Here’s a little secret: your thyroid is not some robotic gland ticking along at a constant speed. It’s more of a dancer, moving to the rhythms of nature, time, and your body’s cycles. Your thyroid is a cyclical being. Just like you. Let’s break it down…

The Daily Dance

Your TSH levels follow a circadian rhythm, which is closely tied to your body’s internal clock. Your thyroid (just like your other hormones) relies on the master clock, called SCN (suprachiasmatic nucleus) to know the time of the day and adjust the hormones release. This is done mainly via light signalling into the retina of your eyes (you get why I keep going on about sky gazing). Your TSH is the highest at night and lowest mid-morning and early afternoon. Disruptions to this rhythm (hello, excessive blue light exposure, binging Netflix until you pass out, and checking your phone first thing in the morning) can throw off this delicate balance and therefore your thyroid hormone levels.

It’s worth noting that circadian irregularities have been linked with both hypo and hyperthyroidism as well as thyroid autoimmunity.

The Seasonal Groove

Here’s where it gets really interesting: your thyroid also responds to seasonal changes. During the winter months, your body naturally increases the production of TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) as a response to colder temperatures and reduced daylight. This adaptive mechanism helps conserve energy and generate heat, but it can also lead to slower metabolism, weight gain, and even mood shifts. The lack of UVB light means we cannot produce vitamin D, and the declining vit D levels lead to an increase in autoimmune and systemic inflammation.

And with all the blue light blasting due to early sunset/late sunrise, our sleep quality suffers, which impacts our leptin and insulin resistance creating further issues with our metabolic health (which in turn affects the thyroid).

So what’s the solution here?

Doctors often suggest increasing the medication dosage. I say let’s optimise things holistically and give your body and thyroid all the support it needs to thrive in the colder months.

Your thyroid is a cyclical being. Recognise that it thrives when you align your lifestyle with its natural rhythms.  The thing is, that’s not easily done for most of us in the northern hemisphere!

One of the reasons we’re experiencing the ‘winter slump’ is the confusion that we create in the body, by not changing our routines (the way we eat, move, sleep) from summer to winter. So adaptation is where we start, but we can take it a step further and mitigate some of the negative effects of the colder temperatures and even use it to our advantage (tailored supplementation, photobiomodulation, brown fat activation).

In my two-part masterclass Winterproof Your Thyroid, I share my favourite winter adaptation practices and give you all the tools and knowledge to keep your thyroid thriving through the colder months. From practical lifestyle tips to seasonal dietary tweaks, we cover it all.

Embrace the Rhythm of Your Thyroid

Your thyroid is a cyclical being. A beautifully complex and adaptive gland, responding to the rhythms of nature and your daily habits. By understanding and aligning with these natural cycles, you can support your thyroid to function optimally year-round. Want to dive deeper? Join my two-part masterclass, Winterproof Your Thyroid, and get all the tools, tips, and tweaks you need to keep your thyroid thriving, even in the coldest months. Let’s embrace the seasonal dance together!