How Stress Affects Your Thyroid

And 3 Stress Management Tips

Is stress harmful to your thyroid? Can it cause a thyroid condition, such as hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism? This slideshow explains the connection between stress and thyroid health, and shows you how to keep your stress levels—and thyroid—in check.

Could Stress Make Your Thyroid Go Haywire?

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We deal with stress every day of our lives. Whether we’re in rush hour traffic or facing an important work deadline, our stress levels are sometimes out of control. Can that be bad news for our thyroid—a delicate gland that can sense when our bodies are out of whack?

While there’s no proof that stress causes most thyroid problems, it may play a factor. This slideshow explains the stress-thyroid connection and shows you 3 ways to manage stress.

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Written by Julie M. Gentile

Reviewed by Kresimira Milas MD

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Reference

Mizokami T, Wu Li A, El-Kaissi S et al. Stress and thyroid autoimmunity [abstract]. Thyroid. 2004;14(12):1047-1055. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15650357. Accessed August 11, 2011.

Source

Beckman M. Stress-a thyroid enemy. Los Angeles Times Web site. http://articles.latimes.com/2007/sep/24/health/he-closer24. Published September 24, 2007. Accessed August 11, 2011.