Damage to the hypothalamus may cause disruptions in body temperature regulation, growth, weight, sodium and water balance, milk production, emotions, and sleep cycles.
[1][2][4] Hypopituitarism, neurogenic diabetes insipidus, tertiary hypothyroidism, and developmental disorders are examples of precipitating conditions caused by hypothalamic disease.
[1] Neurogenic diabetes insipidus may occur due to low levels of ADH production from the hypothalamus.
Insufficient production of the thyroid hormones result in suppressed metabolic activity and weight gain.
[5] Non-24-hour sleep-wake syndrome, a disabling condition in which one's sleep/wake cycle is longer, or rarely, shorter, than the standard 24 hours, is thought to involve or be caused by, at least in some cases, an abnormal functioning of the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) in the hypothalamus.