How to Manage Fatigue Associated with Hypothyroidism

One of the symptoms of hypothyroidism is fatigue. It's the kind of fatigue that dulls your senses, makes your muscles ache, and can be debilitating. It isn't just feeling tired; it's feeling like your body is weighted down and you have to walk through water.

While medication used to treat hypothyroidism does help lessen the frequency with which you experience fatigue, there will still be times when it affects your daily life. These episodes, though, can be managed.

The Power Nap

Naps have restorative powers. They recharge your body and clear your mind. The power nap, as defined by William Deardorff, medical advisor for Spinehealth.com, is "a short nap during the day of about 20-30 minutes duration."

The short nap, Deardorff explains, "results in a winding down of activity in the brain's prefrontal cortex. The short duration of a power nap prevents the person's brain from entering slow-wave (deeper) sleep."

The condition of hypothyroidism slows your physical and mental processes. A long nap will exacerbate that slowdown, leaving you feeling groggy, and just as tired.

Slow-wave sleep has a positive effect when sleeping for six to eight hours, but a negative effect when sleeping for shorter time periods, like two or three hours. The power nap is more like a snack, rather than a three-course dinner, and is all you need to restore your energy levels during the day.

Doodling

The mind controls the body. That doesn't mean the feeling of being bone tired is all in your head; it means treating your state of mind can ease your state of physical discomfort.

The simple act of doodling represents freeform thought, an uncontrolled, unmanaged, unbiased expression of nothing in particular. This lack of supervision releases tension and de-clutters the mind. Just as power napping slows down the activity in the pre-frontal cortex, thus allowing your body to relax and rejuvenate, doodling allows your mind to slow down and unwind.

You've now entered a more relaxed state, yet your mind has been creatively stimulated. This creative energy can act as a spark, and recharge your physical self. Your mind is motivating your body to act on that energy.

Breath in, Breath out

Hypothyroidism results in a slowdown of the physical processes, including circulation. Subsequently, your body takes in and processes less oxygen. Less oxygen means your body isn't detoxing effeciently, and this can cause fatigue.

You will need to consciously think about your breathing at first, but after a brief time pulling oxygen all the way into your lungs will come as naturally as, well, breathing.

Breathing in through your nose only, slowly take in a breath, using your entire diaphragm. Your stomach area should "expand" as well as your chest. Then slowly release your breath through your nose.

By breathing deeper and slower, rather than gulping shallow breaths through your nose and mouth, you will pull in more oxygen, thus allowing for a more efficient detoxification of your body. This will result in a stronger resistance to fatigue.

Move It

If you wake up and know it's going to be one of those achy, tired, leave me the hell alone days, but you have to get the kids to school, go to work, then make dinner, help with homework, put the kids to bed, and do a load of laundry before you can even think of sitting down, you need a quick solution.

While the coffee's brewing, move your body. Reach for the ceiling, stretching your body as much as you comfortably can. Then slowly bring your arms down, breath deep, and then bend to touch your toes. (You don't actually have to touch your toes, just make a good reach for them.)

Do a couple of neck rolls, a couple of deep knee bends. All the while, breath deeply in through the nose, slowly exhaling through the mouth. The point is to move your body without straining your muscles and to get more oxygen into your system early on.

This isn't a workout. It's a warm-up. Do these exercises slowly; the breathing is just as important as the movements. The purpose is to win the first round in the battle against fatigue by strengthening your mind and body through exercise and oxygen.

As the day goes on, and you start to feel the ache in your shoulders and the wobble in your knees, remember to breath deep and exhale slowly. Take a five-minute break and doodle. On your lunch hour, take a walk after eating, even if it's just a few laps around the parking lot. If you just can't manage the walk, find a quiet place and power nap.

Power naps and doodles can help you deal with fatigue associated with hypothyroidism, as does proper breathing techniques and exercise. But the best way to deal with fatigue is not to give in to it. Work with your doctor to ensure you're taking the proper dosage. Expand on the ideas given here to find which ways work best for you in your fight against fatigue.