Cold showers immediately after waking up.
In the pursuit of morning energy, people often follow trendy “life hacks” without considering their impact on hormonal balance. One of these is taking a cold shower right after waking up. While it may seem like a quick way to wake up, energize the body, and boost alertness, this habit can actually be harmful if you have thyroid issues. After sleep, the body is in a so-called “slow start” mode, during which the thyroid begins producing hormones essential for energy, focus, and temperature regulation. If you take a cold shower immediately after waking up, your body perceives it as a sharp stress. For individuals with conditions like hypothyroidism or autoimmune thyroiditis, this can worsen symptoms such as fatigue, swelling, slowed metabolism, lower body temperature, and increased anxiety. If you enjoy morning water routines, it’s better to choose a contrast shower or use warm water. Remember: taking care of your thyroid isn’t always about medication — it’s often about small daily choices that help maintain or disrupt hormonal balance.
Late rising.
Many people enjoy sleeping in, especially on weekends. While it may feel like a harmless way to catch up on rest, if late wake-ups become a habit, they can gradually disrupt thyroid function — one of the body’s main regulators of energy, metabolism, and hormonal balance. Regularly waking up close to noon throws off your thyroid’s natural rhythm, preventing it from activating on time. This can lead to feeling tired even after long sleep, having a sluggish metabolism, difficulty focusing, and feeling cold for no reason. It may also be accompanied by mood changes like irritability or brain fog. These signals are not just the result of a bad night, but the result of a disrupted hormonal trigger. To support your thyroid, aim to wake up at the same time every day — ideally no later than 8:00 a.m. Even if you don’t start your day right away, simply waking up helps activate your hormonal system. The production of thyroid hormones becomes more stable, and the state of health becomes more even and predictable.
Taking medication with coffee or food.
Another common morning mistake that can seriously affect thyroid function is taking medications with coffee or breakfast. This is especially true for people with hypothyroidism who take daily hormone replacement therapy, such as Thyro3, ThyroFit 25, Thyronorm. Most hormonal medications should be taken on an empty stomach, at least 30-60 minutes before meals, with plain water. This is important for the medication to be well absorbed – if you take it with food or coffee, the active substances are poorly absorbed and may not have the expected effect. As a result, even if you take the hormone regularly, your tests may remain unstable and your symptoms may return. To avoid this, make a simple habit of taking your medication with warm water immediately after waking up, and only half an hour later – breakfast or coffee. It may seem like a small thing, but it’s the smallest thing that decides whether your hormonal levels will be stable.
Lack of sunlight.
If you start your day by sitting at a computer or staying in a room with artificial lighting, without going outside, it can affect not just your mood but also your hormonal health. Light is a key signal for your biological clock — its presence in the morning triggers the production of serotonin, which later converts into melatonin, the sleep hormone. Morning light also plays a role in regulating the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis, which governs thyroid function. This means that even if your thyroid is physically healthy, its activity can be suppressed without sunlight. Ideally, you should expose yourself to natural light within the first hour after waking — even just stepping out onto a balcony or taking a short walk near your home helps. Even a cloudy morning provides 10–20 times more natural light than any indoor lighting. The thyroid is just as sensitive to light as it is to medication or food. Daily “morning contact” with natural light is one of the simplest ways to support stable thyroid function — no complicated routines required.
Intense physical exercise immediately after waking up.
In today’s fast-paced lifestyle, morning workouts have become a popular habit — waking up early to run a few kilometers or do functional cardio before breakfast. But if you have a sensitive or weakened thyroid, especially in cases of hypothyroidism, this habit might actually work against you. After waking, your body is still in the process of initiating essential biological functions. If you introduce intense physical exertion at this stage, your body perceives it as stress and releases elevated stress hormones, which can disrupt hormonal balance. Instead of a morning energy boost, you may end up feeling exhausted, shaky, moody, or anxious throughout the day. Over time, this can strain your adrenal glands and further slow your metabolism. The best approach is to give your body 30–60 minutes after waking to ease into the day — take any necessary medications, drink water, do some light stretching or yoga, or go for a gentle walk. Then, if desired, engage in more intense physical activity after your system is fully awake.