Problems with the thyroid gland are on the rise. What's worrying is that this number is increasing among young people.

The thyroid gland is butterfly-shaped and lies in front of the trachea at the lower front part of the neck. Its job is to produce your thyroid hormones thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3), which take care of all essential metabolic processes, and calcitonin, which plays an important role in calcium homeostasis in the body. Life without thyroid hormones is impossible, so it’s good to occasionally do a test and take care of thyroid health.

Symptoms of thyroid problems include drowsiness, insomnia, fatigue, nervousness, short-term memory loss, feeling foggy-headed, slow speech, thickened tongue, sudden weight loss, muscle and joint pain, slow movements, tingling hands, anemia, feeling of sand in the eyes, swollen eyelids, irregular heartbeat, diarrhea and/or constipation ...

An overactive thyroid, causing it to be overburdened, also causes problems. This condition is called hyperthyroidism. If the thyroid works too little, it is hypothyroidism.

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A craving for seafood or fish is a sign of iodine deficiency in the body, which can lead to thyroid problems.

To the list of simple exercises for testing thyroid function, we add a simple test with a piece of paper, which is not 100% accurate, but it tells enough to visit a doctor and ask for their opinion.

The exercise goes like this:

• 1 - Stand in the middle of the room
  
• 2 - Bend your arms (the elbow should be at a 90-degree angle) and turn your palms upward
  
• 3 - Close your eyes and concentrate on the test
  
• 4 - Ask a friend to place a piece of paper on your hands

If you can keep the piece of paper on your hands for more than 30 seconds, then your thyroid is functioning without problems.
However, if there is strong hand tremor, so strong that you cannot keep the paper on your hands, then this is a sign to visit an endocrinologist.