5 Signs of an Overactive Thyroid

Most people don’t give their thyroid much thought until an issue comes up. When a problem arises, it’s usually an underactive thyroid, which affects approximately 4.6% of Americans and triggers a variety of unpleasant symptoms, including weight gain.

But around 1% of people struggle with the opposite problem — an overactive thyroid, which causes its own set of challenging symptoms that may require medical treatment.

Dr. Rekha Kesavan and our team have advanced diagnostic screening technologies at each of our Comprehensive Primary Care locations. These tests can identify imbalances, including those involving the thyroid gland.

Here are five common signs of an overactive thyroid gland and how to get relief.

1. Anxiety, irritability, or nervousness

Your thyroid regulates numerous bodily functions, including your mood. The more severe your imbalance, the more pronounced your mood changes.

It’s common to experience mood changes like anxiety, irritability, or nervousness with an overactive thyroid. Conversely, when it’s underactive, people often experience depression or unusual fatigue.

2. Irregular heartbeat or palpitations

Your mood isn’t the only thing regulated by thyroid hormones — they also affect every organ in your body, especially your heart.

Thyroid hormones affect blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and heartbeat, but too much of a good thing can be bad.

When these levels become too high, it causes the heart to beat faster, harder, and even abnormally, which can lead to serious cardiovascular complications, especially if you also have high blood pressure or stiff, clogged heart arteries.

3. Sweating or increased sensitivity to temperature

Add temperature regulation to the long list of things your thyroid manages. 

As high levels of hormones circulate throughout your body, it becomes more sensitive to heat, causing discomfort, excessive sweating, and warm, moist skin. 

4. Frequent loose bowel movements

If you’ve noticed an increase in your bowel movements, it could be time to check your thyroid because, you guessed it, your thyroid also helps regulate your metabolism. 

But it also goes further than that. 

Hyperthyroidism basically causes your body to go into overdrive, similar to the “fight or flight” response in a stressful moment. This increases nerve responses within the sympathetic nervous system.

These responses overstimulate bowel nerves, increasing muscle movement and contractions in the intestines, which pushes food through your system faster than usual, resulting in watery diarrhea and weight loss.

5. Thinning hair

Approximately 50% of people with an overactive thyroid have widespread hair shedding because this hormone imbalance interferes with hair growth and causes it to fall out.

While it’s normal to lose up to 100 strands of head hair each day, it’s important to talk to an expert if you feel like you’re losing more.

Similarly, thyroid-related hair loss typically includes:

• Lost density and volume (thinning) as opposed to bald patches
• Hair loss from other parts of the body, including brows, lashes, underarms, and pubic area
• Textural changes, including course, dry strands prone to breakage

Fortunately, diagnosing and treating hyperthyroidism can address these symptoms and protect your health moving forward.

Treating an overactive thyroid

Our team can usually diagnose thyroid disorders after a comprehensive exam, blood tests, and a discussion of your medical history. Based on your results, we can outline the best course of action.

We offer several methods for treating hyperthyroidism, depending on the cause, age, and overall health. In many cases, medications can resolve your issues. However, some cases benefit from thyroid surgery to remove some or all of the gland.Could you have a thyroid disorder? Our team can diagnose your symptoms once and for all. Contact Comprehensive Primary Care to schedule a consultation in Suwanee or Lawrenceville, Georgia, today.