Hi Reader,

I want to tell you about the week I've been having.

Because I suspect some of you might be having the same one.

We've had a few days of intense heat here in the UK. And despite doing everything I thought was right – staying out of the sun, drinking plenty of water, resting – I have been feeling progressively, inexplicably worse.

Not just a bit hot and tired.

Properly unwell.

The kind of unwell that feels familiar to anyone managing a thyroid condition.

😴 Bone-deep exhaustion
🧠 Brain fog so thick I couldn't think clearly
💪 Aching all over
🤢 Low-level nausea that wouldn't shift
😶 Just not functioning

As a very pale, ginger person, heat and I have never been the best of friends. I know my limits. I stay indoors. I drink water. I should have been fine.

But I wasn't.

And I couldn't work out why.

So I started digging. And what I found genuinely surprised me – even after everything I've read about thyroid health over the years.

It turns out that thyroid conditions – and thyroid medications specifically – appear on the list of things that make it harder for the body to cope in hot weather.

Here's the mechanism that stopped me in my tracks.

Most of your thyroid hormone travels through the body bound to carrier proteins. When dehydration concentrates the blood – which happens faster in people with thyroid conditions because our cells already struggle to manage fluid balance – those carrier proteins snap up more hormone than they should.

Which leaves less Free T3 and Free T4 actually available to do their jobs.

Dehydration can literally stop your thyroid hormones from reaching your organs.

Suddenly the exhaustion made sense. The brain fog made sense. The aching and the nausea and the feeling of just not being right – all of it made sense.

And then I realised something else.

Plain water – which is what I had been drinking plenty of – can actually make this worse. Without minerals, it can dilute the blood further. Which deepens the imbalance rather than correcting it.

I had been doing the right thing. And it wasn't enough.

So here is what I've changed this week.

I started adding electrolyte powder to my water. Not the expensive sachets full of artificial sweeteners and flavourings. Just a simple unflavoured electrolyte powder – sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium. Nothing else.

It tastes a bit grim on its own, so I've been adding a scoop of greens powder to take the edge off.

A squeeze of lemon or a splash of juice would work just as well.

I've also been more deliberate about not skipping salt, eating regularly even when I don't feel like it, resting more than I think I need to, and getting potassium from food – bananas and avocado have been my friends this week.

And I am genuinely starting to feel more human again.

⚠️ I want to be clear that electrolytes are not suitable for everyone.

Especially if you have heart conditions, kidney issues, diabetes, or you're on medication that affects fluid or mineral balance – Everyone should speak to their doctor before trying them.

⚠️ Potassium in particular needs careful monitoring if you have a heart condition, and kidneys that aren't functioning well can struggle to process extra minerals safely.

Getting minerals from food is always the safest starting point.

But I wanted to share what has worked for me because even after years of reading everything I can find about thyroid health – I had no idea how significantly dehydration in hot weather can affect the availability of thyroid hormone at cell level.

Nobody told me this. I had to go looking for it.

And that is exactly the thing.

There is so much about living with a thyroid condition that we are just expected to figure out on our own.

❤️ The connection between hot weather and thyroid hormone availability.

❤️ The difference between hydration and mineral balance.

❤️ The way symptoms that seem random and unexplained are actually connected to something very specific happening in the body.

This is the kind of thing we talk about inside the Hypothyroid Recovery Hub.

Not to replace your doctor.

But because knowing this stuff changes how you take care of yourself.

It means you spend less time feeling awful and confused, and more time understanding what your body is actually trying to tell you.

If you're not already in the community – come and have a look. We'd love to have you with us.

👉 https://www.skool.com/hypothyroid/about​

And if there's a free trial available when you click that link, make the most of it – it isn't always on.
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P.S. Here's the in depth article that explains the dehydration and thyroid hormone mechanism really clearly – worth a read if you want to understand the science behind it:

​https://bluehorizonbloodtests.co.uk/blogs/thyroid-health/can-dehydration-cause-thyroid-issues​

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