Is it Thyroid, Perimenopause or Adrenal Fatigue: Which One Are You Really Struggling With?

Do you struggle to drag yourself out of bed in the morning, spend the day feeling drained, have an old lady nap in the afternoon and, as a result, feel unproductive?

Perhaps you do your best to hide your foggy thinking and pretend that everything will be ok tomorrow?

Although we tend to associate hot flushes, night sweats and weight gain with menopause, fatigue is also very common. In fact, it's estimated that 46.5 % of perimenopause and 85.3% of menopause these overwhelming symptoms.

>So what is the problem?

Are your perimenopause or menopause symptoms something you will never fix? Are you doing it all wrong and somehow missing some vital information? Will you just have to get your chin up and struggle through? Could there be another reason why you’re feeling this way?

The answer is complex. Let me break it down for you today.

Why is it so hard to understand what is going on?

Getting to the bottom of your problems with low energy levels isn’t easy, especially if you’re peri-menopausal or menopausal.

Many of the symptoms of thyroid issues, adrenal fatigue and menopause are identical and, perhaps worse, they are also interrelated.

You see, your energy levels are determined by your mitochondria. These are the energy centres of your cells and work to support every function in your body. Unfortunately, they’re also very sensitive to damage from stress, toxins, alcohol, hormonal imbalances, eating a poor diet and the natural ageing process.

This creates a perfect storm for your body. If you already have a hormonal imbalance due to perimenopause, everything else gets affected. Your mitochondria can’t work effectively. Your thyroid and adrenal glands struggle to keep up and your menopause symptoms get even worse.

So if you want to understand why you’re struggling with fatigue, you need to first take a closer look at the root causes then work to find a treatment.

Fatigue and thyroid

Many women develop an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) when they age. This produces the kind of fatigue that leaves you utterly exhausted and needing to nap to make it through the day.

It can develop slowly or come on suddenly and you might not even have enough energy to exercise. You’re also likely to fall asleep quickly and struggle to get up in the morning.

But it’s not just your energy levels. Hypothyroidism shares many symptoms with perimenopause. This includes:

• Shorter or longer menstrual cycle
• Sleep disruption
• Fatigue
• Mood swings
• Brain fog and forgetfulness
• Weight gain
• Dry skin
• Hair loss

However, there is one key symptom that you should watch for if you’re unsure whether it’s your thyroid or perimenopause- hot flushes/night sweats. These sudden changes in body temperature are unique to menopause and not seen with hypothyroidism.

You should also consider your stress levels to eliminate adrenal fatigue from the puzzle. Have you experienced trauma, chronic stress, burnout or other issues lately? We’ll discuss adrenal fatigue in more detail further down the page.

Perimenopause

Menopause affects your overall hormone balance, causing levels of hormones like oestrogen, progesterone, thyroid hormones and adrenal hormones to fluctuate throughout the day. Because these hormones are connected to regulating your energy levels, you’ll often feel fatigued.

What’s worse is that your symptoms of menopause can make any existing fatigue even worse. If you have problems sleeping, hot flashes, night sweats or anxiety, you’ll also find it hard to sleep and are more likely still to feel worn out and fuzzy brained.

Adrenal Fatigue

Adrenal fatigue can happen when you’re under long term mental, emotional or physical stress and your body is struggling to cope.

When this happens, your body produces many hormones, one of which is cortisol as part of the fight or flight response.

This hormone helps you to respond to stress or danger, control your blood pressure and blood sugar levels and reduce inflammation. If you can’t create enough of it, you become fatigued and could experience a wide range of symptoms such as:

• Mood swings or irritability
• Increased PMS
• Heavy bleeding
• Headaches
• Uterine fibroids
• Decreased libido
• Irregular periods
• Hot flashes and night sweats
• Vaginal dryness
• Skin changes
• Dry eyes
• Urinary incontinence
• Heart palpitations
• Joint pain/stiffness
• Breast tenderness, cysts or nipple discharge

As you can see, these symptoms share a lot in common with both perimenopause and hypothyroidism. What’s worse, these hormonal problems can also worsen a woman’s menopause symptoms.

How CBD oil can help you

Getting to the root of your problem is key if you want to boost your energy levels and feel like your usual self again. But you also need to deal with your symptoms, don’t you?

That’s when CBD oil can help. Also known as cannabidiol, it’s one of the non-psychoactive chemicals found in the cannabis plant (it won’t make you high). When used, it works with the complex cell signalling system in your body known as the endocannabinoid system and helps to balance your hormones, brain function and immune system. This means fewer hormonal symptoms overall.

But that’s not all. There are many studies that indicate that CBD can be a gentle stimulant when used in small doses such as under 15 milligrams (mg). However, this does depend on the individual- some may find that slightly lower or higher doses are required to have the same effect.

It can also help with common symptoms of the perimenopause and menopause including:

• Anxiety and depression
• Insomnia
• Low libido
• Inflammation
• Pain

Using CBD for thyroid, perimenopause or adrenal fatigue

These days, there are many ways you can try CBD oil to treat your symptoms and none of them involve smoking! I always recommend that you use a high-quality oil from a trusted source such as KYND.

You can take a few drops under your tongue, take capsules, take CBD gummies or even use a balm. I took it when I was suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and it made a big difference.

Final thoughts

Tiredness and fatigue can be caused by a range of health problems including hypothyroid, perimenopause and adrenal fatigue.

To feel better, start by looking for the root of the problem, identifying whether you suffer from specific symptoms that suggest you have a particular one. It’s also worth making an appointment with your GP or asking me about the DUTCH test.

In the meantime, use CBD oil to ease your symptoms and start the healing process so you can feel energetic again.