.S. population will develop a thyroid condition at some point throughout their lifetime. Excess stress and certain lifestyle choices have been known to exacerbate thyroid conditions. Thyroid conditions are more prevalent in women than men, with one in eight women estimated to potentially develop a thyroid disorder during her lifetime.
Understanding hormonal imbalance
The major thyroid hormone secreted by the thyroid gland is thyroxine (also known as T4). The body, at times, needs to produce more of these types of thyroid hormones, while other times it may need less. The thyroid gland works with the pituitary gland to control the correct amount of hormones in order to support internal process.
The thyroid and pituitary gland together act in many ways like a heater and a thermostat within the body, according to the American Thyroid Association. When the heater is off and it becomes cold, a thermostat reads the temperature and turns on the heater. When the heat rises to an appropriate level, a thermostat senses this and turns off the heater. Thus, the thyroid and the pituitary glands, much like a heater and thermostat, turn “on” and “off.”
This delicate internal system, however, doesn’t always function normally, and hormone imbalances can lead to a wide range of health issues. About 1 in 100 Americans aged 12 and older have hyperthyroidism, and nearly 5 out of 100 Americans have hypothyroidism, according to The National Institutes of Health.
Hyperthyroidism refers to when the thyroid gland is producing too much thyroid hormone, and hypothyroidism is an underactive thyroid gland, meaning the thyroid cannot make enough thyroid hormone to keep the body functioning normally.
When a surplus of hormones is produced, the body’s metabolism goes into overdrive, and as a result, patients may experience symptoms such as weight loss, sweating, nervousness, or a rapid heartbeat. When not enough hormones are produced within the body, patients may feel tired and weak, lethargic, notice changes in the skin, and experience constipation or menstrual issues, according to the National Library of Medicine.
Other thyroid conditions include goiter, or an abnormal enlargement of the thyroid gland, and thyroid nodules, or an abnormal growth of thyroid cells that form a lump within the thyroid gland that can be benign or cancerous.
Finally, thyroid cancer is a type of cancer that begins within a patient’s thyroid gland. According to the American Cancer Society, there were about 44,020 new cases of thyroid cancer in 2024 (12,500 in men and 31,520 in women). Certain risk factors include sex, age (most common in ages 30 to 60), hereditary conditions, and family history.
Stress and thyroid health
Hyperthyroidism, specifically, is the result of impaired production and secretion of thyroid hormones. The cardiovascular system is impacted by fluctuations of thyroid hormone levels, according to the National Library of Medicine, and stressful events, or long-term stress, can impact an individual’s psychological and physiological responses within the body, leading to thyroid issues. Graves disease, an autoimmune thyroid disease, is most frequently associated with stress, according to the American Thyroid Association.
“Chronic stress, whether from work, personal issues, or lifestyle, triggers the release of cortisol and adrenaline, leading to health problems, including thyroid gland dysregulation,” according to a MedScape and an American Thyroid Association editorial collaboration titled “Managing Stress for a Healthier Thyroid.”
There are many ways to de-stress to positively affect thyroid health, such as improving sleep quality, meditation and deep breathing exercises, being outdoors, exercise, and more. Stress mitigation has become an integral approach to managing symptoms for patients with immune-mediated thyroid disease.
“In a recent study of 11 patients experiencing hyperthyroidism symptoms and diagnosed with stress-induced Graves disease due to severe emotional stress, nine of the 11 patients achieved clinical and biochemical remission within 1-3 months and 2-7 months, respectively, after self-reported stress relief,” according to the Medscape and American Thyroid Association editorial review.
Treatment and prevention
Treatment for thyroid disease depends on the type of condition a patient has and the cause, and the goal of treatment is to return thyroid levels to a healthy range. Treatments include medication, surgical removal of the thyroid, and thyroid hormone replacement, according to the American Thyroid Association.
Thyroid diseases are often caused by genetics or autoimmune conditions that can’t be prevented; however, there are certain lifestyle changes and prevention tools that can help individuals to maintain a healthy thyroid.
Ensuring better thyroid health, according to the American Thyroid Association, includes eating a balanced diet with adequate iodine intake, limiting processed foods, managing stress, exercising regularly, getting enough sleep, and regularly monitoring your thyroid function through check-ups with your doctor; ensuring you receive the right amount of iodine through food sources like fish, dairy, and iodized salt, and improving diet overall.