Hypothyroidism Symptoms in Men
Have you ever played the lottery? Everyday lots of people challenge their luck betting for the “win big.” Now, what is the chance of you getting the lowest price, at least? Think about this: you have better chances of getting into a car accident, plane accident, and, if you are a man, developing issues with your thyroid than to win the lottery. But wait! “Thyroid problems? That is for women!”, you may say.
Here we come with grim news: men can also suffer from thyroid. "Hypothyroidism is about eight to 10 times less common in men," said Mario Skugor, MD, an endocrinologist at the Cleveland Clinic. Still, there is a chance for men to fall into a disorder with their thyroid.Just in case you did not know, your thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland situated in the front of the neck just below Adam’s apple and, men are supposed to have it big, or at least, noticeable.That tiny gland is essential for us because it produces hormones in charge of controlling almost every process related to energy in the body.
To put it in a nutshell, imagine yourself as a car, so thyroid hormones would be the accelerator that controls the speed of the engine,regulating the rate of your body’s metabolism. Imagine the trouble of having a car speeding out of control and suddenly stopping to zero. Now you may ask: ‘How do I know if I am getting issues with my thyroid?’ Please, take some minutes for consider following most common symptoms of hypothyroidism in men and use it as a checklist in your case.
- “Brain Fog”: you are on your Sunday spring cleaning of your garage and get this fuzzy feeling that makes it hard for you to focus or concentrate on the simple task of telling apart nuts from spares. This symptom is one of the common and will increase if it is not adequately taken care of.
- Hyperthyroidism symptoms: Yes, before coming down, a man’s body goes up in hormones levels causing, panic attacks, anxiety, rapid pulse, sensitiveness to heat and, therefore, increased sweating. The probably increased appetite will not correspond to the weight loss a gentleman may experiment. Diarrhea will show up creating an uncomfortable muscle weakness. Insomnia will also affect as part of this ‘cocktail’ due to the overproduction of hormones before the drought.
- Puffiness and Swelling: a man will notice his eyes, eyelids, and face swelling. Also,severe puffiness in feet and hands will show something is not right with your body.
- Slowness: you may not be as fast as a rapper, but suddenly people notice your slowness both in movement and speech.
- Muscle and Joint Aches and Pains: because hypothyroidism brings the loss of tissue, a man can feel pain, aches, and stiffness in various joints and muscles. You may wake up one day and experiment this uncomfortable pain mostly in hands and feet.
- Hearing Issues: Tinnitus or the sensation of “ringing in the ears”is also correlated to hypothyroidism. This symptom can go even worse and end up with a hearing loss.
- Heart Palpitations/Rapid Heartbeat: as mentioned before, hypothyroidism starts with a short period of hyperthyroidism. So heart palpitations, heart flutters and some cases of rapid heartbeat are constant for almost every person developing thyroid disorders.
- More Infections and Lowered Resistance: If once upon a time you were an excellent stallion, you would probably report more frequent colds, flu, and sinus infections. And you will have a longer and harder time getting over them.
- Eye problems: you may undergo irritating eye problems as part of the symptoms related to hypothyroidism such as the feeling of gritty or achy eyes, and increasinglysensitive to light. You may feel your eyes are getting jumpy or having more frequent tics.
- Headaches: as a consequence of previously mentioned eye problem, a man will experiment chronic headaches and migraines.
- Low Sex drive: the lack or absence of sex drive is typical for men with hypothyroidism. Usually, the loss of interest in sex comes along with trouble having erections on a severe scale.
- Sleep apnea/snoring: Of course, it is common for men to snore while sleeping at different levels occasionally. But we refer to sleep apnea: a male with momentary lapses of breathing during bedtime getting. As a result, aloud, uncomfortable snoring, gasping for breath while sleeping and feeling tired all the time, no matter how much one has slept.
- Dizziness and Vertigo: you have not drunk alcohol, but you feel that things are moving around you. That is what we call vertigo, dizziness with the illusion of motion. And this can be another consequence of the rapidly shifting gaze of your eyes.
- Neck and Throat Complaints: it is almost evident that if we refer to troubles in your thyroid, you are to experiment strange feelings of #fullness in your throat. It is like feeling a permanent and uncomfortable necktie. This awful sensation may cause some difficulty in swallowing.
Are we done with the list of symptoms? Of course not. It is pretty much more significant than the one above. But, you can accuratelyuse it as a checklist for getting a hint of a developing problem with your thyroid. For you to know: thyroid regulation starts in the hypothalamus, which is an area of the brain. This hypothalamus detects a need for thyroid hormones and commands the pituitary gland, (a tiny one located between the brain and the roof of the mouth). The pituitarythen releases thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) into the bloodstream to signal the thyroid to start working.
Therefore, it is necessary measuring blood levels of both TSH and thyroid hormones for a doctorto diagnose thyroid function and health.In the end, everyone has unique symptoms of hypothyroidism, depending on age and health. Thyroid disorder is better controlled by keeping track the already listed signs paying attention to the time of the day, the period of the month, and many other variables and circumstances like diets and exercises. Thyroid disease may develop gradually and imperceptiblyover some years because of its multiple symptoms; you may have it without paying attention to it.
By the way, no need to panic. If you find yourself in the form of thyroid disorder, remember that, even though there is no magic pill ensuring a good life with hypothyroidism, one’s approach along with the help of science, may teach you the art of coping with it. For sure a man will experiment periods of depression as a typical symptom of a disorder like this. But one aspect of living well is surrounding you with supportive people. Even more critical in the case of this type of diseases. You will have the time for a beer or two!
References:
MARY J. SHOMON. (2009) Living well with hypothyroidism: what your doctor doesn’t tell you...that you need to know / Mary J. Shomon. —Rev. ed., 3, 52-68
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