If you get a full night’s sleep but still wake up feeling exhausted, you might be facing an issue that goes beyond your sleep habits. Hypothyroidism could be the stealthy culprit behind your morning fatigue. Hypothyroidism in other words is an underactive thyroid. When your thyroid is sluggish, everything in your body slows down, including energy production and recovery.
Why Does an Hypothyroidism Cause Morning Fatigue?
Hypothyroidism occurs when your thyroid gland doesn’t produce enough hormones, especially T3 (active form of thyroid hormone). These thyroid hormones regulate metabolism, energy levels, and overall mood. When these hormone levels are low, it can lead to persistent tiredness and morning fatigue no matter how much sleep you get and how well you eat.
3 Steps to Improve Morning Fatigue from Hypothyroidism
Step 1: Thyroid Blood Test
The first step is to check your thyroid hormones. You can do a simple home blood test (in UK Medichecks is great, go for Advanced Thyroid Panel). You can also go for more advanced options but Medichecks thyroid test is really simple, you can do it at home and also you get results very fast (2-3 working days).
Full thyroid panel includes checking:
- TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone): Indicates overall thyroid activity.
- Free T3 and Free T4: Measure the levels of thyroid hormones (T3 is the most important)
- Thyroid Antibodies (TPO and TGAb): It helps to identify if there is any autoimmune thyroid disease like Hashimoto’s for example.
- Reverse T3 (optional): High levels can inhibit the effects of T3, the active thyroid hormone.
Understanding these levels can give you a clearer picture of your thyroid health. That means you get better clarity on what you need to focus on mostly to improve your thyroid and morning fatigue: is it poor thyroid hormone production, poor thyroid hormone conversion and utilisation or inflamed thyroid.
Thyroid blood test interpretation
If your thyroid blood results indicate poor hormone production then you know that you need to focus on getting the right building blocks and nutrients. If its poor thyroid hormone conversion and utilisation, then it’s an indication to focus on your gut and possibly on insulin sensitivity and estrogen balance as well. If it’s inflammation, then you need to focus on lowering the inflammation not only through anti-inflammatory foods but also gut as a lot of inflammation comes from the gut.
Below, you can check what are optimal thyroid hormones level according to functional medicine (much narrower than standard lab ranges!). You should be within optimal range for optimal health and more energy in the morning:)
| Thyroid Marker | Standard Lab Range | Functional Medicine Range |
| TSH | 0.4 – 4.2 mIU/L | 1 – 2.5 mIU/L |
| Free T4 | 0.8 – 1.8 ng/dL | 1.1 – 1.6 ng/dL |
| Free T3 | 2.3 – 4.2 pg/mL | 3.2 – 4.2 pg/mL |
| Anti-TPO | < 35 IU/mL | < 9 IU/mL |
| Anti-TG | <116 IU/mL | < 4 IU/mL |
| Reverse T3* | 8 -25 ng/dL | 8 – 15 ng/dL |
Step 2: Reduce Stress
Stress is a huge factor that can lead to hypothyroidism and also exacerbate hypothyroid symptoms like morning fatigue. High stress increases the production of reverse T3, which “steals” your active T3 hormones, effectively reducing the amount of hormone available to your cells to make energy. Breathwork (check out my favourite here), journaling, working out your triggers and even simple daily walks can help you reduce stress and improve hypothyroidism.
Here you can also read more about my 3-2-1 Rule To Unwind and Relax Before Bed
Step 3. Focus on Thyroid-Nourishing Nutrients
Certain nutrients are essential to improve hypothyroidism and your morning fatigue:
- Amino Acid Tyrosine: A building block for thyroid hormones. Found in chicken, turkey, dairy products, and almonds.
- Iodine: Essential for thyroid hormone production. Include seaweed, Cod, Haddockk, eggs
- Zinc: Helps convert T4 into T3. Good sources are grass-fed beef, pumpkin and hemp seeds
- Vitamin A: Supports thyroid hormone metabolism. Found in carrots, sweet potatoes, butter and organ meats.
- Vitamins D and Selenium: Crucial for immune function and improving hypothyroidism. Get vitamin D from sun or supplement and selenium from Brazil nuts (2-3 a day max).
Here you can read more about Hypothyroidism Diet and Natural Treatment For Hypothyroidism
Quick Meal and Snacks Ideas for Busy Women
Incorporating these nutrients into your diet doesn’t have to be time-consuming. Here are some quick meals and snack ideas to help you tick all thyroid nutrients off:
- Breakfast: Banana protein shake with hemp seeds or scrambled eggs with toast & butter. For better digestion and alkalising effect (also important in improving hypothyroidism and fatigue) you can also add a bit of wheat grass powder.
- Lunch: Renourish carrot ginger soup (you can add grilled chicken for protein)
- Dinner: Salmon or Tempeh salad with quinoa, rucola, crushed brazil nuts, pumpkin seeds, tomatoes and kimchi.
- Snacks: Crispy Seaweed Thins or apple with nut butter
Summary:
By optimizing your thyroid health and improving hypothyroidism, you’re not just addressing morning fatigue; you’re setting the stage for clearer thinking and sustained energy throughout your entire day, making it easier to manage your demanding schedule. Imagine tackling your extensive to-do list with a sharper focus and maintaining your momentum well into those late-afternoon meetings.