Many people with an existing thyroid condition have sleep issues. And as I’m sure you know, not getting a sufficient amount of sleep each night can negatively affect your health. In a recent article I actually discussed seven factors which can help you to obtain better quality sleep. In this post I’m going to actually discuss how sleep deprivation can lead to the development of a thyroid condition. Doing this will allow you to better understand the importance of getting proper sleep, so that hopefully you will make a better effort to follow the advice I gave in the past article.
For people working a normal shift, their cortisol levels should normally be at the highest levels in the morning, and then should steadily decrease throughout the day and be at the lowest levels right before going to bed. The high cortisol levels will help to give them the energy they need to get through the day, while the low cortisol levels will help them to fall and stay asleep.
In order to maintain these “normal” cortisol levels, one of the things you need to do is to get a minimum of seven to eight hours sleep each night. There are of course other factors which can affect the cortisol levels, such as eating refined foods and sugars frequently, as well as not doing a good job of managing the stress in your life. But getting sufficient sleep each night is essential to maintaining your health. Although some people are able to get by with only five or six hours sleep on a regular basis, most people can’t. And sooner or later, the lack of sleep is likely to catch up with you.
So how can this lead to a thyroid condition? Well, if you constantly get only five or six hours of sleep each night (or less than this), then over time this will weaken your adrenal glands. By forcing yourself to stay up late every single night, not only will you be tired upon waking up, but you might decide to drink coffee or another stimulant during the day to keep you awake and alert. Doing this will only further weaken the adrenal glands over time, and potentially could lead to severe adrenal fatigue.
As I have mentioned in past articles and posts, weak adrenal glands can lead to a thyroid condition in the following manner: having compromised adrenal glands will put the body in a state of catabolism. This means the body is breaking down, and in order to slow down this process the body will attempt to slow down the metabolism, which of course is accomplished through the thyroid gland. So frequently a personal with weak adrenal glands will develop hypothyroidism. And since weak adrenal glands also affect immunity, this can and does frequently lead to an autoimmune thyroid condition, in this case Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis.
Weak adrenals can also affect those with a hyperthyroid condition as well. When I was diagnosed with Graves’ Disease, my Adrenal Stress Index test indicated that I had problems with my adrenal glands. Although I didn’t feel fatigued, I did have low cortisol levels in the morning, and I’m pretty sure that I was in an early stage of adrenal fatigue. So does this mean that weak adrenal glands caused my Graves’ Disease condition? I can’t say for sure, as while the weak adrenal glands may have affected my immune system, which in turn contributed to the development of my autoimmune condition, whether or not it ultimately impacted my thyroid health is unknown, although there is a good chance this at least contributed to the condition.
I can tell you that whether you have a hypothyroid condition or a hyperthyroid condition, without correcting the adrenal gland problem it will be just about impossible to achieve optimal health. And if you constantly neglect your sleep, it won’t be possible to restore your adrenal health back to normal. So while you might need to modify other lifestyle factors as well (the way you eat, handle stress, etc.) in order to correct an existing adrenal problem, you really do need to make sure you get a sufficient amount of sleep each night if you want to fully recover.
In summary, not getting sufficient sleep each night can lead to problems with the adrenal glands. This in turn can lead to the development of a thyroid condition. So for anyone looking to restore their health through a natural treatment protocol, it is essential to correct the adrenal problem. This will make it much easier to correct any immune system issues, as well as the malfunctioning thyroid gland itself.
as usual, great infomation Eric, thanks for your advice, Trevor
You’re very welcome Trevor! I’m glad you continue to find the information to be valuable.
My husband is a shift worker, working 12 hour day and night shifts.He has a 1 1/2 hour drive both ways for work as well. He has recently been diagnosed with Graves Disease. He still works these shifts and finds it hard to “switch off” to get enough sleep. I have just found your site and am looking forward to delving into it more deeply. Can you recommend ways for him to combat the effects of this lifestyle, apart from giving up his job? 🙂
Hi Maggie,
I have found that it’s almost impossible for people who work rotating shifts to fully recover. So if he works 12 hours during the day sometimes, and then 12 hours during the night at other times, it will be extremely difficult for him to function, because over the long term this causes problems with the adrenal glands. So he can take certain herbs to help him sleep better (i.e. valerian root), along with other herbs to help him stay awake and focus when he is at work, but this of course is just managing the symptoms, and over time will lead to further problems with his adrenals.
Hi, I am 22 years old and have been a chronic insomniac since early childhood. It did not cause any problems for most of my life, but these past few months it got particularly bad. I am in my last year of college and took on a part time job this semester. This has caused a lot of stress and has often forced me to sleep quite late studying. I’ve been sleeping 4-6 hours for 3 months straight with an occasional 8 hours once or twice a week. My immune system has evidently taken a pretty hard blow and I’ve been getting sick all the time. Recently I did a general checkup and my doctor noticed that my resting heartbeat was extremely high (110 bpm!). This is something I’ve noticed on occasion since last month but had passed it off as temporary anxiety. Now I think it might be thyroid problems caused by my lack of sleep. I wanted to know if this can be cured simply through correcting my sleeping habits or would medication be required? And if medical treatment is needed, how long might I need to take it for
Hi Laura,
You might be able to correct this problem by sleeping more, but it sounds like there’s more to it than just getting more sleep. Medication might be required, but of course doesn’t actually cure a thyroid condition (assuming this is the case), which is why I recommend for people to consult with a competent holistic doctor.
I have hyperthyroid. All symptoms have dissapppeared except hert palpitations especially when i am angered. I have benefited a lot from your articles and i make sure i do not miss any. Great advice. Greatly appreciated.
I’m 24 year old female. I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. Though, my free t4 was in the normal range but because of my elevated TSH my doctor asked me to start my treatment just so to know what is the actual problem. Can this be the adrenal problem which you talked about?
Hi Dhara,
It is possible that your adrenals are responsible for your hypothyroid condition, as if you have elevated cortisol levels then this can affect the conversion of T4 to T3, and in this case T4 will be normal, but due to the low T3 levels TSH will usually be elevated. Cortisol can also cause dysregulation of the immune system, leading to elevated thyroid antibodies. But of course there can be other factors responsible for your hypothyroid condition. In fact, many people with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis have an elevated TSH, yet have normal thyroid hormone levels. Often times it can take years before enough damage to the thyroid gland has taken place to result in low or depressed thyroid hormone levels.
Hi there! I have been diagnosed with hyperparathyrodism and Hashimoto’s. I’m 34 and work an overnight shift.
I am wondering if I need to get off the shift in order to aid in healing?
My PTH, calcium, and antithyroid antibodies are all high.
Started with a routine blood test because of fatigue.
Hi Annie,
If you consistently work an overnight shift and go to bed the same time 7 days per week this shouldn’t be an issue. On the other hand, if you have different sleep schedules on days you don’t work and/or work rotating shifts then this most likely will have a negative effect on your health, and can make it difficult to fully recover.
Hi Doctor,
I’m in a very horrible crisis; i’m only 23 and half years when i had my very obviously receding hairlines but didnt noticed til i turn 24. And i been feeling extreme fatigue, dry skin, weight gain, and got sick frequently last 2 years. So i went to school doctor and so she did checkups and bloodtests on me. I have very abnormal high BP for my age, anxiety, troubling sleep problems, and also having shoulder pain muscle pain/ and tennis elbow problems from gym routine which never gave me any muscle/tendon ache before in the past before all these problems. SO anyway, I got diagnosed with hypothyroidism and hashimotos and the Dr. put me on levoxyl treatment 0.025mg. and I asked the doctor if i can wait to see the treatment settle in and not use rogaine for receding hairlines she said sure. But its been 4 months, and receding line is getting worse i don’t know what to do everything is wrecking my self esteem. i feel very weird sick and abnormal. I dont’ wanna be on med for the rest of my life. and i saw that levoxyl long term use can cause bone loss. is it true? i’m terrified on top of all this please help!
Hi Chalan,
It’s difficult to make specific recommendations without conducting a thorough case history, looking at some lab values, etc. Hair loss is common with thyroid imbalances, and some people with Hashimoto’s have the condition known as alopecia areata, which is another autoimmune condition. I would recommend working with a local natural healthcare professional who has experience working with autoimmune thyroid conditions.
I was diagnosed with subclinical hypothyroidism 3 years ago with a TSH of 7, but my blood work showed that I have no antibodies so it is not autoimmune. I also have no one in my family that has hypothyroidism. I am wondering if it is possible that this developed from chronic lack of sleep? I was in college at the time, and wasn’t getting proper sleep. Because I have no antibodies and no family history of thyroid problems is it possible for me to reserve the subclinical hypothyroidism? I would appreciate your insight. Thanks.
Hi Kate,
Chronic sleep deprivation can of course have a detrimental effect on the adrenals, which in turn can affect the thyroid gland. And so it is possible that this is the culprit, although it’s also possible that another factor is responsible for the subclinical hypothyroidism. Also, keep in mind that you can’t rely on a single antibodies test, as they can fluctuate. And so while you very well might not have positive thyroglobulin or thyroid peroxidase antibodies, if you have only had one test in the past you might want to consider doing a retest at some pont.
I was diagnosed with subclinical hypothyroidism 3 years ago with a TSH of 7, but my blood work showed that I have no antibodies so it is not autoimmune. I also have no one in my family that has hypothyroidism. I am wondering if it is possible that this developed from chronic lack of sleep? I was in college at the time, and wasn’t getting proper sleep. Because I have no antibodies and no family history of thyroid problems is it possible for me to reverse the subclinical hypothyroidism by changing my lifestyle? I would appreciate your insight. Thanks.
It’s true.
I suffer from chronic insomnia (unable to sleep more then 5 hours a day) 30 years, and I developed hypothyroidism and hashimoto. The doctor says that I must take medicine.
Great article! I am so happy I found it.
My husband lost his job in oil and gas, we went from 200K a year to 30k… I had to pick up extra jobs to help supplement our income. I am now working 3 part time jobs (to stay home with the kids) and my day starts at 2:00AM I wake up and deliver newspapers until 6am. Then from 645-845 I drive a small school bus. Then from 9-2 I babysit a little girl, with my child. Then 2-330 I drive the school bus, then cook, clean and try to be in bed by 745. I am exhausted and recently found out I have hypothyroidism.
This is clearly the cause. I need to stop the 2am wake up and find something else. This is going to kill me 🙁
Thanks for sharing your experience Ashley. I agree that getting up at 2am is probably the main culprit. I realize it’s a struggle financially right now, but just think about how much more productive you can be if you got an extra 3 to 4 hours sleep each night.