How winter can affect your thyroid

It’s normal to change your behaviour during the winter months. Less daylight might have you craving more rest and holiday feasting can derail normal eating patterns. It’s not uncommon to put on a couple of pounds and find yourself sleeping more. Seasonal affective disorder can leave some wrestling with depression.

If you have a thyroid disorder, however, you might have trouble distinguishing between cold-weather behavior shifts and your thyroid issues. That’s because many seasonal changes mimic the symptoms of thyroid dysfunction. Here’s everything you need to know about how winter can affect your thyroid, including the impact of thyroid cold sensitivity and related symptoms.

Thyroid disease and the symptoms you need to know about

What does the thyroid do?

The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland found in the front of your neck. It only weighs between 20 to 60 grams, but it’s one of your body’s workhorses. It produces two hormones — triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) — that influence the production of proteins throughout your body and regulate your metabolic rate.

This means that your thyroid is responsible for how fast the cells in your body work. Your heart rate, digestion, and brain function all speed up or slow down depending on the hormones your thyroid secretes.

The thyroid depends on your pituitary gland — found at the base of your brain — to determine what to do. Your pituitary gland produces thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), which prompts your thyroid to make T3 and T4. When there’s too much T4 in your blood, your pituitary sends out less TSH, causing your thyroid to decrease its production of the hormone. If there’s too little, your pituitary gland signals your thyroid that it’s time to ramp up production.

The thyroid also works in collaboration with your adrenal glands — small, triangular-shaped glands that are just above your kidneys — to produce and release necessary hormones. If the adrenal glands aren’t functioning properly, it has a ripple effect on the thyroid, causing it to malfunction as well.

What is thyroid disease?

Thyroid disease is any kind of medical condition that affects how your thyroid works. It can range in severity from a temporary inflammation of the gland to cancer. While there’s a certain amount of variation in the conditions, it tends to fall into one of two categories. Either they cause your thyroid to increase its hormonal output (hyperthyroidism), or they cause it to decrease its hormonal production (hypothyroidism).

What are the signs of thyroid problems?

Your thyroid is a small gland, but its effect on your bodily functions is outsized. However, symptoms can be hard to pick up on as they tend to be nonspecific. This means that symptoms alone aren’t enough to diagnose thyroid disease. Despite that, clusters of certain ones may indicate hyperthyroidism, while others can signal hypothyroidism.

Hyperthyroidism

Also known as overactive thyroid, hyperthyroidism is an endocrine disorder that occurs when your thyroid produces too much T3, T4, or both, causing your metabolism to speed up. Signs of hyperthyroidism include weight loss, increased sweating, rapid heartbeat, irritability, and anxiety. It may also cause high blood pressure, difficulty sleeping, frequent bowel movements, abnormal periods, heat intolerance, and dry skin.

Hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism — also called underactive thyroid — is an endocrine disorder that often occurs when the immune system attacks the thyroid gland. This damages the thyroid so that it’s not able to produce enough hormones, causing a hormone imbalance.

For the most part, its symptoms are the opposite of those associated with hyperthyroidism. You may experience things like lack of energy, weight gain, cold intolerance, difficulty with memory, depression, constipation, abnormal periods, and brittle hair and nails. If left untreated, long-term effects can include joint pain, infertility, and heart disease.

Risk factors for thyroid disease

Risk factors for thyroid problems are genetic and to a certain degree, environmental. While you can’t do anything about your genes, age, or gender, certain lifestyle factors are more controllable. Risk factors include:

• Gender — women are more likely to develop thyroid problems than men
• Age — women over 60 are especially vulnerable to thyroid dysfunction
• Being pregnant within the past six months
• Having an immediate family member with thyroid dysfunction
• Smoking
• Quitting smoking within the past two years
• Receiving radiation in the chest or neck area
• Iodine deficiency — not usually a problem in most countries where iodine is added to table salt

How is thyroid disease diagnosed?

Because symptoms are so general, a diagnosis must include a blood test. If you think you have thyroid disease, your healthcare provider can refer you for a blood test that measures your TSH levels. High levels of TSH in your blood can mean that your pituitary gland is trying to get your thyroid to work more, indicating hypothyroidism. Too little TSH likely means it’s overproducing T3 or T4, or both — an indication of hyperthyroidism.

Depending on your results, your healthcare provider may refer you for additional blood tests to help determine specific types of thyroid dysfunction like Graves disease or subclinical hypothyroidism. These can include looking at your levels of T3 and T4, or the amount of thyroid-stimulating immunoglobulin (TSI) in your blood.

In certain cases, you might also go for an imaging test, which involves swallowing (very slightly) radioactive iodine. This test can help determine if you have Graves disease, an iodine deficiency, or thyroiditis (inflamed thyroid), among other things.

If bloodwork shows that your symptoms aren’t thyroid-related, a general health assessment might be a good option. Symptoms are vague and can mimic many other illnesses, or even aging. As part of your check-up, the healthcare provider might order additional lab tests to help provide a comprehensive evaluation of your health.

Treatment

Treatment for thyroid disease typically involves taking thyroid replacement hormones or other medications. Depending on which version you have, these either suppress or supplement your thyroid’s production of hormones. In the case of hyperthyroidism, your doctor may recommend surgery to remove the thyroid, or treatment with radioactive iodine to destroy it.

What are the signs of thyroid cancer?

Thyroid cancer develops in the neck. As such, many symptoms affect that area of the body and can include:

• A lump or swelling in the neck (thyroid nodules)
• Hoarse voice
• Difficulty breathing
• Swallowing problems

How treatable is thyroid cancer?

Most types of thyroid cancer are very treatable. Treatment may involve surgery, hormone or radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or radioiodine therapy — taking radioactive iodine. The most common type of thyroid cancer is papillary carcinoma which generally responds well to treatment.

In Canada, the five-year survival rate for thyroid cancer is 98%. In other words, most people with it are still alive five years later. Prompt diagnosis and treatment, however, are key. If you’ve received a diagnosis and are looking for more guidance regarding your treatment, you might want to consider seeing an oncologist navigator for a second opinion.

What’s my thyroid?

Your thyroid is a small gland that sits under the skin, at the front of your neck. It’s shaped like a butterfly and sits in the same place you would wear a bowtie. While small, it does some pretty important work. It’s in charge of your metabolism, which is essentially how your body allocates the energy it gets from food. It does this by producing two major hormones called thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3).

What are T3 and T4 hormones?

Triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) hormones do everything from controlling your body’s weight and temperature to regulating your nervous system. These hormones are stored in your thyroid and are released as needed. In certain situations, however, too much or too little T3 or T4 is released. A blood test can reveal if your T3 and/or T4 levels are too high or low, causing a thyroid hormone imbalance.

What are TSH levels and what do they mean?

Your thyroid doesn’t work alone — it relies on your pituitary gland for directions. Your pituitary gland is at the base of your brain, and it activates your thyroid by releasing thyroid-stimulating hormone, or TSH. When your thyroid isn’t working as hard as your body needs it to, your pituitary gland releases more TSH to stimulate it into action. The more active your thyroid, the less TSH will be in your system.

Unless they’re pregnant, most people’s TSH levels fall somewhere within the range of 0.4 milliunits per litre (mU/L) to 4.0 mU/L. If your TSH levels are above 4.0mU/L, you likely have hypothyroidism — also known as underactive thyroid, where your immune system attacks the thyroid gland. Conversely, if your TSH levels fall below the normal range, you could have hyperthyroidism or overactive thyroid.

Symptoms of thyroid issues

The symptoms of thyroid disease aren’t specific. This means the only way of knowing if you have a thyroid condition is through blood testing. These tests can measure your TSH levels, your T3 and T4 production, or thyroid antibodies.

Do thyroid issues get worse in the winter?

Your thyroid is responsible for regulating your body’s temperature. When the cold weather sets in, your pituitary gland sends out more TSH, pushing your thyroid to keep up with your body’s temperature demands. This means that everyone experiences a rise in TSH levels during the winter months, regardless of preexisting issues.

People with thyroid conditions, however, may experience more pronounced symptoms during the winter. For example, individuals with underactive thyroid symptoms—such as fatigue, weight gain, and cold sensitivity—might notice their symptoms worsening during colder months.

T3 and T4 affect many different functions. If you have an underactive thyroid, you may notice an increase in your symptoms during winter. Here are some signs you might be experiencing this.

If you’ve ever wondered, does cold weather affect hyperthyroidism?, the answer is yes, but the effect is different. Hyperthyroidism speeds up metabolism, which might make it easier to tolerate cold temperatures. However, people with this condition should still monitor symptoms like rapid heartbeat and restlessness that might feel more noticeable during winter.

Increased sensitivity to cold

As the temperature drops, your thyroid has to work harder to keep you warm. If you have hypothyroidism cold sensitivity and take medication for it, your regular dose might not be enough come wintertime. If winter brings a chill you can’t shake, speak to your healthcare provider about testing your TSH levels.

Changes in hair, skin, and nails

Cold air can’t hold onto moisture as well as warm air, so winter air is dry. Add indoor heating to the mix and it can feel like a desert in your home. Those harsh conditions cause the moisture in your skin to evaporate more quickly. As a result, most people wrestle with drier skin and hair during the winter. But dry skin and dry, brittle, or coarse hair are also signs of hypothyroidism.

If you’re experiencing these symptoms, speak to your healthcare team about checking your TSH levels. If these are symptoms of an underactive thyroid, incorporating a thicker moisturizer and adding a humidifier isn’t going to cut it.

Weight gain

With the change in the weather, it’s normal to crave so-called comfort foods, which tend to have higher fat and/or sugar content. Add in the winter holiday season and weight gain can often be the unintended consequence. Weight gain can also be a side-effect of hypothyroidism. If you’ve added a couple of pounds since the arrival of the cold weather and can’t attribute it to a change in behavior, speak to your healthcare provider. Learning how to take care of thyroid health during seasonal changes is essential to maintaining overall well-being.

Feelings of depression

About 15% of Canadians will experience some form of seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, during their life. SAD is a form of depression triggered by a decrease in exposure to sunlight. It can cause you to feel depressed, irritable, lethargic, and more tired than usual. If you have or suspect you have a thyroid disorder, however, these symptoms might also be indicative of thyroid dysfunction.

If you think you may have SAD or a thyroid disorder, speak to your healthcare provider about your changes in mood and energy levels. Both conditions are treatable with a proper diagnosis.

If you have a diagnosis of hypothyroidism, it’s important to consult with a healthcare professional about adjusting your medications during the winter months. Don’t let thyroid cold sensitivity or winter challenges affect your well-being. Speak to a healthcare professional to ensure your thyroid is functioning optimally. Virtual care platforms can make it easy to connect with an endocrinologist and adjust your treatment plan from the comfort of home.

During warmer months, you can also consider baseline testing to see what your normal TSH levels are. While a slight drop in T3 and T4 levels over the winter months might not seem like a huge issue, it can have a major effect on you. Skip the referral and the waiting room and get help from an endocrinologist on Maple today.

The information presented here is for educational purposes and is not meant to replace the advice from your medical professional.

When using virtual care, all medical treatment is at the sole discretion of the provider. Virtual care is not meant for medical emergencies, and your provider will determine if your case is appropriate for virtual care. If you are experiencing an emergency like chest pain or difficulties breathing, for example, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.