Last Updated on March 18, 2026 by Carrie Korem, FNTP
Low TSH levels, often diagnosed as hyperthyroidism, affects 2-5% of all women mostly between the ages of 20-40 years old. I’m excited to tell you that there are ways to raise TSH naturally without spending tons of money on supplements.
Let’s dive in!
What is TSH
TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) is a hormone that the pituitary sends out to tell the thyroid how much or how little thyroid hormones to produce.
Let’s take a look at this from a 30k ft. view:
The pituitary, hypothalamus and adrenals (also called the HPA-axis) are all part of the endocrine system and communicate with one another throughout the day. When the body perceives stress – emotional, mental, physical, environmental, etc. – the hypothalamus tells the adrenals, via the pituitary, to produce additional cortisol.
If the stressors become chronic or is too overwhelming for the body, this can sometimes cause the hypothalamus to tell the pituitary to lower TSH which will usually cause thyroid hormones to increase.
It’s important to note that TSH is a pituitary hormone, not a thyroid hormone. TSH does not tell you how much thyroid hormone your thyroid is producing. It also doesn’t tell you how much thyroid hormone is going out to the cells of your body.
What is an optimum TSH level
Everyone is biochemically individual, but in general, a TSH level between 0.5-2.0mIU/L is the optimal range where people feel healthy and vibrant.
A low TSH doesn’t always mean that thyroid levels are high
TSH is a pituitary hormone, not a thyroid hormone. So it’s important to note that just because TSH is low doesn’t always mean that thyroid hormones are high.
If TSH is low, always get a full thyroid panel and talk to your practitioner.
Here is the list of labs to ask your practitioner for or to order yourself:
TSH
fT4
fT3
rT3
TPOab
TgAB
TSI
CBC
CMP
Iron panel
Ferritin
Vitamin D
B12
12-hour saliva cortisol test
This list will give you and your practitioner helpful information so they can help you figure out your root causes of the low TSH.
I’ve seen many clients who had low TSH but their thryoid hormones, fT4 and fT3, were either low, or in normal ranges. This is why you always want to have a full thyroid panel.
Low TSH level symptoms
Here’s a list of some of the most common symptoms of low TSH:
- Nervousness
- Irritability
- Increased sweating
- Heart racing
- Hand tremors
- Anxiety
- Difficulty sleeping
- Thinning of your skin
- Fine brittle hair
- Increased sensitivity to heat
- Weakness in your muscles—especially in the upper arms and thighs.
- More frequent bowel movements
- Weight loss
- Excessive appetite
- Irregular Menstrual cycles
- Lots of energy (often too much)
- Lack of energy (as the body breaks down)
- Bulging Eyes
- Goiter
- Graves Disease
Why would TSH suddenly go low?
TSH can suddenly go low from things issues such as:
Chronic stress – emotional, mental, physical, environmental, etc.
Toxicity in the body
Elevated fT4 or fT3
Graves’ disease – these antibodies can drive thyroid hormones up and lower TSH
TSH is a pituitary hormone, so it’s important to note that just because TSH is low doesn’t always mean that thyroid hormones are high.
If TSH is low, always get a full thyroid panel and talk to your practitioner.
Now that we understand the basics of low TSH, here are 8 steps to raise TSH naturally:
1. Take steps to support your adrenals. As mentioned above, low TSH is usually rooted in an imbalance in the HPA-axis, and the most common cause of low TSH is adrenal imbalance from stress (mental, physical, emotional, psychological etc.).
I can’t tell you how many people that have taken the steps I list in this article and come back a month or two later telling me how much better they already feel! I’ve also had clients in our practice follow many of these steps, and we’ve seen their TSH levels balance out within just a few of months.
2. If you’re on thyroid hormone medications, make sure your practitioner is testing your thyroid hormones. Most conventional doctors only test TSH. The problem with this is that TSH is a pituitary hormone and not a thyroid hormone. You need to test thyroid hormones to know how much or how little the thyroid is actually producing, especially if you’re on thyroid hormone replacement.
I’ve seen clients who are on thyroid hormone replacement and their thyroid hormone labs are high (and flagged in red). Too much thyroid hormones can cause TSH to go down. So, this is why you need to always get a full thyroid panel.
In most cases, you have to be your own advocate, read your labs, and ask questions.
As a side note – I never tell clients how much of a medication to take, or when to start or stop a medication. If I see elevated fT4 or fT3 and they are on thyroid medication, I encourage them to talk to their doctor about their current prescription.
Here’s that list of labs for you again to ask your practitioner for or to order yourself:
TSH
fT4
fT3
rT3
TPOab
TgAB
TSI
CBC
CMP
Iron panel
Ferritin
Vitamin D
B12
12-hour saliva cortisol test
3. Get tested monthly. If your TSH is below .50 mIU/L, It’s very important to get your TSH tested monthly until it comes back into a normal range. Your doctor can assist you in this, or you can get it tested yourself through True Health Labs.
4. Take an honest look at the emotional stressors in your life. Low TSH is often rooted in emotional stress, so it’s helpful to make a list of stressful things that have happened throughout your life and evaluate what you need to do about those things.
Talking to a friend, family member, counselor or therapist can also be very helpful.
5. Another common root cause of low TSH is toxicity in the body. Taking steps to remove all processed foods from the body and supporting liver detoxification can be incredibly helpful.
6. Make sleep a priority. The body cannot heal and come back into balance without adequate sleep. If insomnia is an issue right now, read this article and see which steps you can take to improve your quality of sleep.
7. Avoid skipping meals, intermittent fasting or super low-carb diets (such as keto). All of these things can put excess strain on the adrenals and cause cortisol and/or blood sugar imbalance, which can then result in low TSH.
I know intermittent fasting and low carb diets like keto are popular right now, and sometimes those with thyroid disease will feel good for a short time period while on one of these kinds of diets, but they usually backfire down the road. It simply puts too much strain on an already stressed body and creates additional hormone imbalance, so I really don’t recommend it.
8. Limit caffeine. Caffeine and is like liquid stress for the body which can create an imbalance in the HPA-axis and lower TSH, so it’s really best to limit your coffee consumption.
If you need some help reducing how much coffee you drink (I know it can be hard!), then read this article I wrote about how to kick the caffeine habit without having the crazy withdrawal symptoms.
How can I learn more about the steps I can take for my thyroid?
I have four fantastic options for you!
- To download my 50 of my top tips to support the thyroid naturally, tap here. I’ll also send you an educational email every few days to help you learn how to support your thyroid naturally.
- If you’d like to learn from first steps you can take to help support your thyroid, check out my class, “5 Keys to Thyroid Hormone Balance”. It’s just 45 minutes and I promise you’ll learn something new!
- If you’re looking for a step-by-step plan for Hashimoto’s that truly works (no more piecing together info!), check out my 90-Day Thyroid Reset Program.
- Book a consult for one-on-one help. Here’s info about what that looks like.
Note: The purpose of this post is to give an overview of some common root causes of low TSH from a holistic perspective. Due to biochemical individuality there can be many various reasons for the root causes of low TSH. This information is not intended to take the place of your doctor’s advice.
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