Medical Questions » Glands Questions » Question No. 1381
| Question: | How do I know if my thyroid is underactive? |
| Answer: | Low blood pressure plus cold hands/feet and feeling tired or sluggish are all symptoms of an underactive thyroid. Test yourself at home like this: shake out a thermometer and keep it by your bed. When you wake up in the morning, and before getting up, put a thermometer under your arm and lie there for 10 minutes. Your basal temperature should be 36.5 to 36.7 degrees Celsius. Do this for at least two days. (Women should do this test on days 2 and 3 of their period, as body temperature fluctuates during the cycle.) If your temperature is below 36.5, take it again regularly over a longer period, say a week, to see if it is low on a fairly regular basis. If it is lower than 36.5 you are probably hypothyroid - that is, your thyroid gland is under functioning.
In many cases, a low temperature will not neces-sarily indicate a condition which would be medically diagnosed as an underactive thyroid, but nevertheless, you could benefit from supporting your thyroid nutritionally. |
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