Your thyroid is one of the most important organs you have. If it’s working perfectly, life is a lot easier. But if it’s not working well, you will struggle constantly at life’s simple tasks.

A thyroid gland may work optimally, be underactive, or overactive. If it’s underactive, the condition is called hypothyroidism. If it’s overactive, the condition is called hyperthyroidism. Each of these conditions has specific symptoms.

For purposes of this article, we’ll first identify the signs that your thyroid isn’t working properly. Let’s go through them, one by one.

You might want to keep count of how many of these symptoms are affecting you. Then the second time you go through the information, write them down. The list will help your doctor determine what is going on with your thyroid.

1. Irregular bowel movements - Your thyroid gland regulates how fast food travels through the intestinal tract and the absorption of nutrients. In a hypothyroid state, there’s constipation. With hyperthyroidism, food moves through the intestines exceptionally fast, and multiple bowel movements can occur.

2. Can’t lose weight - Your thyroid controls the metabolism of fat, protein, and carbohydrates. If it’s underactive, then your metabolism slows down, and you can find it really hard to lose weight.

3. Difficulty gaining weight - Unlike hypothyroidism, someone with hyperthyroidism is burning calories so quickly they can’t gain weight.

4. High cholesterol levels - With hypothyroidism, cholesterol levels can be high.

5. Hair that is visibly thinning - Hair that is falling out at a faster rate than what’s considered normal (more than 100 hairs a day) is a sign of hypothyroidism.

6. Hair that won’t grow - Another sign of hypothyroidism is hair that just won’t grow or grows VERY slowly, no matter what you do differently.

7. Fatigue that won’t go away - You’re not supposed to be tired during the day. Yet those with hypothyroidism often are.

8. Lack of motivation and drive - This can be a sign of low thyroid function.

9. Waking up with a headache - It’s no fun to wake up with a headache,  or have it last for three or four hours. Unfortunately,  hypothyroidism can cause headaches.

10. Anxiety and/or extreme emotions - Your thyroid affects your mind and emotions. With hyperthyroidism, you feel nervous and overly emotional. With hypothyroidism, you feel depressed.

11. Dry skin and dry scalp - When your thyroid is underactive, your skin will be dry because the turnover of the cells is slower than it should be.

12. Heart palpitations - Hyperthyroidism is dangerous for the heart. It can cause heart palpitations.

13. Cold hands and feet - In hypothyroidism, when your metabolism slows down, you can’t stay warm no matter how many clothes you wear.

14. Insomnia  - This is a common symptom of hyperthyroidism.

15. Night sweats - This is also a common symptom of hyperthyroidism. Your body heats up when your metabolism is racing.

So there you go, 15 signs of a poorly functioning thyroid gland. How many of these signs do you recognise in yourself?

Although hyperthyroidism may need medical intervention, there are natural solutions for thyroid health. Click here to discover 11 top remedies for optimal Thyroid health.