I didn't know why I constantly felt tired and moody, then I got diagnosed with hypothyroidism
In my teens, I constantly felt cold, tired, and irritable. I yawned so much that friends and teachers often joked that I was ‘half-asleep’. The fatigue caused me to suffer frequent low moods, my metabolism went haywire, and my weight would fluctuate.
For years, I thought these symptoms were part of my menstrual cycle or from the cold weather. That was until my doctor conducted a thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) blood test, eventually diagnosing me with hypothyroidism: a condition where your thyroid doesn't produce enough hormones to support your body’s everyday mechanisms, such as regulating body temperature, controlling your heart rate, and assisting in brain development.
Your thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland, located in the base of your neck which produces hormones to support these important bodily processes. When somebody produces too much of this hormone, it's referred to as hypothyroidism, when too little is produced it's known as hyperthyroidism.