You’re exhausted all the time. 

Your hairbrush is full of more strands than you’d like to admit. 

The scale creeps up no matter what you eat. 

Your brain feels foggy, your skin is dry, and you’re starting to wonder if you’re just… broken.

So you finally do the “responsible” thing: you go to your doctor, explain everything, and ask them to check your thyroid. They order a lab test, call you a few days later, and say the words you were dreading: “Everything looks normal.”

You hang up thinking, But I don’t feel normal.

If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. 

So many women—especially after 35—struggle with symptoms of low thyroid function even though their labs come back “within range.” 

And the kicker? They’re often told it’s all in their head, or that they just need to eat less and exercise more.

Here’s the truth: you can feel hypothyroid (low thyroid) without being diagnosed as hypothyroid. That doesn’t mean your symptoms aren’t real. It means conventional testing often misses what’s really going on.

Let’s break down what low thyroid hormones actually feel like, why your labs might still come back “normal,” and how a deeper, functional approach can finally give you answers (and solutions).

First, a Quick Thyroid 101

Your thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland in your neck that controls your metabolism, energy, mood, digestion, and pretty much every cell in your body. Think of it as your body’s thermostat. When it’s working, you have energy, maintain weight, think clearly, and feel good.

When thyroid hormones are low, the thermostat drops—and everything slows down: energy, digestion, metabolism, even mood.

The main hormones involved are:

• TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone): Produced by your pituitary gland to tell your thyroid to get to work.
• T4 (Thyroxine): The main hormone your thyroid releases, but it’s mostly inactive.
• T3 (Triiodothyronine): The active thyroid hormone that actually fuels your metabolism and energy.
• Reverse T3: A “brake” hormone that blocks T3 when your body is stressed.

Conventional doctors usually only check TSH (and sometimes T4). But that doesn’t tell the whole story.

What Low Thyroid Hormones Actually Feel Like

If you’re wondering whether your thyroid could be behind your symptoms, here are the most common red flags:

1. Crushing Fatigue

We’re not talking about “I stayed up too late” tired. This is the kind of exhaustion where even after a full night’s sleep, you wake up feeling like you ran a marathon in your dreams. Afternoon crashes become the norm, and caffeine feels less like a boost and more like a lifeline.

2. Stubborn Weight Gain (or Inability to Lose)

If you’ve tried calorie cutting, extra workouts, or skipping carbs and the scale still won’t budge, it’s not your willpower. Low thyroid slows your metabolism, meaning your body is burning fewer calories even at rest.

3. Hair Loss and Brittle Nails

That pile of hair on your shower floor isn’t just stress—it’s a sign your thyroid isn’t providing enough fuel for hair growth. Nails may chip, peel, or grow slower, too.

4. Dry Skin and Feeling Cold All the Time

Low thyroid can leave your skin flaky and rough, no matter how much lotion you slather on. You might also notice you’re the one always reaching for a sweater while everyone else is fine.

5. Brain Fog and Memory Issues

Struggling to find words, forgetting why you walked into a room, or feeling like your brain is moving in slow motion? Low thyroid impacts brain function, making it hard to focus or remember things.

6. Mood Changes

Anxiety, depression, or irritability can all be tied to thyroid imbalance. When your metabolism slows, so does the production of feel-good brain chemicals like serotonin.

7. Digestive Problems

Constipation is a classic low thyroid symptom because everything in your digestive tract slows down.

8. Menstrual and Fertility Changes

Irregular cycles, heavy periods, or fertility struggles often trace back to thyroid issues.

If you’re nodding your head at multiple symptoms, it’s worth looking deeper—even if your doctor says your labs are fine.

Why Your Labs Might Still Say You’re “Normal”

This is where things get tricky. Conventional medicine has a very narrow definition of thyroid health.

1. They Often Only Test TSH

Most doctors order TSH as the only thyroid test. If your TSH falls within the broad lab range (usually 0.5–5.0), they’ll tell you everything’s normal. The problem? TSH isn’t a thyroid hormone—it’s a pituitary hormone. It measures how hard your brain is yelling at your thyroid, not how well your thyroid is actually doing its job.

2. Lab Ranges Aren’t the Same as Optimal Ranges

“Normal” lab ranges are based on the average population, and let’s be real—average doesn’t equal healthy. Functional practitioners look for optimal ranges, which are narrower and based on where people feel their best, not just what’s common.

For example:

A TSH of 4.5 might be considered “normal” in conventional medicine, but in functional nutrition, it’s a red flag for low thyroid function.

3. Free T3 and Free T4 Aren’t Checked

Your body might be producing thyroid hormones (T4), but not converting them into active T3. Without testing free T3, you’ll never know if your cells are actually getting the hormone they need.

4. Reverse T3 Isn’t Measured

Stress, chronic illness, or under-eating can cause your body to produce more reverse T3, which blocks T3 from working. If reverse T3 isn’t tested, this piece of the puzzle gets missed.

5. Antibodies Are Ignored

Many cases of low thyroid are autoimmune (Hashimoto’s), but unless thyroid antibodies are tested, you’ll never know if your immune system is attacking your thyroid.

Why This Matters for You

If you’ve been brushed off because your TSH is “fine,” you might be living with undiagnosed low thyroid function. That means:

• You’re struggling with weight loss despite doing all the right things.
• You’re living with constant fatigue and brain fog.
• You’re being told it’s “just stress” or “just getting older.”

But it’s not “just.” It’s your body sending you signals that something deeper is going on.

What You Can Do If You Suspect Low Thyroid

Here’s where the functional approach comes in. Instead of looking at a single lab marker, we dig deeper.

1. Request a Full Thyroid Panel

Ask for:

• TSH
• Free T4
• Free T3
• Reverse T3
• Thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAb)
• Thyroglobulin antibodies (TgAb)

This full picture shows not only if your thyroid is making hormones, but if your body is converting and using them properly.

2. Look at Lifestyle Factors That Impact Thyroid Function

Nutrition: Your thyroid needs nutrients like iodine, selenium, zinc, and iron to function. Chronic dieting and under-eating can suppress thyroid activity.

Stress: Chronic stress raises cortisol, which blocks thyroid hormone conversion.

Gut health: A healthy gut is needed to convert T4 to T3.

Sleep: Poor sleep wrecks thyroid balance and increases stress hormones.

3. Don’t Ignore Subtle Symptoms

Just because you’re “getting by” doesn’t mean you’re thriving. Pay attention to early signals before they snowball into bigger issues.

How Functional Nutrition Coaching Helps

Here’s the truth: most physicians don’t have the time, training, or tools to dig deeper into thyroid health. That’s where functional nutrition coaching changes everything.

Instead of handing you a lab result and saying “you’re fine,” we:

• Look at the whole picture—your labs, your symptoms, your nutrition, your lifestyle.
• Identify root causes like nutrient deficiencies, stress patterns, or conversion issues.
• Create a customized plan to support your thyroid through food, supplements, movement, and stress management.
• Provide accountability so you actually follow through and see results.

Because let’s be honest: knowing what’s wrong is only half the battle. The real magic happens when you have support and structure to make changes that last.

The Bottom Line

If you’ve been told your thyroid is “normal” but you don’t feel normal, trust yourself. Low thyroid function can hide behind so-called “normal” labs, leaving you frustrated and stuck.

Symptoms like fatigue, weight struggles, hair loss, mood swings, and brain fog are not just “part of getting older.” They are signs your body is asking for help.

By working with a functional nutrition coach, you can finally:

• Get to the root of what’s happening with your thyroid.
• Support your hormones with a personalized plan.
• Have the accountability and encouragement to actually follow through.

You don’t have to accept feeling tired, foggy, and stuck as your “new normal.” There’s a deeper way forward—and you don’t have to figure it out alone.

Ready to stop guessing and start supporting your thyroid? Our Functional Nutrition Coaching helps women go beyond “normal” labs to uncover root causes, create a personalized plan, and get the accountability you need to feel like yourself again.

Click HERE to learn more!