Depression, fatigue, brain fog, loss of motivation, anxiety, and memory loss are common complaints among patients with Hashimoto’s.
Unmanaged Hashimoto’s has a severe impact on brain health for several reasons: The brain depends on sufficient thyroid hormone to function and is not getting enough, or levels fluctuate.
- The autoimmune mechanisms that damage the thyroid gland can also attack the brain.
- The inflammation that goes along with autoimmune Hashimoto’s inflames the brain, causing symptoms.
- The person is having immune reactions to undiagnosed food and chemical sensitivities, which inflames the brain and impairs brain function.
Thyroid levels and the brain
If you think you might have low thyroid problems, if you still have thyroid symptoms despite taking thyroid meds, or if it seems like the doctor has to constantly increase your dose, your brain’s neurons may not be getting enough thyroid hormone to function.
This means each neuron cannot function optimally, and overall brain function slows down and becomes less efficient. This is one reason symptoms like depression, fatigue, and brain fog are so common with Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism.
Every cell in the body needs thyroid hormones
Every cell in the body needs thyroid hormones to function properly, and the brain’s neurons are no exception. An unmanaged or undiagnosed thyroid condition can mean your brain is not receiving enough thyroid hormone. This can accelerate the degeneration of your brain.
This also impacts how well your organs work. That’s because of a large nerve called the vagus nerve that runs between the brain and the organs. When brain function declines, so does vagal nerve activity. As a result, the organs do not receive sufficient stimulation from the brain.
This means the stomach does not make enough stomach acid, and the pancreas does not make enough enzymes to digest foods. The liver does not make enough bile and fat digestion suffers. The large intestine is not activated to move food through the colon, leading to constipation. These are just a few examples of how compromised brain activity can diminish function throughout the body.
Why the right thyroid meds matter for your brain
You need to be aware of several things to optimize your brain function. First, while you may need thyroid hormone medication, if your thyroid autoimmunity is out of control, you’ll never find balance with thyroid function. This means you must stabilize your thyroid function by managing your autoimmune thyroid condition.
Next, it means you need to find the right kind of thyroid medication and a dose that works for you. For instance, many doctors only prescribe a synthetic T4-only medication. However, your body must convert T4 to T3 for it to be usable by the cells. Many people cannot do this efficiently. Many patients do better with the addition of a T3 thyroid hormone replacement. Some do better with bioidentical thyroid hormone replacement versus synthetic.
Also, be aware that some brands of thyroid hormone meds have fillers, such as cornstarch, that may trigger an immune reaction in you. Luckily, there is now a thyroid hormone on the market called Tirosint that is free of fillers and may be a good fit if you react to the fillers commonly used in medications. Work with your prescribing physician to find the best thyroid medication option for you while also working on taming inflammation and thyroid autoimmunity.
How inflammation from unmanaged Hashimoto’s worsens brain function
Chronic inflammation is one of the most common factors that trigger autoimmune diseases such as Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism. Unfortunately, this inflammation also makes its way into the brain, where it can cause damage and sometimes debilitating symptoms. The brain has a different immune system than the body. In the body, the immune system has an off switch, allowing it to turn off inflammatory immune cells when an infection or an invader is no longer a problem. However, the brain has no such off switch. When something triggers the brain’s immune system, this inflammation can move like a slow-burning fire moving through the brain, slowly damaging brain tissue along the way and causing poor brain function.
Things that can cause brain inflammation
Food intolerances: The tissue most often damaged by a gluten intolerance is brain and nervous tissue.
Chronic inflammation in the body: Immune cells involved in inflammation in the body make their way into the brain and begin triggering inflammation there as well.
Gut inflammation: Many Hashimoto’s patients have some type of gut health issue stemming from gut inflammation. This is a common cause of brain inflammation.
Blood sugar imbalances: Blood sugar imbalances are highly inflammatory to the brain. In fact, high blood sugar is so damaging to nervous tissue that researchers call Alzheimer’s “type 3 diabetes.” Low blood sugar and blood sugar crashes also inflame the brain. It is the constant spikes and drops of blood sugar and the surges of insulin that follow that disrupt brain function and inflame the brain.
Hormonal imbalances: Many Hashimoto’s patients have hormonal imbalances. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), hair loss, facial hair, infertility, and menstrual difficulties from hormonal imbalances can inflame the brain. Estrogen deficiency during perimenopause and menopause can also inflame the brain.
Autoimmune diseases: If a person is not managing their autoimmune disease with diet and lifestyle, the inflammation from the autoimmune disease will cause inflammation in other parts of the body, including the brain.
Leaky blood-brain barrier: When you have a leaky gut or intestinal permeability, you also most likely have a leaky blood-brain barrier. This means inflammatory compounds can enter the brain and trigger inflammation.
To learn more, download my free guide: 11 Strategies to Improve Brain Function.
