3 Reasons Stress Management Improves Thyroid Issues

Research has found that stress can impact thyroid functioning. A 2004 study in the journal Thyroid found that stress is one of the environmental factors for thyroid autoimmunity issues. Stress does affect the thyroid gland, and thyroid dysfunction contributes to stress.

While your thyroid might be a small gland, it has a major impact on your health. If this gland functions properly, key bodily functions like your metabolism work. What’s more, thyroid issues can also lead to neurological problems. Symptoms like anxiety, irritability, difficulty sleeping, and tremors are all associated with poor thyroid functioning, and it is clear that finding ways to enhance your thyroid health matters. 

Elderly woman playing with a rabbit and living a healthy lifestyle after stent to manage stress.

Stress Calming Techniques for Thyroid Issues

Considering that your thyroid is foundational to your health, it is key that you actively manage your stress levels. Examples of effective stress calming techniques that you can try, include regular meditation or yoga classes. For example, yoga not only calms your mind, but it also involves physical activity which also alleviates stress. So, it’s a win-win.

How stress management helps

Under stress, your body releases the hormone cortisol. Too much cortisol can interfere with thyroid hormone production. It can stimulate the thyroid to work harder to create sufficient amounts of the thyroid hormone.

Here are three reasons why stress management plays a vital role in the recovery process:

1. Lowered cortisol

For your thyroid to function properly, you need to maintain a balance between stress hormones and cortisol. Chronic stress can lead to elevated cortisol levels, which may interfere with thyroid function issues. Stress management techniques, such as relaxation exercises, meditation, and deep breathing exercises, can help lower cortisol levels and create a more balanced hormonal environment.

Now, if you can manage healthy levels of stress, thyroid issues like too little thyroid hormone, hypothyroidism, or the reverse, too much thyroid hormone, called hyperthyroidism, can be minimized.

2. Reduced inflammation

Studies show that there is also a connection between stress or anxiety and inflammation. Inflammation has been called “a pathway of stress-related diseases”. Stress can cause the immune system to fall out of balance which in return can cause inflammation.

If you experience stress, thyroid issues like Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, an autoimmune disease when the body makes antibodies that attack thyroid cells, is also more common.

3. Improved immunity

There is an interactive relationship between your thyroid and immune system. If you experience problems with your thyroid, it can impact your immune system and vice versa.

Stress management may support a healthy immune system, helping to prevent or alleviate autoimmune conditions such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Techniques like mindfulness and meditation have been shown to positively impact immune function.

Research might not have pinpointed exactly how your thyroid health impacts your immunity and the effects might not be that significant, but it exists. While it is complex to understand, it is clear that if you can manage stress, thyroid issues can be minimized which will help your body to respond better to other stressors like disease. Basically, your immune system is like your armor. Without it, you become much more vulnerable to other issues.

Resources:

https://www.webmd.com/women/whatis-autoimmune-thyroiditis
https://www.houstonfamilypractice.com/the-connection-between-stress-and-thyroid-health
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5476783/
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/does-hyperthyroidism-weaken-immune-system#summary

This article is for educational and informational purpose only and does not substitute for professional medical advice. For any questions about your own health condition, speak to a qualified physician or healthcare provider.