Check Your Thyroid At Home With This Simple Test

Why your thyroid might be off even if you your tests come back normal:

Do you have all the symptoms of hypothyroidism, and yet your tests come back normal? According to some experts, the TSH test used to determine thyroid function is not always reliable. Here’s why: The hormone T4 is inactive in the body, so the body converts it to active T3.
“Usually, medicine will diagnose thyroid disease by testing for TSH levels, or the amount of T3 and T4 hormone in the blood. Bring back to mind, however, that T3 is the primary hormone which helps regulate body temperature – not T4!
Hence, if – despite adequate secretion of T4 by the thyroid gland – we’re not getting sufficient conversion of T4 to T3, or T3 is unable to activate cellular receptor sites, then the basal body temperature, or BBT will be found to be low – as will thyroid function.
In other words, using your body basal temperature provides us with a more realistic understanding of how efficiently your thyroid gland is actually functioning – compared to thyroid testing, done on a blood sample, which only measures how much hormone is present in that specific amount of blood – not how active it is.
Consequently, measuring your basal body temperature makes it possible to achieve a far more authentic way of testing for true thyroid function. It’s based on the simple, yet scientific premise that in a sense, your thyroid is much like the thermostat in your air-conditioned home.”

Easy At-Home Test For Evaluating Thyroid Function

This test should not be used as a sole diagnostic tool. Rather, it is something you can do at home to identify a possible problem to talk over with your trusted healthcare provider.

What you’ll need to check your thyroid at home:

A good basal body thermometer (not a regular digital one) or an old-fashioned glass thermometer with mercury. These two types of thermometers are calibrated differently and can report slightly different temperatures. The test was developed with a glass thermometer and is therefore the preferred tool for accuracy, but I choose not to keep one in the house. Instead, I use a high-quality digital thermometer that is very sensitive, and I compare my results with overall symptoms. (See thyroid function quiz below)

1. Place thermometer by your bed before you go to sleep. You’ll need to be able to reach it without getting out of bed or exerting much energy. If you’re using a glass thermometer, shake it thoroughly to reset it. The mercury will need to fall beneath 95F.

2. Over a period of three days, take your temperature immediately after waking up.  It should be done around the same time each day before getting out of bed. To do this, place your thermometer under your armpit for 10 minutes while you lie down and rest your eyes without moving around a lot. If you’re using a digital thermometer, press the button at the end of 10 minutes to check your temperature.

3. Write down your temperature, the time, and date on a piece of paper.

4. Repeat this process for 3 consecutive days total.

Special note for menstruating women;

Your temperature naturally fluctuates through out your cycle. In order to get accurate reading for this assessment, start taking your temperature the day after you start your period.

What should I be looking for?

According to many experts, “A healthy resting temperature ranges between 97.8 to 98.2 degrees Fahrenheit or 36.6 to 36.8 degrees Celsius.” (source) In other words, “If your temperature is consistently lower than the range indicated above for at least three days, this may be an indication of [possible] hypothyroidism. Conversely, temperatures consistently higher than this may indicate hyperthyroidism but can also suggest a possible infection.” (source)
On the other hand, some doctors consider any temperature below 98 degrees to be suggestive of possible hypothyroidism. (source) Remember, this test is considered to be helpful in identifying possible thyroid dysfunction, but it should not be used as a sole piece of diagnostic criteria.

Factors that can affect your waking temperature

Certain conditions unrelated to thyroid function can cause you to have an elevated waking temperature: Drinking alcohol the night before, extreme stress and hormonal birth control could cause elevated temperatures. On the flipside, recently discontinuing birth control could cause lower temperature.