Hypothyroidism Causes This Strange Sleep Disorder

The list of health issues related to hypothyroidism is long. A new study published in Scientific may have added yet another one.

And this one may be more serious than any other.

Narcolepsy, a chronic sleep disorder marked by overwhelming daytime drowsiness and sudden attacks of sleep, has long puzzled medical experts.

In a study involving 40 narcolepsy patients from China’s Second Hospital of Shandong University and an equal number of healthy individuals, researchers embarked on a detailed analysis of thyroid function. By comparing the two groups, the study aimed to uncover any significant differences in thyroid hormone levels between those with narcolepsy and those without.

Moreover, the research sought to explore how these hormone levels might relate to sleep quality, anxiety, and depression in narcolepsy patients.

Blood samples from both groups were analyzed for thyroid function, and this is what they found:

1. Narcolepsy patients had significantly lower levels of free thyroxine (FT4), the most important thyroid hormone.

2. Lower FT4 levels were associated with higher scores on the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale.

3. High thyroid-stimulating hormone scores, usually present in people with hypothyroidism, were associated with high depression and high sleepiness scores.

These findings should, perhaps, not be surprising. FT4 plays a vital role in controlling metabolism and, by extension, energy levels. It makes sense that a lower level of FT4 in narcolepsy patients might contribute to the excessive daytime sleepiness that characterizes the disorder.

Interestingly, none of the participants in the study was diagnosed with primary hypothyroidism, a condition where the thyroid gland is completely underactive. However, a small subset of narcolepsy patients, about 10%, showed signs of subclinical hypothyroidism, where thyroid function is mildly reduced but not enough to meet the full criteria for hypothyroidism.

These findings suggest that the deficiency of hypocretin, the hormone that is absent in narcolepsy patients, may be linked to the regulation of thyroid hormones., In other words, that the ultimate cause of narcolepsy is actually low thyroid hormones and not low hypocretin.

This is yet another reason to treat your hypothyroidism naturally. Thousands of readers have already done so using the simple, natural steps explained here…