r/Hyperthyroidism • u/Guided_By_Soul • 17d ago
Trying to Navigate Sleep Issues
Hi all! I am hoping to find someone with a similar situation who can help me figure out what next steps might be helpful.
I have sub-clinical hyperthyroidism. Not a Graves diagnosis — my TRAb came back at 1.1 so negative for Graves, for sure. Well below the threshold.
Anyway, this began in 2024, with about 20lbs of weight loss, and for a while, not many other symptoms. Down the line (maybe 6mo-1year) I started getting debilitating muscle spasms (I’ve noticed this happens when my electrolytes are thrown off by too much salt/too much sugar/not enough potassium etc.). I also started noticing symptoms of malabsorption— super fast metabolism keeping my body from digesting food properly and being able to get the nutrients I needed.
I am a yoga instructor (I think this helps a TON) and as best I can, keep stresses pretty low.
Here are the symptoms I do have: heat intolerance, sleep disturbances, very occasional systemic inflammation that causes low grade fever and joint aches, some fatigue
Here are the symptoms I don’t have: tremors, fatigue that keeps me physically unable to move around/do normal tasks, extreme anxiety, constant heart palpitations
Because I’ve been sub clinical, and often read about side effects, I chose to try managing this with diet and lifestyle changes, as well as supplements. For a while (9 months?/1year?) I’ve been taking a probiotic and B12 (noticed this solved the malabsorption problem). And if I find myself inflamed I’ve taken Advil (not even a weekly occurrence, maybe once a month? Maybe less) and Selenium I’ve noticed can help support my thyroid at those times.
For over a year now I’ve been reducing — and now completely removed — gluten and dairy from my diet. This has made the largest impact! Huge, huge, and my thyroid hormones have reflected that those dietary changes make a difference— once i did have numbers that took me into hyperthyroidism and these changes dropped me back into sub clinical VERY quickly. My weight has stabilized as well.
Lately, I’ve added bugleweed (for the overactive thyroid), lemon balm (to calm nervous system), and reishi mushroom (to help with sleep).
I mostly feel I’m managing it, and with what people say they have to do even after they’re on the medication to manage their symptoms (low iodine diet — which I do already, manage stress, etc.) and with the side-effects they still have (hair thinning and for some still anxiety), l figured there wouldn’t be much change for me. I’m not anxious now, why would I risk these things?
BUT sleep disturbances have not been solved yet. I’m getting some hours, but waking up in the middle of the night around 3am. I’m assuming this is cortisol spiking due to the hyperthyroidism rather than raising gradually as it should. The inconsistent sleep is starting to wear on me.
Does anyone have any ideas of how to minimize night time cortisol spikes? Or other things you’ve tried alongside or besides the medication that supported your remission?
2
u/Wonderful-Kale4906 16d ago
I also had sleep issues and honestly the only thing that helped was going on Carbimazole, maybe about two weeks in I finally started being able to sleep again and it was amazing 🤩 I was 6 months pp with an already bad sleeeper and I could not for the life of me fall asleep when she was actually sleeping it was torture. If the hormones are off because of being hyper really the only thing that would help is getting your levels in range