🥶 January Weather Really Messed With My Thyroid Health | Issue 183
Migraines and heavy fatigue as if I'm walking through treacle...
In this weeks newsletter, I am covering cold intolerance and how dreadful I felt when we had minus temperatures here in the UK the other week. And how SO MANY of you reached out to stay you felt the same struggle!
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Thursday Thoughts
The very cold weather we had in the UK in January really messed with my thyroid health.
In November last year, we had a ‘cold snap’ here in the UK, what we call a week or so of temperatures way colder than we are used to! During that week, I had a lot of migraines, heavy fatigue and muscle aches.
Six weeks or so later in January of this year, when the minus temperatures returned, I experienced it again. It felt as if the extreme cold temps were making my body work so much harder, but since my body can’t produce extra thyroid hormone like regular people, my body was struggling so much more. I could really feel it!
Daily migraines, heavy fatigue, muscle pain and brain fog. It was a hard week thyroid symptom-wise. As someone who rarely experiences these symptoms now, it was a real shock and honestly, quite scary. Is this all it takes to throw me off?! I thought.
The thyroid gland has to be functioning properly in order for your metabolism to burn calories and create heat and fuel. Creating heat and fuel is important, in particular for generating heat and energy.
So people with hypothyroidism can have symptoms associated with a slow metabolism, such as cold intolerance.
Most people seem to feel best with optimised thyroid levels, as opposed to just being ‘within range’, so getting your thyroid levels optimised could really help improve cold intolerance. However, with a severe change in external temps, this can occur even for those who are stable.
People with normal thyroid function can produce more thyroid hormones to generate more heat on they’re colder. Those who rely on daily thyroid medication can’t do this.
In fact, some thyroid patients find they need to increase their thyroid medication dosage slightly at colder times of the year (though this should always be done by a doctor!)
Have you experienced any of this? How are you doing this winter?
Personal Health Check-in
The day I write this newsletter, I have taken my latest Medichecks finger prick blood test.
I check my full thyroid panel and key vitamins every 6 months. You can view this test here. 🧪🧪🧪
As well as my video showing exactly how easy it is to do yourself, here!
Social Media Spotlight
My most popular online posts in the last week were:
Follow Rachel on » Facebook | Instagram | Threads
Recent newsletters you may have missed:
1) Why “eat less and exercise more” doesn’t work
2) I Ordered Thyroid Meds Off The Internet
3) "Thyroid Tired" is Not The Same as "Normal Tired"I announced the name of my new thyroid patient book, releasing this year.
My Medichecks discount code is INVISIBLE10 for 10% off.
I’m Talking at an Online Thyroid Event This Week!
Join me at the “Reversing Hashimoto’s and Thyroid Disease” Summit.
This online event brings together some of the world’s leading thyroid experts and I am excited to share that I am one of the speakers you will hear from at this online event!
Address modifiable risk factors for effective thyroid eye disease management
“Effective management of thyroid eye disease requires a focus on mitigating modifiable risk factors, according to a presenter at Hawaiian Eye 2025.”
My Top 25 Articles for Hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s Hope
I’ve recently updated this post.
Does Hypothyroidism Shorten Your Life Expectancy?
Thyroid hormones are needed for every process, every cell and every function within the body, so when they go wrong, i.e. are too low, a lot of other stuff can go wrong too.
That's all for this issue of The Invisible Hypothyroidism Newsletter, but you can find more information and support by:
⭐ Reading my website articles
⭐ Following my Facebook | Instagram | Threads | TikTok pages
⭐ Listening to the podcasts I have featured on
Keep an eye out next Thursday for the next issue!
Please Note: None of the statements in this publication should be taken as an official endorsement of any particular product, including any sponsored content. I strongly suggest consulting your doctor before making any changes to your lifestyle or health regimen. The information included in this publication is not meant to substitute the clinical guidance provided by a healthcare professional. Rachel Hill / The Invisible Hypothyroidism is not medically qualified and does not offer medical advice. Read the full disclaimer here.
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