Peloton instructor who suddenly kept falling asleep on the subway is diagnosed with mystery condition

A Peloton instructor who kept falling asleep on the subway is sharing her story to spread awareness about the condition she was diagnosed with.

Hannah Corbin described in an essay for the Huffington Post how she constantly felt exhausted, and would fall asleep on the subway as it traveled into different boroughs.

She said she spent years going to different doctors, until she was finally diagnosed with Hashimoto's disease - an autoimmune condition that is the most common form of hypothyroidism or under-active thyroid.

The thyroid produces hormones that contribute to regulating your weight, energy and other bodily functions - and when the thyroid is under-active, a person's body may not be getting enough of these hormones.

It is a pretty common condition, with nearly 20million Americans living with some form of thyroid disease - though up to 60 percent of those with the condition are unaware about it and the associated risks it comes with.

For Corbin, the symptoms began five years ago, when she began experiencing 'a level of exhaustion that I still find hard to describe.

'I felt like an infant who could barely stay awake for four hours before needing a nap, and I was grappling with unexplained weight gain, too,' she wrote. 

Corbin said she was still able to teach her Peloton classes, but 'more and more it felt like scaling Mt. Everest just to get through the entirety of a class with my eyes open.

'I'd manage to teach a session or two only to fall asleep on the subway on the way home,' she said. 

'I started waking up in different boroughs, which might have almost been funny if it hadn't started to feel so dangerous.

'I felt like a shadow of my former self, displaying only a shell of my personality.'

At first, Corbin said she was willing to try anything to feel better, changing her diet and doubling down on exercise.

'I was convinced that if I just pushed hard enough, I'd turn things around.'

But that did not seem to help.

For the next two years, she said, she went to doctors appointments hoping for an answer - but was repeatedly dismissed by medical professionals telling her her symptoms were probably just a result of her demanding job and aren't severe enough to worry about.

Still, her family was 'worried, frustrated and often at a loss for what to do. 

'Eventually, I felt like I had to take a step back from socializing and hanging out with the people I loved because I did not feel like myself anymore.

'My husband and my friends saw this change in me and encouraged me to keep pushing for the answers I needed,' she said, noting that she 'knew something needed to change' and 'refused to give up.'

She was ultimately diagnosed with Hashimoto's, which she called a 'mixed blessing.'

'I finally had an explanation for my symptoms, but it also meant accepting life with a chronic autoimmune condition and redefining what "healthy" meant to me,' Corbin wrote. 'I worried, "Where on Earth do I go from here?"' 

Corbin was then put on medication to regulate her thyroid hormone levels 'and slowly began to get back to enjoying my day instead of dreading every second of it .

'I shifted my focus to nutritious foods, exercising for fun again instead of desperation, and carefully monitoring my health.'

'I felt a bit betrayed by my own body, and let down by the medical system,' she continued. 'But I also found a new sense of purpose. Instead of focusing on what my body can't do, I started being in awe of what it can do.' 

She said she learned that Hashimoto's puts her at a higher risk of Thyroid Eye Disease, which can cause double vision, eye bulging, eye pain and even vision loss - prompting Corbin to take better care of her eyes.

'I’ve also learned throughout this process that however unique I may be, my story is not,' she said.

According to the National Institutes of Health, Hashimoto’s disease is four to 10 times more common in women than men.

And even though it may occur in teens or young women, it more often develops in women ages 30 to 50. 

It is also most prevalent in those who have other autoimmune diseases like celiac, diabetes and lupus.

The most common symptoms of Hashimoto's is fatigue, weight gain, joint and muscle pain, dry skin, constipation, fertility problems and slowed heart rates.

Corbin says she is now sharing her story to create 'a community where we can all laugh, support each other and occasionally break out into spontaneous dance parties.  

'Life’s too short not to have a little fun while navigating the twists and turns,' she wrote.