Ciara's story

I’ve never been a good sleeper but put it down to being ‘naturally’ restless. At night I’d toss and turn a lot and end up looking at my phone to pass the time. I couldn't pinpoint the reason why I couldn’t sleep — I wasn't stressed, I had exercised enough in the day, and I felt shattered. I was perplexed. I should be sleeping!

I wasn’t as alert during the day after a bad night’s sleep. It was bothering me so much, so I decided I needed some kind of health check to see what was up and if there was anything I could fix. I’d read about the full body checkups you can get in private clinics — but they cost hundreds of pounds which wasn’t realistic for me. 

Then as I was scrolling through Instagram, waiting for myself to start feeling tired, I noticed a colourful ad for Thriva. The idea of doing a home blood test like this seemed so much more convenient, and it was more affordable than a visit to a private health clinic. I was curious and entered my email address to start an account. 

Initially, I was quite anxious about the process of getting blood out of my finger, but the instructions inside the kit were so simple to follow. I’d never done anything like this before, so I emailed Thriva’s customer service, who were really efficient. They got back to me within minutes with a video showing me how to do it.

My husband helped me collect my samples, and I sent them off in the mailer bag that comes with the kit.

It felt like barely any time had passed until I received a text message saying my results were ready to read. Immediately, I logged into my Thriva dashboard, and I was very surprised to discover that I had a problem with my thyroid — which I’d previously had no clue about.

There was also a message telling me to see my GP, so within a week I’d booked an appointment. They ran their own tests, which confirmed my Thriva results and I was prescribed medication. 

My thyroid was never something I’d have thought of getting checked out, and I certainly had no idea it was connected to my restlessness at night. Now, I’m finally able to get a restful night!