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Iron is an essential nutrient; your body needs iron to help carry oxygen from the lungs to the rest of your body and helps produce energy. When you aren’t consuming or absorbing enough iron, there can be significant consequences to your health, energy levels, appearance, ability to concentrate, and so forth.
There are a few common symptoms that can often be confused for general sicknesses or the “winter blahs” but they should not be ignored as they could be a sign of iron deficiency:
As we all know, Winter brings along the dreaded cold weather, but if you find that you can never seem to shake the chill or get warm then this could be a sign of iron deficiency. Think of your body as a coal furnace and the iron as the coal; if you’re not putting enough coal into the furnace, then it will never create enough heat to warm up the entire house.
Until you appropriately fuel your body with the iron it needs, you will continue to feel cold, especially when others are not.
Read more here: Are You Always Cold?
Although the holidays are a time to kick back and relax with family and friends, it often brings about tons of shopping, numerous holiday parties to attend, and so forth. Feeling tired after a long and busy day is typical, but feeling that you are constantly in a state of fatigue is not. In fact, chronic fatigue is a common symptom of iron deficiency.
Chronic fatigue could be the cause of other underlying conditions such as diabetes, depression, thyroid problems, etc. It’s important to check if you have any other symptoms related to iron deficiency to help get to the bottom of the chronic fatigue.
Read more here: Experiencing Chronic Fatigue
Unless you take off for a tropical vacation, you may be looking a little pale throughout the Winter season. However, you shouldn’t mistake this for just a lack of vitamin D from the sun. If you experienced a sudden onset of paleness, or have been unusually pale, it is advisable to seek the advice of a healthcare professional.
Iron deficiency anemia is one of the most common causes for pale skin, and often one of the first noticeable signs. Since iron aids in producing hemoglobin which helps carry oxygen to your muscles and organs, paleness is caused by reduced blood flow.
It’s important to be proactive and be in-the-know when it comes to your symptoms and what they can mean. Utilize this Symptoms Checker to help identify your symptoms and if you are in an at-risk group.
Many of the symptoms related to iron deficiency can be attributed to other causes in today’s often busy lifestyle. You may not even realize that you or a loved one could be iron deficient.
Here’s a quick snapshot and a link to a symptoms checker for adults. Be sure to share with your friends!
Content and advice provided on The Iron Maiden is for information purposes only and should not serve as a substitute for a licensed health care provider, who is knowledgeable about an individual’s unique health care needs. The content and advice shared on The Iron Maiden are the opinions of the writer and not her employers.
You know those days where fatigue just gets the better of you and you spend your day feeling sluggish and unable to concentrate? If you were up late the night before or have had an especially hard and stressful week, then having a day like this may feel pretty normal. But, if you can’t pinpoint a cause for the way you’re feeling or find yourself feeling like that far too often, then you could be experiencing the symptoms of low iron.
As a parent, you can’t help but be tickled pink when your child is a good sleeper. Getting enough sleep is important for them (and you!), but if your child seems to be sleeping an awful lot, then there might be a problem. There’s a difference between sleeping through the night and having chronic fatigue, which is a tell-tale sign of iron deficiency.
Many of us may live a busier life than we would care to. We’re always on the go and trying to juggle a dozen things at once. So, feeling tired is normal then, right? Well, feeling tired after a long and busy day is typical, but feeling that you are constantly in a state of fatigue is not. In fact, chronic fatigue falls under my ‘triad of symptoms related to iron deficiency.’
I imagine with Valentine’s Day upon us and romance in the air – not to mention all the chocolate – many hearts are probably beating faster. If, however, you feel your heart aflutter when it shouldn’t be, then you might be experiencing heart palpitations… read on for the heart-pounding details!
Your nails say a lot about your health and doctors have actually looked to patients’ nails for clues about their health for centuries. It may seem like a strange connection, but changes in the visual appearance of your nails can be a sign of iron deficiency. The reason for this is that iron helps to carry oxygen throughout the body, including to your tissues. When you’re iron deficient, your tissues and muscles get less oxygen and this can show in your nails.
Baby, it’s cold outside, but if you find yourself feeling cold even when it’s anything but, then this could be a sign of iron deficiency.
We all remember that one kid growing up who would gross out the class by eating something that was never meant to be eaten, like dirt or sand at recess. You probably chalked it up to the kid being “weird” or “gross” and likely figured they were just doing it for attention, right? Well, what if I told you that eating these types of non-food materials could actually be a sign of iron deficiency or related anemia? Continue reading
Earlier this year I had the privilege of working on a project for Canadian Health & Family, hosted by Dr. Marla Shapiro, for a segment called Understanding and Treating Iron Deficiency and Iron Deficiency Anemia – maybe you’ve seen this segment which originally aired on CTV, or you’ve seen it playing in waiting rooms across Canada!
While I have previously discussed the signs and symptoms of iron deficiency, I would like to introduce you to the Iron Deficiency/Iron Deficiency Anemia Symptoms Checker!
Many of the symptoms related to iron deficiency can be attributed to other causes in today’s often busy lifestyle. However, when there is a collection of specific symptoms, it would be in your best interest to check with your physician and exclude iron deficiency as a cause.
There is so much more to iron deficiency than just not getting enough iron! I’ve rounded up the top 10 things my patients are surprised to learn about iron deficiency. Knowing these things can help you make better choices. Here we go… Continue reading
With the hectic lives that many of us lead, it’s not surprising that the signs of iron deficiency often get brushed off or even go entirely unnoticed, often until the iron stores have been depleted to the point of a person becoming anemic. Continue reading