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Why Are You So Tired?


Fatigue Cause Number Six: Underactive Thyroid

If you are generally sluggish, run down and even a little depressed, the problem may be a slow thyroid, also known as hypothyroidism. The thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland that sits at the base of your neck and helps set the rate of metabolism, the rate at which the body uses energy.

According to the American Thyroid Foundation, by age 60 about 17 percent of all women will have a thyroid disorder and most won't know it. The most common cause, they say, is an autoimmune disorder known as Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Hashimoto's stops the gland from making enough thyroid hormones for the body to work the way it should. The result is hypothyroidism, or a slow metabolism.

Read more about diagnosing and hypothyroidism.

Blood tests known as T3 and T4 will detect thyroid hormones. If these hormones are low, synthetic hormones medication can bring you up to speed.




SOURCES: Harris H. McIlwain, MD, rheumatologist, adjunct professor, University of South Florida, Tampa; author, The Fibromyalgia Handbook, 3rd Edition. Ronald R. Fieve, MD, psychopharmacologist, professor of clinical psychiatry, Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, New York City; author, Bipolar II. Nieca Goldberg, MD, director, NYU Medical Center Women's Heart Program; associate professor, NYU School of Medicine, New York City. Rebecca Amaru, MD, clinical instructor of obstetrics and gynecology, Mt. Sinai Medical Center, New York City. W. Stephen Pray, PhD, RPh, Southwestern Oklahoma State University, Weatherford, Okla. Rudy Rivera, MD, author, Your Hidden Food Allergies Are Making You Fat. WebMD Feature: "Living with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue." WebMD Feature: "Why Am I So Tired?" WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise: "Sleep Apnea—Treatment Overview." WebMD Medical Reference provided in collaboration with Cleveland Clinic: "Depression: Detecting Depression." WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise: "Hypothyroidism."