Symptoms of Overactive Thyroid

Overactive thyroid or hyperthyroidism can be defined as the secretion of thyroid hormones in excessive quantities. One of the major causes of an overactive thyroid is the Grave's disease. This leads to the growth of the thyroid gland by almost twice the original size.

Overactive thyroid is found particularly in women belonging to the age group of around 30 - 40 years. There are some very obvious and some not so obvious symptoms than can indicate an individual is suffering from an overactive thyroid. Though, it is not necessary that the patient will exhibit all the mentioned symptoms together.

There are many symptoms of an overactive thyroid, and these differ from person to person, and also across different age groups. The signs that have been discussed here are the most common symptoms of an overactive thyroid are as follows.

A person might continuously lose weight on account of an overactive thyroid irrespective of the amount of food consumed. Weight loss occurs as all the functions of the body speed up.

An individual suffering from an overactive thyroid may experience a lot of mood swings for no evident reason. He or she will also show signs on nervousness and getting irritated at the smallest possible reason.

Another change one can experience is an increased number of visits to the washroom, either for stools or/and passing urine. The frequency increase is easily noticeable as compared to normal circumstances.

Another obvious symptom of hyperthyroidism is the loss of interest in sex.

An increase in one's appetite also takes place due to an overactive thyroid, and becomes too obvious to go unnoticed. This can hold true even for a person who originally didn't have an above average appetite.

A person tends to sweat more than the usual rate as a result of increase in the speed of metabolic activities.

Oversecretion of thyroid hormones may lead to difficulty in breathing or shortness of breath. These symptoms are observed mostly while performing heavy physical activities such as workouts.

One of the many symptoms of thyroid gland problems is fatigue or feeling tired. The reason behind this might be the excessive sweating and loss of energy.

Overactive thyroid, if left untreated for a long time, might lead to a disease called osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a bone disease, wherein the bones tend to weaken and become more prone to fractures.

Individuals suffering from overactive thyroid may suffer from nausea since there is discomfort and uneasiness experienced in the stomach.

A person might experience difficulty in getting a sound sleep at night. The reason behind this may be the increase in the rate of bodily functions. This symptom is also termed as sleep deprivation. A person who has not been able to sleep for the whole night would automatically feel tired the next day.

Overactive thyroid can also have adverse effects on the person's hair. A person might suffer from hair loss. The rate of hair loss increases and the person loses more hair than usual in these cases.

Goiter is one of the results of an overactive thyroid, wherein a lump is formed in the neck. Goiter is also caused due to the deficiency of iodine in the body.

A person suffering from overactive thyroid is also found suffering from an increase in the rate of heartbeat. The heartbeat tends to go above 100 beats per minute in such cases.

In hyperthyroidism, there are peculiar eye changes which are visible as protruding eyes. There is less movement of the muscles around the eyeball and the eyelids are retracted. Risk of infection of the eyes and visibility problems are increased in people suffering from hyperthyroidism.

Other symptoms of thyroid gland problems exhibited by a person are warm and moist skin, irritability, increase in the bowel movements, and irregular menstrual periods. Women may find it difficult to conceive. Periodic paralysis is also found mostly in people of Asian origin.

Overactive thyroid is a serious disorder as it affects the functioning of the whole body, and thus leads to a variety of problems. These problems affect a person's health and lifestyle. The symptoms can turn serious causing severe damage to the body. It is therefore suggested to seek consultation from a specialist or doctor in this regard without any delay.

Today, there are many treatments available that could help a person to get rid of this problem or at least alleviate some of the symptoms. Beta Blockers and Thyrostatics are the short-term remedies, while undergoing surgery or a radioisotope therapy could permanently cure the problem of an overactive thyroid.

Homeopathy also is said to be effective in curing symptoms of overactive thyroid and bringing the functioning of body parts and processes to normal. However, it works only in a few mild cases of hyperthyroidism. It is still suggested to go in for a proper consultation and find the best treatment for oneself depending on various factors like age, symptoms, etc.