Thyroid Home Test: Body Temperature & Pulse

Ever wonder why you often feel cold? How about trying so many exercise programs and diet protocols but you just can't seem to lose weight. Going to gym and attending regular bootcamp classes accompanied by dieting and dropping the calories off your foods, your body is finding it hard to lose weight or body fat. You step on that weighing machine every morning when you wake up, feeling miserable and confuse, what is going on, what else can I do to lose weight or feel better. You are always tired and low in energy, feeling lousy and fatigue most of the time. What next? 

Imagine, you walk in to a health screening department (after the medical doctor told you to go for a health check up), and the medical officer tells you that all looks 'normal' and there is nothing wrong with you. When the thyroid profiling results is reviewed, all looks normal and TSH is 'within range'. Question is, why am I still having thyroid symptoms and feeling lousy, overweight and tired all the time?

I will be writing a full blown posts about thyroid soon, but as for today, I will reveal the symptoms of hypothyroid and hyperthyroid symptoms, as well as hashimotos and graves disease (both autoimmune diseases for thyroid). Also, I share with you the home tests anyone can do by your own self, to manually measure the status of your thyroid, apart from performing functional lab tests to further investigate what is going on with the thyroid pathways. 

Hypothyroid Symptoms (underactive) -  most common

- Feels cold easily, also cold hands and feet

- Feeling depressed or stressed out

- Constipation (regularly)

- Poor memory (absent minded, tend to forget things)

- Poor concentration 

- Fine hair and nails

- Difficult to lose weight, gain weight easily

- Puffy eyes

- Often fatigue and exhausted, tired easily

Hyperthyroid Symptoms (over-active) 

- Diarheaa

- Anxiety

- Rapid weight loss

- Sensitive eyes

- High Blood Pressure

- Elevated heart rate

Graves & Hashimotos disease - (Autoimmune)

- Similiar to hypothyroid symptoms

- Thinning of the eyebrows

- Insomnia due to high cortisol levels nighttime. Poor sleep quality. 

Thyroid Home Tests

Test body temperature and pulse 5 times a day, when wakes up in the morning, 20 mins after each meal, and before bed during night time. Body temperature should be around 37 degrees celcius, and if it's below 36.3 degrees celcius, it is an indicator of underactive thyroid. If your metabolism if responding to each meal, the temperature should rise after 20 minutes. Meanwhile, ensure pulse is measured the same time whenever the body temperature measurement is performed too. The pulse should be around 75-80, ideally slightly above 80. 

Before I sign off, I compiled some of the questions which everyone should be asking themselves which regards to thyroid related problems.

- I have high total body fat, but why am I still feeling cold easily? E.g in office, cinema.

- I cut down calories in my diet and foods, why am I still not losing weight? 

- I exercise regularly, I'm still not losing weight or body fat, why is that so?

- My doctor said my thyroid status and profile is normal. Does that mean my thyroid is working normally?

- If my digestion is poor or having gut dsyfunction, will it affect my thyroid function?

- I sleep more then 7 hours a day, why do I often feel tired and fatigue daily?

- I have poor memory and often forgetfulness, could it be due to aging or thyroid related problems? 

- Will my metabolism be optimal or efficient, if perform regular exercise, but without finding out the health of my thyroid? 

- I can't sleep at night and having poor sleep quality, am I deficient in sleeping pills or is it related to my thyroid? 

- I'm often low in energy levels, will consuming caffeine or energy drinks ideal for this fix, or is it my thyroid? 

- Finally, the most important question of all. Which lab test to perform to investigate comprehensive thyroid functions? Is conventional medical health screening for thyroid sufficient? Would testing TSH and T4, T3 accurate enough to find out what is wrong with the thyroid?