Thyroid Conditions

Goiter: A general term for thyroid swelling. Goiters can be harmless, or can represent iodine deficiency or a condition associated with thyroid inflammation called Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.

Thyroiditis: Inflammation of the thyroid, usually from a viral infection or autoimmune condition. Thyroiditis can be painful, or have no symptoms at all.

Hyperthyroidism: Excessive thyroid hormone production. Hyperthyroidism is most often caused by Graves disease or an overactive thyroid nodule.

Hypothyroidism: Low production of thyroid hormone. Thyroid damage caused by autoimmune disease is the most common cause of hypothyroidism .

Graves disease: An autoimmune condition in which the thyroid is overstimulated, causing hyperthyroidism.

Thyroid cancer: An uncommon form of cancer, thyroid cancer is usually curable. Surgery, radiation, and hormone treatments may be used to treat thyroid cancer.

Thyroid nodule: A small abnormal mass or lump in the thyroid gland. Thyroid nodules are extremely common. Few are cancerous. They may secrete excess hormones, causing hyperthyroidism, or cause no problems.

Thyroid storm: A rare form of hyperthyroidism in which extremely high thyroid hormone levels cause severe illness.

The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland that sits low on the front of the neck. Your thyroid lies below your Adam’s apple, along the front of the windpipe. The thyroid has two side lobes, connected by a bridge (isthmus) in the middle. When the thyroid is its normal size, you can’t feel it.

Brownish-red in color, the thyroid is rich with blood vessels. Nerves important for voice quality also pass through the thyroid.

The thyroid secretes several hormones, collectively called thyroid hormones. The main hormone is thyroxine, also called T4. Thyroid hormones act throughout the body, influencing metabolism, growth and development, and body temperature. During infancy and childhood, adequate thyroid hormone is crucial for brain development.

What causes it?

The noise of snoring is caused by parts of the nose and throat – in particular, the soft palate – vibrating as you breathe in and out. At night, the muscles that help keep your airways open relax and become floppy. This causes the airways to narrow and vibrate more, making snoring more likely.

There are also a number of factors that can make snoring worse:

* Alcohol or sleeping tablets – these relax the muscles even further
* Being overweight – this puts pressure on the airways
* Colds, allergies, nasal polyps, a damaged or crooked nose – can block the nose, causing you to breathe through your mouth
* Smoking – smokers are twice as likely as non-smokers to snore because their airways get inflamed and blocked
* Sleeping on your back

What are the effects?

Prods, kicks, and punches from your partner, the threat of divorce and complaints from the neighbours are all common.

You may also be suffering with obstructive sleep apnoea. In this condition, the relaxed throat muscles block the airway briefly hundreds of times each night stopping you breathing and depriving your body of oxygen.

In the short-term this causes tiredness during the day, irritability and restlessness, and puts you at risk of accidents when driving, for example.

In the long-term it can cause high blood pressure, heart attacks and strokes. Treatment involves wearing a dental splint and using a continuous positive airways pressure (CPAP) machine while you sleep to keep the airways properly ventilated.

What’s the treatment?

The following can help reduce the chances of you snoring:

* Avoid drinking alcohol late at night
* Maintain your ideal weight
* Raise the head of the bed
* Sleep on your side (to stop you rolling on to your back, sew a ball in the back of your pyjama top or wedge a pillow under your back)
* Keep your nasal passages clear by using a humidifier, inhaling steam or rubbing a few drops of eucalyptus or olbas oil on your pillowcase (antihistamine tablets and/or anti-inflammatory nasal sprays may help; always check with the pharmacist that they’re suitable for you, especially if you’re taking other medicines)

Other ‘cures’ you may want to try include nasal strips, devices that reposition the jaw and sprays. Try a few to see what works for you.

As a last resort, surgery can be used to remove nasal polyps, straighten crooked noses and cut out floppy soft palate tissue to stop it vibrating.

Laser surgery stiffens the palate to reduce vibration. Somnoplasty uses radio frequency energy to shrink the floppy soft palate tissue rather than cutting it out.