Top 5 Signs Your Body Has An Is Iron Deficiency

Iron deficiency is one of the most common nutritional deficiency in the world, especially for women. Read on to learn these top signs. Check out the article we found over at Health.com.

Iron can make the difference between you feeling on top of the world and downright miserable. Check out these surprising signs you need to pump up your iron levels.

by K. Aleisha Fetters

Iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency in the United States, and women are among those at greatest risk. Iron is critical for producing hemoglobin, a protein that helps red blood cells deliver oxygen throughout your body. So without it, everything suffers—and can lead to anemia. Check out these symptoms of iron deficiency and, if you have them, see your doc and request a ferritin test, which measures your body’s iron stores.

You’re exhausted

The most common symptom of iron deficiency, it’s also possibly the most difficult one to detect. “Women are so used to having frenetic lives and feeling tired,” says Nancy Berliner, MD, deputy editor of Blood, the journal of the American Society of Hematology. “They often just dismiss being tired as part of life.” However, iron deficiency causes less oxygen to reach your tissues, so your body is deprived of the energy it needs. If your “normal” fatigue is coupled with you feeling, weak, irritable, or unable to focus, iron (or a lack thereof) might have something to do with it. After all, there’s a reason people whose iron deficiency progresses into anemia are often said to have “tired blood.”

You have heavy periods

In women, the number-one cause of iron deficiency is too-heavy periods, says Jacques Moritz, MD, director of gynecology at Mount Sinai St. Luke’s Roosevelt in New York City. “They lose too much blood, replace about half of it, and then lose too much again the following month,” he says. “It’s like filling up a car with a small hold in the tank.” Your period should only fill two to three tablespoons each month. Try the tampon test: If you have to change your tampon more frequently than every two hours, talk to your gyno.

You’re pale

There’s a reason the words “pale” and “sickly” are often used interchangeably. Hemoglobin gives your blood its red color and, thus, your skin its rosy hue. That means that low levels of the protein can suck the color straight from your skin, Dr. Moritz says. If you have a light complexion, it’s pretty easy to spot. No matter your skin tone, though, if the inside of your lips, your gums, and the inside of your bottom eyelids are less red than usual, low iron may be to blame.

You get short of breath easily

No matter how deeply you breathe, if your oxygen levels are low, you’ll feel out of air, explains Dr. Berliner. If you notice yourself getting out of breath doing things that you’d normally handle just fine—be it climbing a flight or stairs or knocking out your usual workout—iron deficiency could be to blame.

Your heart is pounding

An overworked heart can end up suffering from irregular heartbeats, heart murmurs, enlargement, and even heart failure. Before you freak out, don’t. For things to get that bad, you would probably have to suffer from iron deficiency anemia for quite some time, suggests a review of cardiomyopathy and iron deficiency in the Texas Heart Institute Journal. However, if you know you have heart problems, it’s important to get your iron levels checked as iron deficiency can worsen existing heart problems.

Babies and small children who have anemia may:

• Be fussy.
• Have a short attention span.
• Grow more slowly than normal.
• Develop skills, such as walking and talking, later than normal.

Next article: The Heart Can Heal Itself After A Heart Attack Quicker With This Protein

Read full article: 15 Signs You May Have an Iron Deficiency