If you were born and raised or have been living in Singapore for a long time, then you must now be accustomed to the city’s fast-paced culture. Singaporeans are popularly known for high ambitions, industrious work ethics, and dynamic lifestyles. Everywhere you go, life in modern urban Singapore feels energetic and bustling. While this is a great indication of a progressive environment, there are hidden costs that affect the health of the people.
Chronic exhaustion and a perplexing inability to manage weight are the recurring complaints of a number of Singaporeans. The symptoms tied to these conditions are usually overlooked since they are often associated with long working hours, lack of sleep, or even aging. To combat these, some may take matters into their own hands and apply bandaid solutions like spending more hours in the gym or adapting a certain type of diet for weight loss, only to be met with unsuccessful results.
When interventions continue to fail your goal of controlling your weight, then this may be a sign that your body is trying to sound the alarm. The root cause of your condition may be deeper than just having a sluggish metabolism. Consulting with an endocrinologist in Singapore can provide the right answers to reveal the culprits behind your struggle with fatigue and weight management.
The Problem with Fatigue and Weight Gain
There is more to what influences your body’s weight gain. It is not simply calorie intake. Your age, diet, health conditions, medications, physical activities, and stress all contribute to your appetite and energy balance. Losing sleep can boost your appetite, aging can cause slower metabolism, and certain conditions, such as Cushing’s syndrome, hypothyroidism and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) can cause you to pack on more pounds.
Knowing how to manage your energy and weight can be really confusing and challenging because of the many overlapping symptoms.The long hours you put in at work can lead to loss of sleep, exhaustion, and a sedentary lifestyle leading to weight gain. Likewise, similar signs may actually indicate an underactive thyroid.
It is important to understand that fatigue and gaining weight on their own do not exactly mean that you have a thyroid disorder. You should undergo a thorough assessment with an endocrinologist in Singapore to get a proper diagnosis instead of making assumptions and self-diagnosing your health condition.
The Deal with Your Thyroid and Metabolism
The thyroid gland is an organ that is shaped like a butterfly located at the base of your neck. This modest-sized organ takes front and center in leading the body’s metabolic system. The thyroid produces unique hormones (T3 and T4) that are responsible for regulating the momentum of your body’s ability to convert calories into energy. It also influences the rate of your heart, handles the temperature of your body, and influences the functional efficiency of your organs.
An underperforming thyroid, also known as hypothyroidism, slows down your body’s metabolic engine. When this occurs, you will experience:
- Metabolic slowdown
- Serious fatigue
- Other subtle symptoms
Metabolic slowdown
The lesser calories burned in your body when you are at rest equates to the deceleration of cellular processes. This results in unexplained weight gain or your body’s resistance to losing weight despite following stern calorie deficits.
Serious Fatigue
You can experience bone-weary fatigue even with the right amount of sleep if your body’s energy production at a cellular level is damaged. Waking up the next day feeling sluggish and having little energy to do physical activities throughout the day is a symptom of profound fatigue.
Other Subtle Symptoms
Hypothyroidism often comes with other underlying signs. Brain fog, constipation, dry skin, thinning hair, increased cold sensitivity, and muscle weakness are other symptoms that can influence your professional performance in your workplace.
On the contrary, hyperthyroidism or an overactive thyroid) quickens your metabolism. This leads to unexpected loss of weight, heart palpitations, and tremors. Nevertheless, an underactive thyroid frequently gets mistaken for symptoms of urban burnout.
Diagnosing an Underactive Thyroid
Diagnosing an underactive thyroid goes beyond just identifying the symptoms that you have. To be more accurate, an endocrinologist in Singapore will ask you to undergo blood tests to assess thyroid function. The tests usually include evaluating your thyroid–stimulating hormone (TSH) and thyroxine (T4). Typically, your TSH level is high and your T4 range is low when you have hypothyroidism.
Having the right diagnosis is crucial. Getting treatment for a non-existent thyroid condition is not the correct approach, but at the same time brushing off obvious symptoms as stress just because of your hectic schedule is equally inappropriate.
A comprehensive consultation and health evaluation will also help determine other plausible causes of fatigue and weight change.
When to See an Endocrinologist in Singapore
If your quality of life is already affected by your chronic fatigue and unexplained weight gain, then you should consider booking an appointment with an endocrinologist in Singapore. Discussing the various symptoms that you feel will help your doctor assess your situation correctly. Take note of the following, especially when these changes arise simultaneously:
- Changes in menstrual patterns
- Constipation
- Difficulty focusing
- Feeling unusually tired or sluggish
- Dry skin
- Hair loss
- Increased cold sensitivity
- Persistent tiredness
- Reduced energy
- Unexplained weight gain
The causes of these symptoms may be due to other things, so it is important that they are assessed meticulously.
Life with Hypothyroidism
So you have been diagnosed with hypothyroidism. What’s next?
Thankfully, hypothyroidism is a treatable condition. An endocrinologist in Singapore will recommend using thyroid hormone replacement for your treatment plan. Getting the accurate dose of levothyroxine, a prescription medication that replaces thyroid hormone, is important to keep your hormones balanced. Your doctor will also recommend routine blood work to monitor your levels and keep your treatment in the right course.
Having a treatment plan alone does not equal a weight-loss plan. A treatment plan for hypothyroidism is a stepping stone to restoring your thyroid hormones to a healthy level that can help curb your weight gain. Managing your weight still requires adequate sleep, eating healthy, regular exercise, and practicing other healthy lifestyle habits.
Conclusion
Do not let persistent fatigue and unexplained weight gain control your life. At the same time, do not shrug off your symptoms and assume that these are caused by urban living burnout. Have an endocrinologist assess your symptoms and find the right treatment that can reclaim your body’s energy, fix your metabolism, and improve your quality of life.
The Metabolic Clinic – Dr Dinesh Carl Junis Mahendran
Novena Medical Centre
10 Sinaran Drive, #08-08
Singapore 307506