Hypothyroidism ~ The Silent Disease

 How does it make you feel to know you look amazing on the outside and kind of crummy and tired on the inside? Let me rephrase that. What’s it like to live with a silent disease?

I love flossing my new duds, fabulous locks and toting around my favorite designer bag of the moment, only to keep up with friends and attend various charity events or the rodeo like I did this past weekend (pics to come soon!). But at the end of the evening, most nights or afternoons even, but not all, I run home and take that long nap at night that most people consider good sleep, in which they hit stage for 4 during the sleep phase and reach REM. I normally have some disturbances, like the sudden urge to wake up and start my day, or just restless sleep in general, which can lead to not really getting a good night’s rest. Living with Hypothyroidism, it’s often difficult to get good quality sleep. When you don’t get a good night’s rest, it can mean having a disastrous day.

Mary Shomon, the author of The Thyroid Diet, addresses sleep disturbances with thyroid diseases in Living Well With Hypothyroidism. If you haven’t read either of the two and you are battling a thyroid disease, I recommend you run out and read them both, not just once but twice, or as many times as you need to. They have been a great resource to me and I know they will be of a benefit to you too.

I tend to take naps, daily. Sometimes I’ll take a power nap before I go to the gym, right after work. My close friends know that I’m the queen of taking naps. I take power naps, long naps and short. I once spent a year sleeping, NO JOKE! But, life goes on. There are places we all want to be, want to be seen and events and destinations we want to attend and travel to. Make a conscious effort to get good sleep by  sticking to a sleep schedule, avoiding stimulants close to bedtime, developing a good workout routine and listening to relaxing music before bed. All of these have helped me to battle the restless nights. Also, read read read and educate yourself on what’s working for those who share your trials!

Let’s make this week a good one. Lights out!