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Three Sleeping Issues you might encounter as a Hypothyroid Patient

Snoopy

(This page has been updated for the present day and time! Enjoy!)

Have trouble sleeping? Here are three scenarios you might identify with, the causes, and the solutions.

1) INSOMNIA or WAKING UP FREQUENTLY SOON AFTER YOU FALL ASLEEP

This is an extremely common problem faced by thyroid patients, and the most common reason is going to bed with high levels of cortisol–the opposite of what healthy adrenals should be doing. With normal adrenal function, your bedtime cortisol levels should be low, or at the bottom of the range of a saliva cortisol test.  Symptoms include laying awake for a long time before falling asleep for the night…or if you can fall asleep well, you tend to wake up often within the next hour or two.

Why the high cortisol?

It’s usually a left-over remnant of when you used to have high cortisol all day long, but which has since fallen to low levels of cortisol except for bedtime, or afternoon and bedtime.

And all the above can happen to certain individuals due to a continued hypothyroid state (such as being treated with the inadequate T4-only medications like Synthroid, Eltroxin, Oroxine, and/or Levothyroxine, etc) or due to undiagnosed hypothyroidism (thanks to the use of the TSH lab test).

Another cause is low bedtime cortisol (i.e below the range), which has caused issues with falling or staying asleep at bedtime. Low cortisol seems to cause high adrenaline, and the latter results in a fitful sleep pattern during the night. The solution? First do a 24-hour adrenal saliva test to prove if it’s high or low cortisol, say informed thyroid patients. Guessing can get you into trouble. (And blood cortisol is not the answer, since it’s measuring both bound and unbound cortisol.) Then compare the results to what we’ve learned they mean.

For high bedtime cortisol, patients have had success with cortisol-lowering herbs like Holy Basil, zinc or others, taken a good hour or two before they want to fall asleep. Each dose is given three nights to see if it’s enough to improve sleep. If not it’s raised…and again if needed. Then they wean off after several weeks of better sleep.

For low cortisol (below the range), patients often have to use a small dose of HC or Adrenal Cortex. Even supplementing with sea salt has been reported to help with sleep. Additionally, if bedtime cortisol is below the range, there’s a good chance your cortisol is low most of the day, which saliva testing will reveal. Chapter 6 in the revised STTM book has excellent and important information on the proper use of HC, which would also apply to adrenal cortex.

2) WAKING UP ANYWHERE AROUND 3 – 4 AM

Waking up a good three to four hours before you would normally start your morning is a strong sign of low cortisol, which in turn causes hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). And the latter can push your adrenaline up, causing you to wake up hours before you are supposed to. You might also feel shaky or hungry.

The solution? Besides taking cortisol at bedtime, if needed, patients have reported doing far better with sleep by eating a complex carbohydrate at bedtime (for example, whole wheat cracker with cheese or peanut butter…or if you need to avoid gluten, berries and cream cheese). The same strategy is used if waking up around 3 am or so, which will help raise your blood sugar levels and you might fall back asleep better.

3) WAKING UP FREQUENTLY WITH NO SET PATTERN

Time to check your sex hormones, which can get messed up with hypothyroidism, or made worse because of adrenal sluggishness or cortisol use.

Low estrogen can cause hot flashes, waking you up. A study titled Sex Hormones, Sleep and Core Body Temperature in Post Menopausal Women reveals that low estradiol (E2) and higher luteinizing hormone (LH) levels are strongly related to lessening the quality of your sleep.

Low progesterone is also known to cause insomnia and even anxiety, and may cause sleep apnea (or make you snore, ladies. Gulp). Entry into menopause has caused this, report many women.

Especially in men, low testosterone can negatively affect the quality of your sleep, i.e. you won’t stay in your deep sleep cycle long enough for recuperation of your body and mind.

SLEEPING TIDBITS:

  • Low levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin, which can cause depression, is also implicated with insomnia.
  • High cortisol can also be caused by Lyme or reactivated Epstein Barr Virus–the latter of which at least 95% of adult have dormant in their bodies, but which can reactivate due to stress or illness. .

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  • Here’s an important summary of what patients have learned in getting well again.
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Why you, as a hypothyroid patient, need to be aware of the Epstein Barr Virus

STTM Epstein Barr Virus Garage Sale

Though this blog post was originally written in 2010, it has been updated to the present day and time, making it current.  Enjoy!

This past Saturday, while browsing at the next-to-last garage sale (one of my favorite Saturday morning events), my ears perked up like a bunny when I heard a gal chatting with the owner of the house.

I heard things like “sick for 5 years…fibromyalgia…a lot of pain all over my body…had to quit my job and live with my parents…in bed for two years…they had to bath me...” and more miserable images of something she was clearly glad to be over.

So, while my husband sat in the car with the patience of a saint, I lingered. When she finished chatting and was heading to her car, I walked towards her and said gingerly “I overheard your conversation. Can I ask you about the fibromyalgia and your experience??” I couldn’t help myself.

As a Thyroid Patient Activist who has stood up to the inane allopathic failure in the diagnosis and treatment of hypothyroidism, I knew that the majority of cases of “fibromyalgia” were due to undiagnosed or poorly treatment hypothyroidism, as well as the accompanying hell of adrenal fatigue, thanks to the garbage can TSH lab test or the inadequate treatment of T4-only treatment like Synthroid.  Yet, here was a young woman, Mel, who was now the picture of health. What was her story??

Mel’s story was a tale of sudden onset followed by five years of misery, all over body pain,  immense fatigue, utter helplessness, debilitation, and neck lymph nodes SO swollen that they looked like two huge goiters–right and left. It was also a scenario of no firm diagnoses, yet no hesitation by doctors to make stabs– from fibromyalgia to an unknown chronic fatigue disorder.

But I knew right away what she probably had: acute Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) reactivation.

I knew because I had the exact same malady which once took away more than a year of my life (as compared to Mel’s horrific five years).  And like her, with the use of meditation (and in my case, intense imagery and homeopathics), I got well as if it never happened.

And we also shared a reason why the EBV virus became activated in our bodies in the first place: STRESS.  For Mel, it appeared to have nothing to do with anything thyroid-related, but an extremely stressful helping-vocation that was eating her alive. For me, it was the stress of having to be where I didn’t want to be, feeling overtly powerless…and on top of being on the lousy Synthroid.

And for thyroid patients all over the world, including you, the risk of reactivation of the Epstein Barr Virus is a constant threat.

Reactivated EBV can result from one or more of the following biological stresses:

  • being undiagnosed thanks to the inadequate TSH lab test
  • being on a T4 medication like Synthroid, Levoxyl, Levothyroxine, Eltroxin, Oroxine, etc
  • falling into low cortisol from adrenal fatigue
  • having chronic side issues pulling your body down such as gluten intolerance or celiac, low iron, poor digestion, or making mistakes in your treatment

Even worse, add life’s stresses as icing on the cake, and you’re a sitting duck for the risk of reactivated EBV.

What is EBV?

Epstein Barr Virus,  also called human herpesvirus 4 ( HHV-4) is an opportunistic virus that actually lies dormant in at least 95% of all adults over their 30’s. It’s what causes mononucleosis, aka “mono”, as a teenager,  but you don’t have to have had mono to carry the dormant virus. Wikipedia states that it also probably has a primary role in many autoimmune diseases, including ” dermatomyositis, systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren’s syndrome, and multiple sclerosis.” i.e. this is one nasty virus!

Why do so many thyroid patients find themselves with reactivated EBV?

Millions of thyroid patients live their lives compromised due to being on T4-only meds like Synthroid, Levoxyl, levothyroxine, Eltroxin, Oroxine, and other T4 med brands.  Additionally, patients find themselves with poorly functioning adrenals, poor digestion and other conditions related to a poor treatment–all adding to a lowered immune system, which allows the opportunistic EBV virus to take ahold, especially in the face of extreme or chronic life stress.

What are symptoms of a reactivated EBV?

It can vary from patient-to-patient, but can include easy and excess fatigue, achiness, joint pain, all over body pain, swollen lymph nodes, slight fever, ringing in the ears, and a general I-don’t-feel-well–the latter all the more so after activity. When my EBV antibodies were acute, I would be in bed for 2-3 days after pulling weeds for just twenty minutes while seated.  I couldn’t grocery shop; I couldn’t do housework. Nothing. Nada. I also had constant ringing in the ears and achiness.

How do I find out if I have reactivated EBV??

Ask your doctor to send you to a lab to be tested for it, and be sure you clarify that you are not asking for tests that show you were exposed it (most of us have). Instead you are asking for the testing which shows it has reactivated.  Or you can order it yourself via the labs I have listed here.

How do I treat it??

It’s not easy. I personally benefitted from taking a prescribed anti-virus medication. Though that lessened my symptoms by 50%, it wasn’t enough. I then moved to homeopathic medications and some dedicated mental imagery to finally get rid of it, as well as lots of rest and the immune enhancing support of vitamins, minerals, supplements plus healthy strategies i.e. whatever it takes to nourish your immune system. Nourishing supplements include high dose Vit. C (2000 mg minimum),  Vit E as mixed tocopherals,  selenium (200 – 400 mcg), mushroom extracts, CoQ10, high dose B-vitamins, minerals plus plenty of healthy and raw foods.  There are also great natural anti-virals I would recommend exploring. And ultimately as a thyroid patient, being on a MUCH better hypothyroid treatment with natural desiccated thyroid is the key, besides treating one’s adrenal issues, gluten or digestive issues, low iron, and all other related conditions.

Bottom line, once you are adequately treating your thyroid problem (see the current Options for Thyroid Treatment), addressing potential adrenal fatigue, low ferritin, gluten issues, low B12, for example, and using good stress management in the face of pressures within your life, your risk of having a reactivation of the dormant EBV virus is very low.

I’ve read that most all cases of hypothyroidism are due to EBV?

Not according to the experiences and intelligence of thyroid patients worldwide. Yes, there is some evidence that having reactivated herpes viruses like EBV could contribute to a hypothyroid state. But it’s rare, and is only one of many causes of hypothyroidism, not “the” cause. Far more common are genetic causes (numerous genes have been identified), as well as the well-researched organ-targeted autoimmune cause of Hashimoto’s. See this page. There are also studies that consistently show that reactivated EBV does not trigger Hashimoto’s or Grave’s–the latter also falsely stated.

Want more detailed information on EBV? Order the STTM ebook and become informed!

Namaste Janie

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Chronic Fatigue Syndrome could be UNTREATED or UNDERTREATED hypothyroid!

Though this post was first created in 2006, it’s been updated to the current day and time! Enjoy!

On Thursday night, Nov. 2nd, 2006, I was concerned.

NBC News had a short segment by Robert Bazell, their Chief Science and Health Correspondence. And Mr. Bazell and NBC news announced that there’s a “mystery illness that afflicts more than one million people in the United States, especially women”. And they confirmed that the government (Centers for the Disease Control aka CDC) is telling doctors: it’s real. And it’s called Chronic Fatigue Syndrome…or Myalgic encephalomyelitis, abbreviated as ME, in Europe.

I remember when the term CFS was coined in 1988, even without a specific cause or marker. I remember when they surmised it was due to Epstein Barr Virus. I listened when Mayo Clinic stated that CFS was a “complex disorder”. I have listened when Georgetown University Medical Center stated that “chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) may be rooted in distinct neurological abnormalities that can be medically tested” and may be a “legitimate, neurological diseases and that at least part of the pathology involves the central nervous system.” I also listened when CDC stated that CFS was “unexplained fatigue of greater than or equal to six month’s duration.”

For years, I have listened to the symptoms of CFS/ME with openness and great sympathy. I listened when I read that small outbreaks of similar fatigue disorders have been described in the medical literature since the 1930s

And I personally  KNOW that unrelenting and debilitating fatigue is real. I know that incapacitating fatigue is real. I know symptoms can be variable, individual, and fluctuate in severity, and that friends and family may not really get how sick they are. I have also lived with chronic, debilitating fatigue, as have millions of others whether they were classified with CFS/ME or not.

BUT….to say that it’s a mysterious illness highly concerns me… for thyroid patients. We’ve had too many doctors proclaim CFS/ME when we presented our fatigue, yet the reality has been poorly treated hypothyroidism or Hashi’s, not a mystery.

And here are interesting facts for hypothyroid or Hashimoto’s patient who get this CFS/ME diagnosis.

1) Chronic Fatigue Syndrome as the label for a mysterious disorder seemed to make it’s appearance within the decade after the lousy but highly acclaimed TSH lab test was created in the mid-1970’s, and during a time when most all patients had been switched from the successful desiccated thyroid to thyroxine-only treatment..the latter which patients now know have been huge failures in the treatment of hypothyroid.

2) Most of the symptoms listed as belonging with CFS are the VERY same symptoms reported by patients who were on inadequate T4-only medications and who were dosed by the TSH. Also, those are the same symptoms that other patients had when they were told they had NO thyroid problem (due to inadequate testing and evaluation of those tests). Additionally, all the symptoms were eradicated when the patient was optimally treated on Armour.

3) Many of the symptoms listed as being those of CFS are the exact same symptoms related to having low functioning adrenals—a VERY common condition that accompanies hypothyroid is a large majority of hypothyroid patients, and which doctors ROUTINELY know NOTHING about. For example. the following symptoms are listed as CFS symptoms, but are ALSO symptoms that hypothyroid patients with low cortisol often have: allergies and sensitivities to noise/sound, fainting, fever, dizziness, balance problems, night sweats, sensitivity to light, anxiety, panic attacks, personality changes, mood swings, unrefreshed sleep…and others.

I am BOTHERED BY THE SIMILARITIES ABOVE!!

I am bothered by the fact many hypothyroid patients who come onto the many thyroid-related discussion groups state they had the diagnosis of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome when they once were on T4-only medications and were dosed by the lousy TSH.

I am bothered when CFS is classified as a “real illness” when these very same patients on these sites lose ALL those symptoms when they dose high enough with desiccated thyroid, ignore the TSH and instead, dose by the free T4 and free T3, and/or treat their low cortisol if it’s confirmed to exist.

I am bothered by the fact that many CFS sufferers are told they have no thyroid problem, when in fact, the hypothyroid-free diagnosis is usually based on very lousy labs called the TSH and T4…and often with no thyroid antibodies labs, which doctors routinely state is “unnecessary”. And if the doctor did do a free T3, he proclaimed the patient “normal” just because the number was “in range”. We, as thyroid patients, have learned that “in range” means squat.

I am bothered by the fact that several listed CFS symptoms are also those of low Ferritin, which leads to anemia, and which is a common condition with hypothyroid patients.

Now in all due respect to patients who have the diagnosis of CFS/ME, or those who suffer from debilitating fatigue–I have been there. I know there are REAL diseases, real conditions, which produce REAL fatigue that may or may not be related to having a diseased thyroid. I once had acute Epstein Barr Virus for a full year, and understand the deep misery and debilitation of fatigue. And I understand that there are other causes for chronic fatigue which include, but are not limited to, mito problems, viruses, enteroviruses, retroviruses, Herpes Viruses, Lyme, Mold and Candida albicans. I can also ascertain that some fatigue has unknown causes.

But I am deeply concerned that the “millions” that CDC is now stating as suffering from a “real disease” might in fact contain a large body who are suffering from untreated or poorly treat hypothyroidism or Hashi’s..

I want to make it clear that I am not saying that “everyone” who is classified as having CFS/ME has undiagnosed or undertreated hypothyroid. The world is not that black and white. But I do suspect, based on the information given above, that many in that “millions” possibly DO have undiagnosed or poorly treated hypothyroid, and/or adrenal insufficiency…and have not done the correct tests or the right treatment to confirm it, and to help RELIEVE them of their misery. The evidence is simply too compelling.

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