Question

Explain why weight loss and insomnia occur with hyperthyroidism

Answer 1

Weight Loss: Hyperthyroidism is refers to to condition where a thyroid gland produces excess of thyroxine harmone.The thyroid gland is made up of thousands of follicles which are small sphere lining with follicular cells. These follicular cells convert thyroglobulin a protein found in follicles into two iodine containing hormones which is 1. Triiodothyronine(T3) 2. Thyroxine(T4). Once released from the thyroid gland these hormones enter the blood and bind the circulating plasma proteins. Only a small amount of T3 and T4 will travel unbound in the blood and these two hormones get picked up by nearly every cell in the body. Once inside the cell, T4 is mostly converted to T3 where it can exert its effect.

T3 speeds up the cell's basal metabolic rate as a result of which cell might produce more proteins and burn more energy in the form of sugars and fats which leads to weight loss despite increased appetite.

Insomnia: The two most common diagnosed problems with the thyroid are Hyperthyroidism also known as overactive thyroid and Hypothyroidism known as underactive thyroid. When a person has hyperthyroidism the thyroid seems to be extremely active,over producing hormones and causing problems like rapid pulse, high blood pressure and insomnia. Those diagnosed with hyperthyroidism seem mostly to struggle with insomnia and restless sleep. Due to the increased hormone levels, the body seems to have difficulty relaxing enough to fall asleep.

The thyroid hormone activity sharply increases when an individual is in a state of sleep deprivation, During sleep deprivation the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis initially increases as a consequence of increased release of thyroid stimulating hormone from the pituitary. When the hypothalamus increases TSH release, the sympathetic nervous system is activated meanwhile and directly stimulates the thyroid gland, which may cause the sleep disorders.

Hyperthyroidism can also increase the movement at night, causing the person to wake once asleep.This lack of sleep will lead to increased fatigue and daytime sleepiness. Lack of sleep over long term can be harmful to a person's health.

As discussed above thyroid hormone plays a vital role in regulating the body functions and an increase or decrease in the hormone levels can result in various abnormalities.